Gran Telescopio Canarias
The Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC ) is an astronomical observatory reflector with a 10.4 m diameter mirror at the Roque de los Muchachos on the Canary Island of La Palma. Commonly used is also the name GranTeCan.
The GTC project is a Spanish initiative, led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Other investments are from Mexico by the Institute of Astronomy at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and the Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica and the United States by the University of Florida. Construction of the plant cost around 130 million euros.
GTC is a reflecting telescope with active optics. With its consisting of 36 hexagonal mirrors single segmented primary mirror, it has the same design as the Keck telescopes. The mirror substrate of Zerodur glass ceramic was manufactured by Schott AG of Mainz.
The GTC will be built as part of the Roque- de-los Muchachos Observatory. The mechanical structure of the telescope was completed in early 2005. In the night from 13 to 14 July 2007, the test operation was recorded in the opening ceremony, but only with 12 mirror segments. The mirror, the commissioning ceremony by the Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia was completed with the onset of the last element on August 12, 2008. Was on July 24, 2009.
The first tools are at GTC OSIRIS (camera and spectrometer for light 0.365 to 1.05 micron wavelength) and CanariCam ( Camera and Spectrometer for the mid-infrared 8-25 micron wavelength). Currently (2012 ) a part of the observation modes of OSIRIS and CanariCam are available for observations.