As per Volker Bromm, an astronomer at the University of Texas, we all live in a universe of stars. When the Big Bang happened around 13 billion years ago, the first elusive stars that appeared as a result of it mark a very key transitionary period in the history of the universe. As a common belief, the Big Bang caused to give birth to all the galaxies, planets, and stars which eventually initiated life. Now, with all modern technology and highly advanced, sophisticated telescopes, no one can look as far back into the universe to see those first stars.
And here comes a theory that was proposed by Roger Angel’s team from the University of Arizona in 2008. They proposed to make a telescope on the moon, but NASA did not like the idea at that time and shelved it.
The Ultimately Large Telescope
Now, the scientists and astronomers are thinking to work on Roger Angel’s theory of building a telescope on the moon, but with a little twist.
They are proposing that instead of using normal and conventional materials to develop a telescope, this telescope would have a liquid mirror instead. So, substituting glass, the telescope’s mirror will be made up of spinning liquid with a topping of metal that has a reflective surface and is easier to carry to the moon, besides being cheaper. The metal mercury can be taken as a reference for being a reflective liquid.
Now, the scientists are proposing that the liquid mirror of this telescope is going to be over 300 feet in diameter. That is super huge!
Scientists have named this hypothetical telescope ‘The Ultimately Large Telescope.’
This telescope will be housed inside a gigantic crater on the moon.
Anna Schauer, an astronomer says that the moon is the perfect place to situate this telescope because Earth’s atmosphere with different wavelengths of light prevent the astronomers to look so far back into time. Therefore, it is imperative to take this telescope outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Volker Bromm says that the moment of birth of those first stars cannot be seen through any of the current telescopes or the ones that are under development by NASA. So, this ‘Ultimately Large Telescope’ is the best shot that can let the scientists unveil the ultimate mystery shrouding the creation of the universe billions of years ago.
It is interesting to note that the scientists and astronomers are talking about building a telescope to study the emergence of those first stars as a result of the Big Bang with a substance that was created as a result of that Big Bang!
The upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal will publish the entire proposal with details about this ultimate telescope.
The infrastructure required for this telescope on the moon would need many years to build.
Of course, these theories will take a very long while to materialize. It is going to be very expensive too, but the future generations will surely have a clear inclination about how the universe happened! So, it is all going to be quite worth it.
I’m Ava Paul, an experienced news website author with a special focus on the entertainment section. Over the past five years, I have worked in various positions of media and communication at World Stock Market. My experience has given me extensive knowledge in writing, editing, researching and reporting on stories related to the entertainment industry.
