Giant Magellan Telescope: Brazilian Technology Shines in International Project!

Written by Sara Aquino

Published on 01/07/2025 at 22:56

GMTO Corporation/Divulgação

Be the first to react!

Brazil Advances in the Construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope and Presents Astronomical Technologies Developed by National Researchers!

Brazil took another important step in international astronomy with the release of a new episode of the series “Aiming for the Stars,” which showcases the technological advancements in the development of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT).

Produced by the GMT Brazil project, the series is in partnership with the University of São Paulo (USP), Fapesp, and TV Univap, with support from the National Laboratory of Astrophysics.

The latest episode details the first-generation instruments that will be part of the GMT, currently under construction in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Brazilian Technology Aiming for the Stars

With technology 200 times more powerful than current leading telescopes and images up to ten times sharper than those from the James Webb Space Telescope, the GMT will be able to explore topics such as star formation, habitable exoplanets, dark matter, and dark energy.

A significant portion of this technology is being developed with strong participation from Brazilian scientists and engineers. According to Professor Laerte Sodré Jr., one of the project coordinators, Brazil’s involvement in the GMT “is a reflection of the competence and technical commitment of the Brazilian team.”

The episode presents several cutting-edge instruments:

GMACS: visible multi-object spectrograph;
G-CLEF: high-resolution echelle spectrograph;
Exposure Meter: exposure measurement system;
Manifest: optical fiber positioning robot;
AOTC: set of cameras for atmospheric corrections;
ComCam: commissioning camera for imaging tests.

These instruments, developed in partnership with Brazilian and international universities, promise to revolutionize the way we observe the cosmos.

National Leadership in the GMT

Brazil has been a founding member of the GMTO consortium, responsible for the GMT, since 2014. Fapesp’s investment of US$ 50 million ensures that 4% of the annual observation time is allocated to scientists from São Paulo. The Brazilian team consists of more than 70 professionals, including researchers, engineers, and scholarship holders, gathered at the GMT Brazil Office (GMTBrO).

Experts from USP, Unicamp, Mauá Institute of Technology, Univap, among other institutions, are participating in the project. Professor Claudia Mendes de Oliveira, co-coordinator of the project, and Professor Rafael Ribeiro from the Steiner Institute, also feature in the new episode.

A Future of Astronomical Discoveries Through the Giant Magellan Telescope

The telescope will have a primary mirror 25.4 meters in diameter, made up of seven segments of 8.4 meters in a flower shape. This structure will allow for extremely sharp images of distant galaxies and the search for signals of life on other planets.

With Brazil’s active participation, the GMT reinforces the country’s role in frontier science and the production of cutting-edge technological knowledge. The series “Aiming for the Stars” plays a crucial role in disseminating this work and valuing the Brazilian professionals involved.

Jornal da USP

Giant Magellan Telescope: Brazilian Technology Shines in International Project!

Brazil Advances in the Construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope and Presents Astronomical Technologies Developed by National Researchers!

Brazilian Technology Aiming for the Stars

National Leadership in the GMT

A Future of Astronomical Discoveries Through the Giant Magellan Telescope

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

While a traditional school may take several days just to raise walls, in Malawi a 3D-printed school had its structure ready in 18 hours, welcomed children in June, and showed a new solution to the lack of classrooms.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

Empty beer bottle turns into sand, and the sand turns into concrete: an American city has discovered how to recycle glass locally using a solar-powered truck that crushes five tons of bottles per day in a local circular economy project.

Venus is the only planet in the Solar System where a single day lasts longer than an entire year, and the Sun rises in the west because its rotation and dense atmosphere work contrary to almost everything science knows on Earth.

Oil market could enter a real panic as early as the beginning of June if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and stocks reach their limit, warns research company.

With a wingspan of 24 meters and weighing 27 tons, the C-2 Greyhound is a military aircraft capable of landing on aircraft carriers at 240 km/h and stopping in just 2 seconds, transporting cargo and passengers at sea for over five decades.

To overcome the headwind, the sailboat never follows a straight line and travels in a zigzag route with a minimum angle of 45 degrees in relation to the wind, with the keel under the water acting as a piece that prevents the boat from drifting sideways.

35 years ago, a Soviet took off for the Mir station without knowing that the Soviet Union would collapse during his mission. Rescued with German help, the cosmonaut spent more than a year in space and participated in the assembly of the International Space Station.

Giant Magellan Telescope: Brazilian Technology Shines in International Project!

Brazil Advances in the Construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope and Presents Astronomical Technologies Developed by National Researchers!

Brazilian Technology Aiming for the Stars

National Leadership in the GMT

A Future of Astronomical Discoveries Through the Giant Magellan Telescope

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

While a traditional school may take several days just to raise walls, in Malawi a 3D-printed school had its structure ready in 18 hours, welcomed children in June, and showed a new solution to the lack of classrooms.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

Empty beer bottle turns into sand, and the sand turns into concrete: an American city has discovered how to recycle glass locally using a solar-powered truck that crushes five tons of bottles per day in a local circular economy project.

Venus is the only planet in the Solar System where a single day lasts longer than an entire year, and the Sun rises in the west because its rotation and dense atmosphere work contrary to almost everything science knows on Earth.

White hydrogen found in billion-year-old rocks in Canada impresses researchers, can generate energy for hundreds of homes, and opens a new race for clean fuel hidden underground.

The macabre discovery by archaeologists in an Asian forest: a giant jar in Laos reveals human bones from various generations about 1,200 years old.

The popular fermented food can help eliminate microplastics from the body.

Venus is the only planet in the Solar System where a single day lasts longer than an entire year, and the Sun rises in the west because its rotation and dense atmosphere work contrary to almost everything science knows on Earth.

Oil market could enter a real panic as early as the beginning of June if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and stocks reach their limit, warns research company.

With a wingspan of 24 meters and weighing 27 tons, the C-2 Greyhound is a military aircraft capable of landing on aircraft carriers at 240 km/h and stopping in just 2 seconds, transporting cargo and passengers at sea for over five decades.

To overcome the headwind, the sailboat never follows a straight line and travels in a zigzag route with a minimum angle of 45 degrees in relation to the wind, with the keel under the water acting as a piece that prevents the boat from drifting sideways.

35 years ago, a Soviet took off for the Mir station without knowing that the Soviet Union would collapse during his mission. Rescued with German help, the cosmonaut spent more than a year in space and participated in the assembly of the International Space Station.