Mexico Telescope to Shed Light on Cosmic Dark Ages

yahoo.com ^ | 10 minutes ago | Catherine Bremer

[crushelits]

MT. SIERRA NEGRA, Mexico (Reuters) - Perched on the top of one of Mexico's highest mountains is a gigantic, half-built telescope that scientists hope will reveal more secrets of the universe's early years than any before it.

With a base like a launching pad and an antenna the size of a big Ferris wheel, the telescope will be able to pick up electromagnetic radiation known as millimeter waves emitted 13 billion years ago, when the first stars burst into existence, astrophysicists say.

"With this we are going deeper into space and further back in time," said astrophysicist Itziar Aretxaga, yelling over the noise of workers banging and welding.

The Large Millimeter Telescope or LMT, is a U.S.-Mexican project being built on the 15,026-foot summit of Sierra Negra, Mexico's fifth-highest peak, in air so thin that bottled oxygen is at hand in case construction workers faint.

Scientists hope to detect in clouds of cold cosmic dust waves emitted by the first stars as they were formed after the big bang that created the universe 13.7 billion years ago.

Scientists will add this data to what they already know to understand more about how the universe evolved. At the same time, they are likely to spot thousands of new galaxies.

"We are going to search an area thousands of times bigger than what we've already observed with millimeter waves and look further back than ever before to a time when the universe was just a few hundred million years old," said David Hughes, a British astrophysicist on the team.

"We will be able to see into the dusty regions where stars were forming for the first time."

With an antenna diameter of 164 feet the LMT will dwarf existing millimeter-wave telescopes and should be able to pick up signals from the faintest objects in outer space.

While optical telescopes detect light rays and others look for radio, infrared or gamma waves, the LMT will pick up electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths of 1 to 3 millimeters -- shorter than radio waves but longer than infrared, visible light and gamma rays.

These millimeter waves are unique because they are not deflected by space dust or dimmed by distance. This enables researchers to see faint objects much more brightly than with other types of radiation and means fewer inaccuracies.

LOW OXYGEN = POOR MATHS

The $100 million telescope is being put together by Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE) and the University of Massachusetts.

Since Galileo peeped at the solar system with his spyglass 400 years ago, astronomers have gazed far enough into space to see a fuzzy picture of the universe as a 300,000-year-old newborn baby, but still lack details of its infancy.

INAOE hopes readings from the LMT -- so sensitive it would hear waves from a cellphone on the moon like a deafening crackle -- will shed more light on the evolving universe.

"If you imagine the universe today was 1 year old, the period we will look at with the LMT is from January 10 to the year-end," said Aretxaga, a native of Spain's Basque region.

"We are going back to 400 million years after the big bang. We could discover hundreds of thousands of new galaxies."

Sierra Negra, an extinct volcano to the east of the city of Puebla, central Mexico, was chosen because of its height and mild climate. While oblivious to light pollution, millimeter telescopes work best at altitudes where the percentage of water vapor in the air is low.

Its 19 degree latitude position gives a perfect view of the southern sky where the center of the Milky Way is, and new technology will correct inaccuracies that could be caused by the weight and size of the antenna as it changes position.

But the thin air atop Sierra Negra, which sits next to the snow-capped Pico de Orizaba, Mexico's highest peak, is problematic. The team plans to enrich observation and rest rooms at the site with extra oxygen.

"You can make silly mistakes when the brain lacks oxygen. There are stories of scientists working at high altitudes who wrote things like two plus two equals five," said Aretxaga.

The country's newest astro-project is due to be operational in 2007 after a crane big enough to hoist the antenna onto the base can be brought up the steep mountainside in sections.

It is being built as scientists are racing to look deeper into space and find new planets outside our solar system.

More than 120 planets orbiting a star other than the sun have been spotted in the last decade, mainly using optical or infrared telescopes.

The LMT, with its large catchment area, should detect much weaker signals than existing millimeter telescopes in Spain and Japan and should thus spot older, fainter galaxies.

"The bigger the dish the more sensitive it is. Your ability to see separate objects is improved," said Hughes.

"The LMT will contribute to the work of other telescopes finding new planets. By combining the results we'll learn more about the universe we live in."

[dirtboy]

LOW OXYGEN = POOR MATHS

That still doesn't explain publik skools.

