Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is a next generation optical/infra-red telescope, and will have the resolving power of a 24.5 metre primary mirror. It is being developed by the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization (GMTO) on behalf of a consortium of universities in the USA, along with the Australian National University (ANU) and Astronomy Australia Ltd (AAL). In February 2009, the GMT Founders' Agreement was signed. Australia's participation in the GMT at the 10% level is fully funded until the end of construction, with the ANU and AAL both 5% partners. Australian GMT Project Office The Australian GMT Project Office (AGMTPO) is located at Mt Stromlo Observatory, ANU and is responsible for managing Australia's participation in the GMT project.

Artist's impression of the GMT. Image credit: Giant Magellan Telescope/GMTO.

Australian instrumentation

The GMTIFS (GMT Integral Field Spectrograph) instrument from the ANU has been chosen as one of six GMT first-light instruments for which Conceptual Design Studies are being undertaken. GMTIFS will be used with the GMT's Laser Tomography Adaptive Optics (LTAO) system and the primary instrument is an adaptive-optics-corrected near-infrared integral-field spectrograph. The ANU is also contracted to develop the GMT LTAO system concept.

The AAO proposed MANIFEST (MANy-Instrument FibrE SysTem) is a general-purpose fibre-positioning system, to feed the GMT instruments such as GMACS (the proposed optical imaging spectrograph), NIRMOS (the proposed near-infrared imaging spectrograph) and G-Clef (high resolution optical spectrograph).

GMT2 Mirror Casting Event

Prof Warrick Couch and Prof Matthew Colless attended the GMT2 Mirror Casting Ceremony on 14th January 2012 at the Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory (SOML) at the University of Arizona. Images from the event are below. (Images credit: Warrick Couch.)

Roger Angel, Patrick McCarthy, Peter Strittmatter, Matthew Colless giving press conference at SOML Polishing GMT1 - Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory Polishing GMT1 - stressed-lap polishing tool SOML Furnace with GMT2 mirror in heat up/melt/spin phase inside.

Peter Strittmatter with a piece of mirror glass Warrick Couch and Matthew Colless Matthew Colless and Philip Pinto (UofA and Steward Obs) in front of the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona campus, Tucson. Jim Burge, SOML staff member, explaining the mirror testing tower facility to attendees at the mirror casting ceremony.

GMT2 mirror casting ceremony dinner Wendy Freedman, Chair, Carnegie Institution for Science Edward "Rocky" Kolb, The University of Chicago Robert Kirshner, Harvard University

AAL representation on GMT Committees

GMT Board: Prof Matthew Colless, AAO (Deputy Chair) and Mr Mark McAuley, AAL.

GMT Finance and Audit Committee: Mr Mark McAuley, AAL (Chair).

GMT Science Advisory Committee: Prof Chris Tinney, UNSW.