Objectives of the ELT
From probing primordial galaxies to tracking exoplanets, the ELT has an ambitious series of scientific goals
Study the formation of stars in the first galaxies
The light-gathering capabilities of the ELT will enable us to study how the first galaxies were formed and how stars were born in this chaotic early stage in the universe’s life. By seeing these points in space in their youth, we can see if all their stars were created at the very beginning or whether they already existed and were passive for long periods of time. This large telescope will help us to figure out if stars were born in bursts of activity every few billion years.
Study the accelerating expansion of the universe
“It will have multi-purposes and will make major advances in astronomy, from galaxy evolution in the early universe, through the study of black holes, to understanding how planets form outside of the Solar System,” says Cunningham. “It will achieve this by a combination of increases in angular resolution by a factor of 15, compared to Hubble, and sensitivity of up to 500-times better than current telescopes.”
Observe what was previously impossible
“Every time mankind has been able to make a technological leap forward in what is achievable in terms of observations, we’ve found it’s drastically improved our understanding of the cosmos,” comments Thatte. “So, for us, it’s the ability to look out into the furthest reaches of the stars and discover something new that we’ve never seen before. Those first galaxies could yield secrets about the primordial galaxies that we have never even considered.”
Learn about exoplanets and their stars
“It is world-class. It will have a really broad application across almost every area of astronomy,” comments Morris. “Just with our multi-object spectrograph you can perform hundreds of applications, including the search for extrasolar planets. We want to study the spectra of a star – from this we’ll be able to observe a Doppler shift if it has a large enough planet orbiting it, so you’ll see a shift in its velocity, relative to us, as it wobbles as the planet goes around it.”
Search for worlds that are like Earth
“The most exciting thing about not just detecting exoplanets in the universe, but also measuring their properties is that it may bring us much closer to understanding if Earth is unique in its planetary characteristics. Similar to observing the first galaxies, it is not just about detection here, but understanding the astrophysical properties of exoplanets,” says Cunningham. Spectroscopy allows us to look at the atmospheres of planets and look for signatures that suggest life.