The document discusses plans for a new astronomical observatory called the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) to be located on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. It describes some of the exciting discoveries made by existing observatories on Mauna Kea like Keck and CFHT. It outlines key aspects of the planned TMT, including its large 30-meter mirror, advanced adaptive optics to correct for atmospheric distortions, and its potential to enable new studies in the formation of stars and planets and the nature of the early universe.

1. Astronomy’s Next
Generation
Observatory
Sandra Dawson
November 18, 2012

2. The observatories of Mauna Kea
The high, dry, stable air of Mauna Kea, and the dark skies make this
one of the best places in the world to do astronomy. Mauna Kea is also
a sacred place of legend to Hawaiians.

3. Exciting Astronomy from Mauna Kea
 Keck and CFHT: coldest known star: a brown dwarf with about the
same temperature as a hot cup of coffee. That's cool enough to
begin crossing the blurry line between small cold stars and big hot
planets.
 Keck: the discovery of a planet that could have liquid water on its
surface.
 Subaru - red star-forming galaxies around a galaxy cluster situated
four billion light years away from Earth; they may demonstrate the
dramatic evolution of galaxies in the environment surrounding the
cluster.
 Gemini – new research revealing the history of the outer Solar
System by measuring the mutual orbits of extremely widely
separated binaries located beyond Neptune in the icy Kuiper Belt.

4. Glowing Young Planets
• This star has three orbiting planets -
the first imaged planetary system!
• Planets are much fainter than their
parent star, so are difficult to image
• Why are these pictures possible?
• Advanced observing techniques Three planets
were used to block the star’s light orbiting HR8799
• Observations were repeated over Keck Observatory infrared image of star
years, confirming planetary HR8799 and three orbiting planets with orbital
motion directions indicated by arrows. The light from
the star was subtracted, but a lot of ‘noise’
• The planets are young and hot, remains.
and therefore glow more brightly
than by reflected starlight alone

5. Evolution of Modern Telescopes THIRTY METER TELESCOPE
TMT.PMO.PRE.09.018.DR 4
Project Website: www.TMT-HawaiiEIS.org
F03

6. Segment #1 Prototype

7. TMT.PMO.PRE.10.034.REL05 7
The Information Herein is Subject to the Restrictions Contained on the Cover Page of this Document

8. THIRTY METER TELESCOPE
Revolution in Image Quality – Adaptive Optics
For example: Keck Laser Guide Star Facility
Project Website: www.TMT-HawaiiEIS.org

9. Adaptive Optics THIRTY METER TELESCOPE
Taking the “twinkle twinkle” out of that little star...
 Large telescope image quality is limited by the
atmosphere
 Adaptive optics is a technique that measures the
atmospheric changes and corrects them as they
occur, thus eliminating them
 This must be done very rapidly ~ 500
times/second
Project Website: www.TMT-HawaiiEIS.org

10. THIRTY METER TELESCOPE
NGC 1569 Hubble NIC2
SSC B F160W
15 pc
(Field of view: 6” x 6”)
Project Website: www.TMT-HawaiiEIS.org

11. THIRTY METER TELESCOPE
NGC 1569 Keck AO
SSC B IHK’
15 pc
(Field of view: 6” x 6”)
Project Website: www.TMT-HawaiiEIS.org

13. Enables studies of “weather” on Uranus

14. TMT: Key Science THIRTY METER TELESCOPE
Formation of stars and planets
Nature of extra-solar planets
Presence of life elsewhere in the Universe
Nature and composition of the Universe
Formation of the first stars and galaxies
Evolution of galaxies
Relationship between black holes and their galaxies
11
Project Website: www.TMT-HawaiiEIS.org

16. Conceptual Design of TMT Observatory THIRTY METER TELESCOPE
Project Website: www.TMT-HawaiiEIS.org

17. THIRTY METER TELESCOPE
Mahalo!
Project Website: www.TMT.org
Join TMT on :
@TMTHawaii
Project Website: www.TMT-HawaiiEIS.org