The United States should commit $1.6 billion to build an “extremely large telescope” for American astronomy, according to the National Science Board.
The board gave the foundation until May to decide between two proposals for the telescope. Astronomers hope the foundation will find a way to invest in both projects.
The two competing telescope projects are the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile and the Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii. Both will be larger and more powerful than any current telescope on Earth or in space.
Funding one telescope at $1.6 billion would take up most of the N.S.F.’s typical construction budget, according to the board.
Astronomers note that Congress, the White House, and the science foundation will also have a say in the final decision.
The power of a telescope is determined by the size of its primary mirror. The Giant Magellan combines seven eight-meter mirrors, while the Thirty Meter would use 492 hexagonal mirror segments.
While the American telescopes project progresses, the European Southern Observatory is building an Extremely Large Telescope in Chile with a 39-meter main mirror.
Both the Giant Magellan and Thirty Meter telescopes are multinational collaborations based in Pasadena, Calif.
In 2019, the groups agreed to create an American E.L.T. program to allow American astronomers to use both telescopes. The Astro 2020 panel endorsed the proposal, recommending $1.6 billion in funding for the telescopes.
But costs have risen, and funding $1.6 billion is challenging. The process involves the scientific community and the federal government and takes time.
Linnea Avallone, from the N.S.F., stated that the foundation is being careful with taxpayers’ money and working diligently on the project.
She acknowledged the risk of not funding an Extremely Large Telescope for the U.S., but deferred to astronomers for a better answer.
