List of largest optical reflecting telescopes

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The following is a list of the largest optical reflecting telescopes sorted by mirror diameter. Note that two of the first three are not yet operational. This list does not currently include telescopes that are still in the conceptual/proposed stage, such as the Overwhelmingly Large Telescope or the European Extremely Large Telescope; the design stage, such as the Thirty Meter Telescope; or ones still in the early stages of manufacturing such as the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Name Aperture Mirror type Nationality of Sponsors Site Built
Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) 8.4 m × 2
11.8 m Equivalent Area
22.8 m Aperture Synthesis		 Single (2) USA, Italy, Germany Mount Graham International Observatory, Arizona 2007
Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) 11.0 m Mosaic South Africa, USA, UK, Germany, Poland, New Zealand South African Astronomical Observatory, South Africa 2005
Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) 10.4 m Mosaic Spain, Mexico, USA Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, Canary Islands 2006
Keck 1 10 m Mosaic USA Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii 1993
Keck 2 10 m Mosaic USA Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii 1996
Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) 9.2 m Mosaic USA, Germany McDonald Observatory, Texas 1997
Subaru (NLT) 8.3 m Single Japan Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii 1999
VLT 1 (Antu) 8.2 m Single ESO Countries (European + Chile) Paranal Observatory, Chile 1998
VLT 2 (Kueyen) 8.2 m Single ESO Countries (European + Chile) Paranal Observatory, Chile 1999
VLT 3 (Melipal) 8.2 m Single ESO Countries (European + Chile) Paranal Observatory, Chile 2000
VLT 4 (Yepun) 8.2 m Single ESO Countries (European + Chile) Paranal Observatory, Chile 2001
Gemini North 8.1 m Single USA, UK, Canada, Chile, Australia, Argentina, Brazil Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii 1999
Gemini South 8.1 m Single USA, UK, Canada, Chile, Australia, Argentina, Brazil Cerro Pachón, Chile 2001
Multiple/Magnum Mirror Telescope (MMT) 6.5 m Single USA Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, Arizona 1987
2002
Magellan 1 (Walter Baade) 6.5 m Single USA Las Campanas Observatory, Chile 2000
Magellan 2 (Landon Clay) 6.5 m Single USA Las Campanas Observatory, Chile 2002
BTA-6 6 m Single Russia Zelenchukskaya, Caucasus 1976
Large Zenith Telescope (LZT) 6 m Single Canada, France Maple Ridge, British Columbia 2003
Hale Telescope 5 m Single USA Palomar Observatory, California 1948
William Herschel Telescope 4.2 m Single UK, Netherlands, Spain Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, Canary Islands 1987
SOAR 4.2 m Single USA, Brazil Cerro Pachón, Chile 2002

This table does not include all the largest mirrors manufactured; the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab produced the 6.5-metre f/1.25 LOTIS collimator used by Lockheed Martin for vacuum optical testing of other telescopes.

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