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20-483: The design for SAFIR's primary mirror is large for a space-based telescope; for comparison, SAFIR's predecessor, the 2003 Spitzer Space Telescope , has a primary mirror only 0.85 meters (2.8 ft) in diameter. SAFIR is oriented towards longer wavelengths so the mirror does not have to be as accurate compared to visible and near-infrared telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope . SAFIR will study

40-510: A Cassegrain focus below the primary mirror; at either of two Nasmyth focal points in enclosures on the sides of the telescope mount, to which light can be directed with a tertiary mirror; or at the prime focus in lieu of a secondary mirror, an arrangement rare on large telescopes, to provide a wide field of view suited to deep wide-field surveys. In 1984, the University of Tokyo formed an engineering working group to develop and study

60-409: A spherical , parabolic , or hyperbolic shaped disks of polished reflective metal ( speculum metal up to the mid 19th century), or in later telescopes, glass or other material coated with a reflective layer. One of the first known reflecting telescopes, Newton's reflector of 1668 , used a 3.3 cm polished metal primary mirror. The next major change was to use silver on glass rather than metal, in

80-462: A broad band of wavelengths) must be included. Second, spectroscopy at these wavelengths makes the best probe of conditions in the vast clouds of dust and gases that lie between stars, known as the interstellar medium (ISM). These general features apply on all scales from the formation of stars and planetary systems in our corner of the Milky Way to the earliest galaxies that formed when the universe

100-510: Is not the largest diameter single mirror in a telescope, the U.S./German/Italian Large Binocular Telescope has two 8.4 m (28 ft) mirrors (which can be used together for interferometric mode). Both of these are smaller than the 10 m segmented primary mirrors on the dual Keck telescope . The Hubble Space Telescope has a 2.4 metres (7 feet 10 inches) primary mirror. Radio and submillimeter telescopes use much larger dishes or antennae, which do not have to be made as precisely as

120-409: Is one of the few state-of-the-art telescopes to have been used with the naked eye. For the dedication, an eyepiece was constructed so that Princess Sayako could look through it directly. It was enjoyed by the staff for a few nights until it was replaced with the much more sensitive working instruments. Subaru is the primary tool in the search for Planet Nine . Its large field of view, 75 times that of

140-808: Is the 8.2-metre (320 in) telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan , located at the Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii . It is named after the open star cluster known in English as the Pleiades . It had the largest monolithic primary mirror in the world from its commissioning until the Large Binocular Telescope opened in 2005. The Subaru Telescope is a Ritchey-Chretien reflecting telescope. Instruments can be mounted at

160-529: The Giant Magellan Telescope will have seven 8.4 meter primary mirrors, with the resolving power equivalent to a 24.5 m (80.4 ft) optical aperture. The largest optical telescope in the world as of 2009 to use a non-segmented single-mirror as its primary mirror is the 8.2 m (27 ft) Subaru telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan , located in Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii since 1997; however, this

180-533: The Herschel Space Observatory ; approaching the ultimate sensitivity limits at far-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. SAFIR's sensitivity will be limited only by the irreducible noise of photons in the astrophysical background , rather than by infrared radiation from the telescope itself. What makes this part of the spectrum so important is that, while far-infrared and submillimeter light can penetrate dust clouds , half or more of

200-475: The 19th century such was with the Crossley reflector . This was changed to vacuum deposited aluminum on glass, used on the 200-inch Hale telescope. Solid primary mirrors have to sustain their own weight and not deform under gravity, which limits the maximum size for a single piece primary mirror. Segmented mirror configurations are used to get around the size limitation on single primary mirrors. For example,

220-541: The Keck telescopes, and strong light-gathering power are suited for deep wide-field sky surveys. The search, split between a research group led by Konstantin Batygin and Michael Brown and another led by Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo , is expected to take up to five years. Two separate incidents claimed the lives of four workers during the construction of the telescope. On October 13, 1993, 42-year-old Paul F. Lawrence

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240-527: The Mauna Kea access road. On July 2, 2011, the telescope operator in Hilo noted an anomaly from the top unit of the telescope. Upon further examination, coolant from the top unit was found to have leaked over the primary mirror and other parts of the telescope. Observation using Nasmyth foci resumed on July 22, and Cassegrain focus resumed on August 26. On September 15, 2023, an abnormal load sensor value of

260-708: The University's Tokyo Astronomical Observatory, to oversee the JNLT and other large national astronomy projects. Construction of the Subaru Telescope began in April 1991, and later that year, a public contest gave the telescope its official name, "Subaru Telescope". Construction was completed in 1998, and the first scientific images were taken in January 1999. In September 1999, Princess Sayako of Japan dedicated

280-554: The concept of a 7.5-metre (300 in) telescope. In 1985, the astronomy committee of Japan's science council gave top priority to the development of a "Japan National Large Telescope" (JNLT), and in 1986, the University of Tokyo signed an agreement with the University of Hawaii to build the telescope in Hawaii. In 1988, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan was formed through a reorganization of

300-560: The earliest phases of forming galaxies, stars, and planetary systems at wavelengths where these objects are brightest and which contain a wealth of unique information: from 20 micrometers to one millimeter . Most of this portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is not accessible from the ground because it is absorbed by moisture in Earth's atmosphere . The combination of large mirror size and cold temperature would be designed to make SAFIR more than 1000 times more sensitive than Spitzer or even

320-471: The mirrors used in optical telescopes. The Arecibo Telescope used a 305 m dish, which was the world largest single-dish radio telescope fixed to the ground. The Green Bank Telescope has the world's largest steerable single radio dish with 100 m in diameter. There are larger radio arrays, composed of multiple dishes which have better image resolution but less sensitivity . Subaru (telescope) Subaru Telescope ( すばる望遠鏡 , Subaru Bōenkyō )

340-438: The optical and ultraviolet light produced in the universe is absorbed by dust and re-radiated in the far-infrared and submillimeter. Even in our local area of the universe, many galaxies are so dusty that they radiate mainly at those wavelengths . This has two important consequences. First, to accurately measure the energy output and structure of objects that are obscured by dust, far-infrared continuum emission (emission across

360-440: The telescope. A number of state-of-the-art technologies were worked into the telescope design. For example, 261 computer-controlled actuators press the main mirror from underneath, which corrects for primary mirror distortion caused by changes in the telescope orientation. The telescope enclosure building is also shaped to improve the quality of astronomical images by minimizing the effects caused by atmospheric turbulence. Subaru

380-491: Was fatally injured when a forklift tipped over onto him. On January 16, 1996, sparks from a welder ignited insulation which smoldered, generating noxious smoke that killed Marvin Arruda, 52, Ricky Del Rosario, 38, and Warren K. "Kip" Kaleo, 36, and sent twenty-six other workers to the hospital in Hilo. All four workers are memorialized by a plaque outside the base of the telescope dome and a sign posted temporarily each January along

400-480: Was only 10% to 20% of its current age. As a concept, wide ranges of technologies and architectures have been examined. The use of technology from the James Webb Space Telescope was also explored. Primary mirror A primary mirror (or primary ) is the principal light-gathering surface (the objective ) of a reflecting telescope . The primary mirror of a reflecting telescope is

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