A sneak peek of M2’s metallic cradle | ELT updates

Measuring 4.25 meters across and weighing 12 tonnes, the M2 mirror of ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will be the largest ever secondary mirror on a telescope. Within the #ELT, it will be held by a specially designed cell, currently being tested and which you can discover in this video.

The cell must ensure the mirror’s correct shape down to the size of a virus, and position it with the accuracy of the width of a human hair!

Learn more about ESO’s ELT at: https://elt.eso.org/

Watch our ELT playlist here:    • ESO's Extremely Large Telescope  

Credit:
ESO.

Directed by: Angelos Tsaousis
Editing: Angelos Tsaousis
Web and technical support: Gurvan Bazin and Raquel Yumi Shida
Written by: Bárbara Ferreira, Martin Wallner
Consultants: Joan Manel Casalta, Albert Tomas, Michele Cirasuolo
Footage and photos: ESO, Angelos Tsaousis, Martin Wallner,
Samuel Santana Tschudi, Mahdi Zamani
Music: Jon Kennedy – Flux
Acknowledgement: Sener, ALBA-CELLS

#astronomy #science #extremelylargetelescope #telescope #mirror #sener #eso #spain #chile