Press Releases:
March 6, 2008
Large Binocular Telescope Achieves First Binocular Light
Milestone Means World’s Most Powerful Telescope Now Viewing with Both Eyes Wide Open
(Tucson, Arizona)
--- After more than one decade of preparation, the world’s most powerful telescope
is now looking skyward with both of its massive eyes wide open. The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT)
partners in the U.S.A., Italy and Germany are pleased to announce that the LBT has successfully achieved
first binocular light.
With this latest milestone, the LBT will provide new and more powerful views of
deep space, including potentially answering fundamental questions about the origins of the universe and
mysterious worlds in other planetary systems.
(Full Press Release)
(Word Document)
September 14, 2007
Why is the Hercules Dwarf Galaxy so flat?
First accepted refereed publication based on observations with the new Large Binocular Telescope
Through some of the very first scientific observations with the brand-new Large Binocular Telescope
(LBT) in Arizona, an international team of astronomers has found that a recently discovered tiny
companion galaxy to our Milky Way, named the Hercules Dwarf Galaxy, has truly exceptional properties:
while basically all of its known peers in the realm of these tiny dwarf galaxies are rather round,
this galaxy at a distance of 430000 Light Years appears highly flattened, either the shape of a disk
or of a cigar.
(Full Press Release)
(Word Document)
October 26, 2005
LBT successfully achieves “FIRST LIGHT”
(Tucson, Arizona) --- The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) partners in the U.S.A.,
Italy and Germany are pleased to announce that they achieved “First Light”
on Oct. 12, 2005. These exceptional images were obtained with one of the
telescope’s two primary mirrors in place and are being released today on the
World Wide Web, http://www.lbto.org.
(Full Press Release)
April 7, 2004
8.4-meter Mirror Successfully Installed in LBT
The University of Arizona today announced that the first 8.4-meter (27-foot)
primary mirror for the world’s most powerful telescope, the Large Binocular
Telescope (LBT), has successfully been installed in the telescope structure at
Arizona’s Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO).
(Full Press Release)
November 3, 2003
World's Largest Telescope Mirror Moves to the LBT
The world’s most powerful optical telescope, which will allow astronomers to
see planets around nearby stars in our galaxy, took a giant step closer to
completion late last week when the first of its huge 27-foot diameter mirrors
inched up a tortuous mountain road to its new home at Arizona’s Mount Graham
International Observatory. For more, see Full Press Release