[kingu]

Perched on the top of one of Mexico's highest mountains is a gigantic, half-built telescope that scientists hope will reveal more secrets of the universe's early years than any before it.

Hmm. I could have sworn I saw the other half boarding a bus towards Los Angeles from Phoenix the other day...

[LibWhacker]

LOW OXYGEN = POOR MATHS

Uh-oh . . . Science students with asthma are going to start claiming final exams are discriminatory if their grades aren't appropriately adjusted to compensate for this disability.

[kevkrom]

Now we're outsourcing astronomy? We're DOOOOOOOMED!!!

[LTCJ]

Mexico Telescope to Shed Light on Cosmic Dark Ages

Now we're outsourcing astronomy?

No one expects the Spanish-speaking Inquisition!

[dr huer]

LOW OXYGEN = POOR MATHS

Now we have a clue to what is wrong in Washington. Supplemental oxygen in governmental buildings needed.

[dead]

The observation room is the size of a station wagon, so you can fit thirty or fourty local astronomers into it.

[Tacis]

MEXICAN TELESCOPE??? How does Presidente Fox get a bribe or a kickback from a telescope? Sure, I guess he can put a bunch of phantom employees on the payroll or pack drug cash in the boxes of material that come across the border marked "Imported Telescope Suppliers." But, it just seems that Fox is after more lucrative criminal activity.

[balrog666]

"You can make silly mistakes when the brain lacks oxygen. There are stories of scientists working at high altitudes who wrote things like two plus two equals five," said Aretxaga.

Now tell us the real story!

[Verginius Rufus]

I really don't get the notion of a "large millimeter." I thought all millimeters had to be the same size. Does the thin air at 15,000 feet cause them to expand?

[SealSeven]

Im just wondering what can this el telescope see that hubble cannot?

[MikeD]

It's a radio telescope, so it can "see" through dust clouds and other things that Hubble cannot. Also, there is a hydrogen emission line that is very prominent in the radio.

My question is why is there an oxygen concern at all? Why not have most "visiting" astronomers telecon in, while maintaining a small staff acclimated to the altitude? Oh wait, that's a *modern* solution...

[BikerNYC]

Does the thin air at 15,000 feet cause them to expand?

Actually, I think, gravity causes a millimeter to contract, so distances close to the Earth are smaller than distances farther from the Earth.

But, I think when the article refers to "large millimeter" telescope, it is refering to a telescope that examines wavelenths in the millimeter range and the telescope also happens to be large.

[SealSeven]

Well that just proves my ignorance! Thanks for the info -

[crushelits]

Optics are measured in millimeters. Take for example a camera lens:

I like cameras, I make a living shooting annual reports, brochures corporate identity....
 <>

1. A 35mm camera such as a Leica = its normal lens is a 50mm lens.	The Leica R-System <>Unsurpassed mechanical precision and ruggedness Unique ergonomic design and maximum operating convenience <>30 high-quality Leica-R-Lenses with focal lengths ranging from 15mm to 800mm Comprehensive Leica-R accessory range for every facet of SLR photography
2. A  2 1/4 x 2 1/4 camera such as a Hasselblad = its normal lens is a 80mm lens.	This model is a medium-format DSLR at its best. The 22 Mpixels sensor is 37x49mm. This allows the pixels to capture the dynamics of virtually any light situation to create a noticeable improvement over smaller format digital capture.
3. A 4x5 view camera such as Sinar, has a normal lens 180mm lens	Conventional view camera lenses are not very well suited for use with the new area CCD capture backs. The focal lengths of view camera lenses you already have become too long for studio use. What would be a normal lens on a 4x5 becomes the equivalent of over 500mm when used on a 3x3 cm CCD. The Sinaron-Digital lenses have been designed for use with area CCD backs on Sinar view cameras. They have shorter focal lengths which are appropriate to the smaller size of the CCD chips relative to 4x5 film. Digital Lenses also feature increased resolution to get the most out of the high pixel density of area CCDs. The MTF curves below help illustrate the resolving power of digital lenses compared to their 4x5 equivalents. The lenses are mounted behind the front standard, which moves the lens and CCD as close together as possible while still maintaining a comfortable separation between the standards. This permits greater swings and tilts than traditional view camera lenses. Digital lenses are supplied in special DB mounts. They can only be used with the Sinarcam or Expolux shutter system.