Giant Magellan Telescope underway »

The search for life on other planets has moved up a gear with the breaking of ground for construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) on a remote mountain in the Chilean Andes. "It is wonderful that we are now in a position to actually start construction. The GMT will be one of the most powerful scientific facilities of the 21st century," said Professor Matthew Colless, Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at ANU. The GMT will enable astronomers to detect life on planets orbiting other stars. Its observations of faint stars and distant galaxies will also help astronomers understand the formation of galaxies and stars, and gain insight into dark matter and dark energy. ANU is one of 11 international partners in the GMT project. Professor Colless and ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young AO attended the ground breaking ceremony at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert.
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