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Images Courtesy of Cathi Duncan and GMTO 5.

Completed Giant Magellan Telescope Mirror 1 Leaves the Mirror Lab

Giant Magellan Telescope Mirror #1, the first of the six off-axis segments for GMT, is completed, has a protective film on the front surface, and left the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab Sept 20, 2017, for temporary storage south of the UA. Space is needed for work on already-cast segments 2, 3, and 4 (#4 is the central, on-axis mirror): Mirror 2 is being polished, Mirror 3 is about to undergo front-surface grinding, and Mirror 4 is about to undergo rear-surface grinding. In November 2017, Mirror 5 will be cast. First light for the 4-mirror configuration (each mirror is 8.4 meters in diameter) is expected in 2023, with the seven-mirror full telescope on the sky in 2025.

You can read the GMT press release HERE. A video of the transport can be seen HERE.

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