Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)
Gran Telescopio de Sudáfrica (SALT)
- Date
- 2005 · confidence high
- Place
- South African Astronomical Observatory, Sutherland, Northern Cape, South Africa
- Credited to
- South African Astronomical Observatory and international partners
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What it is
With a segmented mirror about 11 m across, SALT is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. It was inaugurated in 2005, with a fixed-elevation mirror design derived from the Hobby-Eberly (USA).
Its mirror is made of 91 hexagonal segments; the design of Texas's Hobby-Eberly was the base. It was built at a lower cost than an equivalent telescope.
What it led to
- study of stars and galaxies in the southern sky
- growth of African astronomy
- a complement to the SKA facilities