A sneak peek of M2's metallic cradle | ELT updates

Measuring 4.25 meters across and weighing 12 tonnes, the ELT's M2 mirror will be the largest ever secondary mirror on a telescope. Within the ELT, it will be held by a specially designed cell, currently being tested and which you can discover in this video.

The cell must ensure the mirror’s correct shape down to the size of a virus, and position it with the accuracy of the width of a human hair!

Learn more about ESO's ELT at: https://elt.eso.org/ 

Watch our ELT playlist here.