SOUTH AFRICAN LARGE TELESCOPE (SALT)
Location: Karoo, South Africa Type: Optical Diameter: 11.1 by 9.8 metres
9SALT’S design appears almost identical to Hobby-eberly’s because it was inspired by the success of its predecessor. SALT has the same number of hexagonal panels as Hobby-eberly, but was redesigned to improve its field of view and image quality. The mirrors also have higher sensitivity to short wavelengths due to the additional layers of metal added to them.
Among SALT’S top discoveries is the first white dwarf pulsar, a fastspinning stellar remnant.