Final stage for {world's largest} telescope design (BBC)

A project to build the world's biggest telescope has been given the go-ahead to move into its final design stage.

European Southern Observatory (Eso) officials have given approval for a detailed design study of the European Extremely Large Telescope to proceed.

The 57m euro (£38m) design study, will make it possible to start construction of the telescope in three years time.

The telescope's mirror will be 42m in diameter - four times bigger than any other currently in existence.

Eso operates the 8.2m Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Cerro Paranal in Chile, which has been described as a "discovery machine".


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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6176185.stm

The "Very Large Telescope"? Should scientists be allowed to name things?

The SECONDARY mirror of this beast may be as large as the primary of the famous Hale 200-inch.:wow:

Just think how many days we could fight a war for what this thing is going to cost.:eyes:

...which is about 7 hours worth of war in Iraq. I think it will be money well spent to further humanity's quest for knowledge about the universe.

Kind of bolsters the conclusion to be drawn.