The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) is a submillimetre-wavelength telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. Its primary mirror is 15 metres (16.4 yards) across: it is the largest astronomical telescope that operates in submillimetre wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum (far-infrared to microwave). Scientists use it to study our Solar System, interstellar dust and gas, and distant galaxies. JCMT will be shutdown at the end of 2014, if a new operator is not found.
The JCMT is funded by a partnership between the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands. It is operated by the Joint Astronomy Centre and was named in honour of mathematical physicist James Clerk Maxwell.
The telescope is near the summit of Mauna Kea at 13,425 feet (4092 m). It is part of the Mauna Kea Observatory. The JCMT has the second-largest telescope mirror on Mauna Kea. (The largest is the VLBA antenna.)
This telescope was combined with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory next to it to form the first submillimeter interferometer. This success was important in pushing ahead the construction of the Submillimeter Array and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array interferometers.
Read more about James Clerk Maxwell Telescope: History, Instrumentation
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