The Large Binocular Telescope project

The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) Project is a collaboration between institutions in Arizona, Germany, Italy, and Ohio. The telescope uses two 8.4-meter diameter primary mirrors mounted side-by-side to produce a collecting area equivalent to an 11.8-meter circular aperture. A unique feature of LBT is that the light from the two primary mirrors can be combined to produce phased array imaging of an extended field. This coherent imaging gives the telescope the diffraction-limited resolution of a 22.65-meter telescope. The first of two 8.4-meter borosilicate honeycomb primary mirrors has been installed in the telescope on Mt. Graham in southeastern Arizona. First Light is planned for later this year with one primary mirror and a prime focus imager. The second of the two primaries is being polished at the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab in Tucson and will be installed in the telescope in the Fall of 2005. The telescope uses two F/15 adaptive secondaries to correct atmospheric turbulence.