Canada nabs time on Extremely Large Telescope with groundbreaking instrument investment

“Canada has secured a major role in building an instrument for one of the world’s largest telescopes through a multimillion-dollar grant led by UBC in partnership with Université de Montréal. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will feature a 39 metre-wide mirror and be one of the most powerful optical and infrared telescopes ever built. Under construction in Chile with first light scheduled for about 2030, it will allow scientists to see the universe in unprecedented detail. Where do we come from? The $11.3 million Canada Foundation for Innovation grant will support the ArmazoNes high Dispersion Echelle Spectrograph (ANDES) instrument, the first capable of directly searching for signs of life in the atmospheres of nearby Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars, detecting molecules such as water, methane and carbon dioxide. “We’ll answer fundamental questions about the origin of chemical elements and learn how the first stars and active black holes lit up the universe,” said UBC astronomer Dr. Allison Man, co-principal investigator of the Canadian contribution to ANDES. “We’re made of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon. By studying how elements were made in the stars, we are learning about our cosmic origins.” Through this investment, Canadian astronomers will gain access to the telescope despite not being a member of the organization constructing it, European Southern Observatory. Industry, government collaboration The project is a pan-Canadian effort. B.C.’s contribution includes collaboration between UBC, government and industry. Nearly half the funding will support highly qualified personnel and partnerships with Canadian industry, driving innovation in areas such as data science, as well as optics and photonics—the study of the fundamental properties of light and harnessing them in practical applications. To read more, click here . Interview language(s): English Featured Researcher Dr. Allison Man Assistant Professor, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy

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