Giant Magellan Telescope breaks ground in Chile, set to be world’s largest

SANTIAGO, Chile – A groundbreaking ceremony has been held in Chile for the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Scientists and officials gathered Wednesday on a mountaintop high in the Chilean Andes cordillera for the ceremony marking the launch of construction on what is expected to be the largest telescope ever built when it is completed in 2021.

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The GMT, as it’s known for short, will be in the Atacama Desert. Experts say it will produce images 10 times sharper than those delivered by the Hubble Space Telescope.

It is intended to help answer questions in cosmology, astrophysics and the study of planets outside the solar system.

The biggest, most powerful telescopes on Earth are being built in Chile, turning the Andean nation into a global astronomy hub.