Southern African Large Telescope

Definition

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere, located in Sutherland, South Africa. It is designed to observe celestial objects visible only from the southern skies.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. SALT has a hexagonal primary mirror array with a diameter of 10 meters.
2. It utilizes an innovative design similar to the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) in Texas.
3. SALT's primary mirror is composed of 91 individual hexagonal segments.
4. The telescope is optimized for spectroscopic observations, particularly useful for studying stars, galaxies, and quasars.
5. SALT began full science operations in September 2011 after initial construction was completed in 2005.

Review Questions

• What is the diameter of SALT's primary mirror?
• Which telescope shares a similar design to SALT?
• When did SALT begin its full science operations?

Related terms

Optical Telescope:

An instrument designed to observe visible light from celestial objects.

Spectroscopy:

A technique used to measure and analyze the spectrum of light emitted or absorbed by objects.

Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET): A large optical telescope located at McDonald Observatory in Texas, which shares a similar design with SALT.