Inside the Extremely Large Telescope being built in Chile
STORY: Among the remote desert hills of northern Chile lies the aptly named 'Extremely Large Telescope.'
:: Cerro Armazones, Chile
The project, about 60% complete, is planned as one of the most capable astronomical observatories ever assembled.
It's intended to search for evidence of potential life on planets beyond our solar system.
And take a glimpse back in time at the universe's earliest stars and galaxies.
The over $1.5 billion telescope is a project of the European Southern Observatory, an intergovernmental research organization.
It's situated in the middle of the arid Atacama Desert, considered one of the best places on Earth for astronomy.
Itziar de Gregorio is an astrophysicist and the ESO's representative in Chile:
:: Itziar de Gregorio, European Southern Observatory representative
'It will impact practically all areas of astronomy. We will be able to see how the first galaxies, the first stars, were formed at the beginning of the universe. We will be able to see in great detail and characterize the stars in other galaxies, and above all, we will be able to make great strides in understanding the worlds around other stars.'
These boxes contain precisely engineered mirrors, which are due to be assembled into one giant one.
The telescope's primary mirror will be made up of 798 pieces and measure about 130 feet.
Tobias Muller manages the assembly.
:: Tobias Muller, Manager of assembly, integration and verification
"152 segment assemblies already fully processed and ready to be installed on the telescope. And we did it in less than one year. I mean, this is a major challenge."
The telescope is expected to be the largest optical-infrared facility in the world for decades.
:: ESO
Its first scientific observations are expected by the end of 2028.
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