It was Professor Brian Schmidt who received a Nobel Prize for discovering that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, but it was technology, he says, that facilitated the discovery.

“Astronomy is powered by technology. My discovery was a combination of the advent of the Hubble Space Telescope, the Keck 10-metre telescope and new digital cameras.”

So imagine then, the possibilities of the Giant Magellan Telescope. When completed, it will be the most powerful telescope in the world, producing images up to ten times sharper than Hubble.

Professor Schmidt, from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and now Vice-Chancellor (President) of the University, says “big discoveries” are in store.

“Whether it be perhaps finding evidence for life on nearby planets, finding the first and earliest stars in the universe, or figuring out how essentially the universe went from nothing to its current vibrant self, these are all the big things we’re going to be doing with the Giant Magellan Telescope.”

The University is a founding partner in the Chilean facility with a ten per cent stake, and scientists from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics are also involved in the design and manufacture of cutting-edge new instrumentation for the telescope.

“We are one of the pioneers in making this happen, right up there with the best universities in the world,” Professor Schmidt says.

“This investment is essentially a way of ensuring that we remain at the forefront of the world’s research community and of empowering the future of astronomy in Australia.” Despite the telescope not being forecast for completion until 2024, Professor Schmidt says he’s already thinking how he can harness the telescope’s potential.

“Our research at ANU will be focused on how to get the most out of this telescope because it gives us the ability to do things that no-one else does.”

And our researchers can’t wait to get started.

The ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics operates Australia’s largest optical observatory and has access to the world’s largest optical telescopes.

Our staff and students have made major contributions to astronomy, mapping the structure and formation of the Milky Way, discovering planets orbiting other stars, measuring dark matter both within our Galaxy and in the wider Universe, and discovering the accelerating expansion of the Universe.

Our astronomers include winners of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science and the Nobel Prize.