Bing Rendering of the TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope)

What Does the Thirty Meter Telescope Have to Do with the Flat Earth Glass Dome???

Advanced Google Gemini Gets to the Bottom of This with Me!!

I just saw a video on the TMT (thirty meter telescope). They said large mirrors are too heavy and break under their own weight. How many pieces would be required for a TMT?

The statement that large mirrors break under their own weight is not entirely accurate. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) doesn’t use a single large mirror but instead uses a segmented mirror design. This means the primary mirror is made up of many smaller hexagonal segments that fit together to form a larger reflective surface.

The TMT’s primary mirror will consist of 492 individual segments.

This segmented design has several advantages:

1. Weight Reduction: Smaller segments are much lighter and easier to handle than a single massive mirror.
2. Flexibility: The segments can be individually adjusted to maintain the overall shape and focus of…