The first designs of what became the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) were drawn more than 25 years ago, at a time when its observing modes were also conceptually defined, enabling the spatial resolution of a 23-m telescope while providing the versatility of a pair of 8-m telescopes. An important step was recently taken with the publication of the first refereed science paper using the NASA-Headquarters funded LBT Interferometer (LBTI).
LBTI coherently combines the two LBT beams to achieve the 23-m resolution the observatory offers today as a precursor to the Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) currently in development and hopefully operational in the mid-to-late 2020s.
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| LBTI (green and silver structure in the center of the picture) between the two 8.4m mirrors of LBT |
The published study reports LBTI's first test observations of stardust, in this case around a mature, sun-like star called eta Corvi known to be unusually dusty. According to the science team, this star is 10,000 times dustier than our own solar system, likely due to a recent impact between planetary bodies in its inner regions. The surplus of dust gives the telescope a good place to practice its dust-detecting skills.
The results show that the telescope works as intended: a tribute to the many who contributed to the development of the observatory.
The results show that the telescope works as intended: a tribute to the many who contributed to the development of the observatory.
Find more on this landmark paper in LBTO's history by reading the NASA-JPL press release entitled Telescope To Seek Dust Where Other Earths May Lie, issued on January 20, 2015.
The article
FIRST-LIGHT LBT NULLING INTERFEROMETRIC OBSERVATIONS: WARM EXOZODIACAL DUST RESOLVED WITHIN A FEW AU OF η Crv
D. Defrère, P. M. Hinz, A. J. Skemer, G. M. Kennedy, V. P. Bailey, W. F. Hoffmann, B. Mennesson, R. Millan-Gabet, W. C. Danchi, O. Absil
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