Jesus's blog

In a massive laboratory beneath the University of Arizona’s football stadium, a high-tech furnace was working its magic. This furnace, resembling a spinning saucer, had reached a scorching 1165°C. Inside it, 17,500 kilograms of special glass had melted, and it would soon become a colossal mirror.

This mirror was the last of seven needed for the Giant Magellan Telescope, set to become the world’s most powerful optical instrument. The telescope, located on a Chilean mountaintop, featured seven primary mirrors shaped like a flower. These mirrors acted as one, capturing light with image quality four times better than our best space telescopes.

What made this telescope unique was its ability to study cool, Earth-like exoplanets in detail. Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope, it focused on optical and near-infrared light – wavelengths important for identifying signs of life.

The telescope was named after Ferdinand Magellan, the explorer who circumnavigated the globe. Some wanted to change its name due to Magellan’s controversial actions, but no decision had been made.

Creating these mirrors was a long and precise process. They started with a glass furnace, then molded the melted glass into a unique structure. After extensive cooling, they polished it for two years until it was incredibly smooth.

A final coat of aluminum, great for reflecting visible light, would enable the telescope to potentially spot alien worlds.

This telescope held the promise of finding distant, Earth-like planets and signs of extraterrestrial life. As its completion neared, it offered hope for unlocking the universe’s mysteries.