World's Largest Reflecting Telescopes Explained (Infographic)

Infographic: The largest reflecting telescopes in the world.
In the coming decade, three enormous telescopes will come online. (Image credit: by Karl Tate, Infographics Artist)

As of 2013, the largest reflecting telescope in the world is the Gran Telescopio Canarias in La Palma, Spain, with a mirror diameter of 34.2 feet (10.4 meters). Within a decade, much larger telescopes will be coming online.

The main mirror of the Giant Magellan Telescope will be 80 feet (24.5 m) in diameter and is composed of 7 segments. The telescope is being built at Las Campana Observatory, Chile and is planned to be operational in 2020. [Stacking Up the 10 Biggest Telescopes on Earth]

The primary mirror for the European Extremely Large Telescope will be 129 feet (39.3 m) in diameter and is composed of 798 segments. It is being built at Cerro Armazones, Chile and is planned to be operational in the early 2020s. [Photos: World's Largest Telescope Being Built in Chile]

Meanwhile, the planned Thirty Meter Telescope will have a main mirror is 98 feet (30 m) in diameter and is composed of 492 segments. It is being built at Mauna Kea, Hawaii and is planned to be operational in the early 2020s.

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Karl Tate
Space.com contributor

Karl's association with Space.com goes back to 2000, when he was hired to produce interactive Flash graphics. From 2010 to 2016, Karl worked as an infographics specialist across all editorial properties of Purch (formerly known as TechMediaNetwork).  Before joining Space.com, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web.  He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University and now works as a freelance graphic designer in New York City.