Technical description of the U.K. large telescope

The British astronomical community is currently engaged in the development of an 8-m aperture visible/IR telecope whose structure is based on the successful Herschel 4.2-m telescope. The primary mirror will be of meniscus type, with a 40:1 aspect ratio and active support; two secondaries will be used, of which the first (f/7) will furnish a corrected 40-arcmin field, while the second (f/35) can be chopped for use in the thermal IR. Enclosure design options under consideration encompass a carousel, a conventional hemispherical dome, and a lightweight octagonal enclosure.