The World's Largest Optical Telescopes


Operational

Aperture (meters) Name Location Latitude; Longitude
Altitude		 Comments
10.0 Keck Mauna Kea, Hawaii 19 50 N; 155 28 W
4123 m		 mirror composed of 36 segments
Keck II future optical interferometry!
9.2 Hobby-Eberly Mt. Fowlkes, Texas 30 40 N; 104 1 W
2072 m		 very inexpensive: spherical segmented mirror; fixed elevation; spectroscopy only
8.3 Subaru Mauna Kea, Hawaii 19 50 N; 155 28 W
4100 m		 NAOJ
8.2 Antu Cerro Paranal, Chile 24 38 S; 70 24 W
2635m		 1st unit of Very Large Telescope
8.2 Kueyen Cerro Paranal, Chile 24 38 S; 70 24 W
2635m		 2nd unit of Very Large Telescope
8.0 Gemini North Mauna Kea, Hawaii 19 50 N; 155 28 W
4100 m		 twin of Gemini South
6.0 Bolshoi Teleskop Azimutalnyi Nizhny Arkhyz, Russia 43 39 N; 41 26 E
2070m		 BTA = Large Altazimuth Telescope
5.0 Hale Palomar Mountain, California 33 21 N; 116 52 W
1900 m		  
4.2 William Herschel La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain 28 46 N; 17 53 W
2400 m		 Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos
4.0 Victor Blanco Cerro Tololo, Chile 30 10 S;70 49 W
2200 m		 CTIO
3.9 Anglo-Australian Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia 31 17 S;149 04 E Siding Spring Obs.
3.8 Mayall Kitt Peak, Arizona 31 57 N; 111 37 W
2100 m		 may be closed in 1999 due to budget difficulties
UK Infrared Mauna Kea, Hawaii 19 50 N; 155 28 W
4200 m		  
3.6 "360" Cerro La Silla, Chile 29 15 S; 70 44 W
2400 m		 European Southern Obs.
Canada-France-Hawaii Mauna Kea, Hawaii 19 50 N; 155 28 W
4200 m		  
3.5 MPI-CAHA Calar Alto, Spain 37 13 N; 2 33 W
2200 m		  
New Technology Cerro La Silla, Chile 29 15 S; 70 44 W
2400 m		 European Southern Obs.
ARC Apache Point, New Mexico 32 47 N; 105 49 W
2788 m		 mostly remote controlled
WIYN Kitt Peak, Arizona 31 57 N; 111 37 W
2100 m		 Wisconson, Indiana, Yale, NOAO
Starfire Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
1900 m		 military
Telescopio Nazionale Galileo La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain 28 45 N; 17 53 W
2370 m		 Italian
3.0 Shane Mount Hamilton, California 37 21 N; 121 38 W
1300 m		 Lick Observatory
NASA IRTF Mauna Kea, Hawaii 19 50 N; 155 28 W
4160 m		 infrared
NODO New Mexico 32 59 N; 105 44 W
2758 m		 liquid mirror
2.7 Harlan Smith Mt. Locke, Texas 30 40 N; 104 1 W
2100 m		 McDonald Obs.; see also
UBC LMT Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, British Columbia 49 17N; 123 34 W
400 m		 mercury mirror; not steerable
2.6 BAO Byurakan, Armenia 40 20N; 44 17 E
1405 m		 Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory
Shajn Crimea, Ukraine 44 44 N; 34 E
600 m		 Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
2.5 Hooker Mt. Wilson, California 34 13N; 118 4 W
1700 m		 built in 1917
Isaac Newton La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain 28 45 N; 17 53 W
2382 m		 Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos
Nordic Optical  
du Pont Las Campanas, Chile    
Sloan Digital Sky Survey Apache Point, New Mexico 32 47 N; 105 49 W
2788 m		 huge wide-field detector
2.45 CHARA Mt. Wilson, California 34 13N; 118 4 W
1700 m		 interferometer using 6 1-m scopes
2.4 Hiltner Kitt Peak, Arizona 31 57 N; 111 37 W
2100 m		 Michigan Dartmouth MIT Observatory
Hubble Space Telescope Low Earth orbit! varies
600 km		  
2.3 WIRO Jelm Mtn., Wyoming 41 03 N; 106 00 W
2900 m		 infrared
ANU Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia 31 17 S;149 04 E Siding Spring Obs.
Bok Kitt Peak, Arizona 31 57 N; 111 37 W
2100 m		 Steward Obs.
Vainu Bappu Kavalur, India 12 34 N; 78 50 E
700 m		  
2.2 ESO-MPI Cerro La Silla, Chile 29 15 S; 70 44 W
2335 m		  
MPI-CAHA Calar Alto, Spain 37 13 N; 2 33 W
2200 m		  
UH Mauna Kea, Hawaii 19 50 N; 155 28 W
4200 m		  

Under Construction

Aperture Name Location Comments
16.4 Very Large Telescope Cerro Paranal, Chile first two units now operational
14.6 Keck Interferometer Mauna Kea, Hawaii Keck I and II plus several smaller scopes
11.8 Large Binocular Telescope Mt. Graham, Arizona pair of 8.4-m mirrors; resolution of a 23-m
8.0 Gemini South Cerro Pachon, Chile twin of Gemini North
6.5 MMT Mt. Hopkins, Arizona (31 41 N; 110 53 W 2600 m) replace current six mirrors with single one
Magellan I Las Campanas, Chile twins of new MMT; see also
Magellan II
6.1 LZT Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, British Columbia mercury mirror; not steerable
4.0 SOAR Cerro Pachon, Chile Brazil/USA; CTIO
LAMOST Xinglong Station, China Beijing Astronomical Observatory
2.5 SOFIA stratosphere airborne infrared

Other interesting projects

Aperture Name Location Comments
100? MaxAT ? largest possible ground based scope?
42 LAMA Chile liquid mirror array
10.0 Gran Telescopio Canarias La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain segmented mirror
9.2 SALT South African Astronomical Observatory twin of HET
8-9? NGST L2 Halo orbit funding uncertain
1.8 The Leviathan of Parsonstown Birr, Ireland Lord Rosse's famous scope restored
1 Yerkes Observatory Williams Bay, Wisconson world's largest refractor

References

Bill Arnett; last updated: 1999 Dec 12 ; additions / corrections / updates appreciated