Small Town Arizona Is Home To One Of The Largest Telescopes In The United States

Often times, the most incredible things are hiding where you'd least expect to find them. Safford, a small town of fewer than 10,000 residents, boasts the largest telescope in the world. Check it out:

Located at Mount Graham International Observatory, the Large Binocular Telescope (or LBT), is currently the largest telescope in the world.

This scientific wonder is used by astronomers from all over the globe, and was recently used to capture images of a new planet being born.

The idea for the telescope was the brainchild of Roger Angel, a University of Arizona astronomy professor.

Over three decades ago, he was developing technology to produce large, lightweight honeycomb mirrors that would be used to build this breakthrough invention.

Soon after, three of the LBT’s current partners: the UA, Ohio State University, and the Arcetri Observatory in Italy, began collaborating.

Utilizing Angel's revolutionary technology, They aimed to design and construct a 11.3-meter telescope by the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World.

A set of two identical, 8.4-meter mirrors make up the LBT. These mirrors sit side-by-side and operate on a common steerable mount.

Situated in southeastern Arizona’s Pinaleño Mountains, the LBT towers at just under 11,000 feet tall. It consists of a whopping 600 tons of steel and glass.

Since its completion, the LBT has been used in a vast array of cosmological discoveries. Who knows what other groundbreaking finds it'll assist researchers with?

Address: 12500 West Swift Trail, AZ-366, Safford, AZ 85546.

Visit the telescope's website or Facebook page to learn more.

Have you ever seen the Large Binocular Telescope in person? If so, we'd love to hear what you thought of it! Check out our previous article for another epic telescope collection: Arizona's Kitt Peak National Observatory Has The Largest Collection Of Telescopes In The World.