The Canary Large Telescope (Gran Telecopio Canarias in Spanish, GranTeCan or GTC for short) is located in SpainLa Palma A large one with a diameter of 10.4 metersReflecting telescope。
As of 2013, GTC is the largest and most advanced optical andInfrared telescope。Its main mirror consists of 36 hexagonal segments that act together as a single mirror.The surface area of the condenser GTC is equivalent to that of a 10.4 meter diameter monocular telescope.Due to its huge area and advanced engineering education courses, the telescope performs best in astronomical research.[1]
main parameter
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Total weight is 400 tons
The main mirror weighs 17 tons
Effective collection area=73 m2
Effective focal length=169.9 m
Scale=0.82mm/stopboard
Cassegrain Focus
Total load=5100 kg
2000 kg instrument
1100 kg for collection and guidance
1200 kg, rotating instrument
800 kg instrument calibration module and adaptive optics
Field of view=field of 15 minutes of arc in diameter
Folding Cassegrain Focus
Total load=1000 kg
Look=5 arc diameter field
Nesmith Focus
Instrument weight shoulder=2400kg
Second bearing support=7500 kg instrument weight
Field of view=20 arc diameter field
Technical description
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The world's largest "Canary Large Telescope" was put into use on July 13, 2007, and the world's largest astronomical telescope, the "Canary Large Telescope", was put into use in the Canary Islands, Spain.Astronomers hope to use it to help humans search for Earth like planets in outer space and provide clues to explain the origin of life.[2]
The telescope (GTC) has a main mirror with a diameter of 10.4 meters, which is composed of 36 segmented mirrors saving 450 kilograms.In other words, only these mirror segments are as heavy as bulls.However, despite their amazing weight, the thickness of each segment is no more than 8 cm.Other small overall diameter primary mirrors, such as in a very large telescope（VLT）, 8.2 m, located in Cerro Paranal (Chile), up to 17.5 cm thick, so the GTC mirror is very thin.
The most remarkable feature of GTC mirror is its design and production.The polishing error limit of this ceramic material shall not exceed 15 nm, 3000 times smaller than human hair (one nanometer is equal to one thousandth of a micron, or 0.000001 mm), and any irregularity shall not exceed 90 nm.The mirror finish achieves this near perfect surface.In contrast, if the mirror is largeIberian PeninsulaThe highest "mountain" is only a few centimeters high!
The main material of the telescope's reflectorGlass ceramicsSimilar equipment is used for in vitro production of ceramics.A key characteristic of glass ceramics is its low expansion coefficient, which means that the temperature change of the telescope has no effect on optics.
Despite the scale and large segmentation image weight, all parts must be only 3mm away and kept in proper position with high tolerance.This is achieved continuously by a sensor and positioning system to keep the mirror in perfect position.
The construction of GTC involves many aspects and constitutes an important engineering achievement.For example, the metal structure of the dome has been made of 59000 pieces: about 16000 screws (4000 kg).
As a final detail, it is worth noting that more than 400 tons of telescopes and instruments support only a very thin layer of lubricant.The telescope "floats" in hydraulic oil, providing a very smooth movement.With only a small amount of force, the telescope can be pushed gently with your hand![3]
Location
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The characteristics of ORM are that its overall stability and good climatic conditions make it advantageous for astronomical observation.Stratigraphic clouds are usually higher than inversion clouds, which means that observatories often prefer cloudless skies.But equally important, it allows the use of low atmospheric turbulence in the atmosphere with minimal interference with the telescope good image quality.
important discovery
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An international team of astrophysicists uses the 10.4 meter Canary Telescope.A strong wind of neutral matter has been detected near a known black hole closest to the Earth.This wind forms in the outer layer of the accretion disk, regulating the accretion process of black holes to matter.[4]
