Telescope
It could do this by studying light from faraway galaxies. The light would take different paths to the telescope, generating different images of the same object.
Why Mauna Kea?
The weather at the summit of Mauna Kea tends to be ideal for viewing the skies. At nearly 14,000 feet, its peak is normally above the clouds. Being surrounded by the ocean means air flows tend to be smoother and it has the driest atmosphere of any of the candidate sites.
The mountain is already home to 13 other telescopes.
Ghez used the Keck Observatory there to find our galaxy’s black hole. Other discoveries credited to those sites over the years include the first images of exoplanets and the detection of ‘Oumuamua, the first object from interstellar space, which turned out to be a comet from a distant star system.
Next-generation telescopes
Two other giant telescopes are being built in Chile, which also has excellent conditions for astronomy.
The European Extremely Large Telescope will have a primary mirror measuring 128 feet in diameter. The Giant Magellan Telescope’s mirror will be 80 feet in diameter.
The Thirty Meter Telescope is the only one expected to be built in the Northern Hemisphere. Because different spots on Earth look out on different parts of the sky, the next-generation ground telescopes will ensure scientists are able to see the entire universe.
The universities and national observatories behind the Thirty Meter Telescope have selected Spain’s Canary Islands as a backup site in case they are unable to build in Hawaii.