Photo: Armin Weigel/EPA/Landov
This piece of equipment, which at first glance looks like a turntable designed for a 10-meter-tall DJ, is actually part of what the Deggendorf University of Applied Sciences in Teisnach, Germany, is calling the largest optical machine in the world. The finished product will make the large specialized mirrors needed for the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in northern Chile. The main mirror for ESO’s E-ELT telescope will have a diameter of 39.3 meters.












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Willie Jones
Willie Jones is an associate editor at IEEE Spectrum. In addition to editing and planning daily coverage, he manages several of Spectrum's newsletters and contributes regularly to the monthly Big Picture section that appears in the print edition.
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