The universe is vast, busy and colorful, as this image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows
– NASA

Hubble was an extraordinary technological achievement, but in many ways it is just the beginning…
– NASA

Four centuries ago, Galilao described the moons of Jupiter, using just a tiny telescope. But even that wasn’t the beginning…

The beginning starts in your own backyard, just as it did in mine. See how the Big Dipper points to the North Star?
– L. Simard

Did you know stars are time machines? They are. The light you see was created years, or centuries, or even thousands of years before you were born. Pretty cool.

As you learn the stars, you quickly learn that they often point to other, even more interesting things. So if you can find Orion’s Belt, you can find the Pleiades…
– L. Simard

…and the Pleiades star cluster are definitely worth finding!
– NASA

You don’t need fancy equipment to take decent star pictures; this image of the Great Orion Nebula was made with a 135mm lens
– J. Gonzales

Although with telescopes, size does matter…
– J. Gonzales

The are limits to how big a piece of glass you can polish into a lens. On the left is the 200 inch Hale Telescope from Palomar Observatory. The 10 m Keck is currently the world’s largest. The solution to larger telescopes is to create multi-faceted ones, like an insect’s eye. The one on the right is the one we’re building…
– TMT.org

Look at the human drawn on the left to provide scale…this will be pretty big… – TMT.org

EVERYTHING about it is big…and we’re building parts of it right here in Victoria
– TMT.org

Here’s part of it parked next to the Empress in the inner harbour…
– TMT.org

Why do we need such a big telescope? Well, it will take even nicer images of the Pleiades…
– NASA

But mostly, because the questions we are going to be able answer with it are as big as the universe…
– NASA

It’s all about resolution, you see. The 30 meter telescope, combined with new processing methods, will dwarf that of Hubble
– M. Bolte

Effectively, we would be able to read a Loonie held up by a friend of yours…standing in Calgary!
– L. Simard

Fundamentally, we’ll broaden our knowledge or our place in the universe
– NASA

…and further probe the complexities of space-time
– NASA

…and maybe find another Earth-like plant…and LIFE?
– L. Simard

…and, of course, continue to answer mundane questions, like “why is Pluto no longer a planet?”
– L. Simard

This is what it will look like when installed…
– TMT.org

The Thirty Metre Telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii…the best place in the world for astronomy!
-TMT.org

Until then…
– NASA

Luc Simard – “From backyard astronomy to Extremely Large Telescopes”
by Andrew Bryant, 22 Sept 2015

Dr. Luc Simard wears several hats.  He’s an astronomer with the Herzberg Astrophysics group of the National Research Council of Canada, an Adjunct Professor of Physics and Astronomy  at the University of Victoria, and a key member of the Thirty Metre Telescope Project.

He took time out from his research to visit Powell River, where he shared his lively wit, passion and expansive knowledge of all things astronomical.

Like many talented speakers, Luc provided a marvellous mixture of humor, detail, and surprising tidbits.  I liked the way he introduced the universe as an endless series of “pointers”, with Ursa major (the Big Dipper) helpfully pointing out Polaris (the North Star), or Orion’s Belt pointing out the wondrous Seven Sisters (Pleiades Star Cluster).

I was amused to learn that Galileo’s telescope was not constructed with astronomy in mind.  Rather, telescopes were in common usage by Venetian merchants who used them to estimate the volume of incoming cargo-laden ships!  Wow.

The “stars are time machines” metaphor was wonderful, and I was equally impressed to learn that modern telescope designers enjoy roller-coasters as much as I do!  There’s lots more to learn about this ambitious international scientific endeavor at the project’s webpages at TMT.org  …make sure you check out the wonderful videos on the “animations” page!