Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
Professor Chris Impey interviews Dr. Roger Angel, Director of the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab about the process of creating the larges telescope mirrors ever made. Over the past 25 years Professor Angel has been in the forefront of a technological renaissance in telescopes and large optics. The Mirror Lab has made the optics for several telescopes, including the two largest mirrors ever (8.4 m diameter) for the Large Binocular Telescope on Mt. Graham, Arizona and is now making 8.4 m mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. Angel has also developed concepts for imaging and searching for primitive life on Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars. He has explored ways to cool the Earth with a space sunshade, and is now working on concentrating photovoltaic systems for solar energy.
Professor Chris Impey interviews Dr. Roger Angel, Director of the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab about the process of creating the larges telescope mirrors ever made. Over the past 25 years Professor Angel has been in the forefront of a technological renaissance in telescopes and large optics. The Mirror Lab has made the optics for several telescopes, including the two largest mirrors ever (8.4 m diameter) for the Large Binocular Telescope on Mt. Graham, Arizona and is now making 8.4 m mirrors for the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. Angel has also developed concepts for imaging and searching for primitive life on Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars. He has explored ways to cool the Earth with a space sunshade, and is now working on concentrating photovoltaic systems for solar energy.
