Work starts on the Large Size Telescope

Work has finally started on the Large Size Telescope.

The first stone ceremony was held on October 9th. This week the bushes have been cut down ready for the bulldozers to move in.

Like the MAGIC, the LST will be a huge Cherenkov telescope (looking for gamma rays from space) with a mirror 23m across. The larger mirror will enable it to see fainter Cherenkov light, and therefore lower energy particles. For non-geeks, that means the physicists will be able to see things they’ve never seen before.

The LST is a prototype. If all goes well, the plan is to build a whole array of Cherenkov telescopes on La Palma, consisting of 4 huge 23 m telescopes, plus another 15 smaller ones, wit mirrors “only” 12  m across.

(Also posted at http://lapalma-island.com)

Posted by sheila

Sheila came to La Palma with a six month contract and has stayed 24 years so far. She used to work as a software engineer at the observatory, but now she's a writer and Starlight guide.