The European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) — the world's largest visible- and infrared-light telescope — is currently under development on the Cerro Armazones mountain in Chile's Atacama Desert. The mighty telescope is expected to see its "first light" by 2028.
New photos from the ESO show that the dome's frame is now completed, while the outer shell that will fully enclose the telescope is still under construction. Plates of aluminum will be added to the exterior of the frame to protect the telescope from the extreme environment of the Atacama desert, including variable temperatures, according to a statement from the observatory.
The dome measures 305 feet (93 meters) in diameter, or about the size of a football field and stands 263 feet (80 meters) tall. The dome will house the ELT, which aims to observe terrestrial exoplanets and their atmospheres, as well as measuring the expansion of the universe.
Source: https://www.space.com
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