Event: The detonation of a mountain peak at The Carnegie Institution’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile to begin site preparation for the construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will be live-streamed to the general public. Video coverage is provided courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Chile.
When: Friday, March 23, 11 a.m. CDT. Any change in time due to external factors will be announced on the web site.
Where: Login as a guest to watch the video streamed live from Las Campanas Peak, Chile.
Background: The Giant Magellan Telescope will be the world’s largest telescope and promises to revolutionize scientists’ view and understanding of the universe.
It will be built collaboratively by The University of Texas at Austin, Texas AandM University, Carnegie Institution for Science, Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University, The University of Arizona, The University of Chicago, Astronomy Australia Ltd., The Australian National University, and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
To create a level foundation for the construction of the telescope, the top of the mountain will be detonated. A detailed news release with high-resolution images of the blasting work will be released next week.
