With its two 8.4-meter diameter mirrors, the LBT is capturing breathtaking images of objects that are millions of light years away. In the detailed pictures that were captured on 11 and 12 January, one can see a spiral galaxy, which is located 102 million light-years away from the Milky Way.
The LBT uses two 8.4 m (27ft) mirrors to give it the equal light-gathering capacity of a single 11.8m (39ft) instrument and the resolution of a 22.8m (75ft) telescope. Having a resolution of 22.8-meter (75 foot), LBT is the largest single telescope in the world.
It took a long 20 years for the development of LBT. The telescope costs an enormous $120 million.
The LBT has been partially operational since 12 October 2005 when a single mirror was used to watch a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Andromeda.
However thanks to the extraordinary power afforded by its double-mirror configuration, the all-new LBT will make it possible for astronomers to investigate the universe further back in time and in more detail than ever before.
