A 600 m² array of 6.5 m telescopes at the lunar pole

Area of Science:

• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Optical and Infrared Astronomy
• Lunar Science

Background:

• Current astronomical observatories face limitations in aperture size and cost.
• The Moon offers a stable platform with minimal atmosphere for advanced astronomical observations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a cost-effective lunar telescope array with a very large aperture (600 m²) for optical and infrared astronomy.
• To enable groundbreaking scientific research, including exoplanet biosignature detection and deep galaxy evolution studies.

Main Methods:

• An array of 18 separate 6.5 m aperture telescopes will be deployed near a lunar pole.
• A perimeter screen will provide shade and cryogenic cooling for the telescopes.
• Light from all telescopes will be combined to form a single image for analysis.

Main Results:

• The array will achieve a total collecting area of 600 m².
• The system will cover wavelengths from 0.4 µm to 10 µm with diffraction-limited resolution.
• Initial instruments will include high-resolution and multi-object spectrographs.

Conclusions:

• The proposed lunar telescope array presents a feasible and fundable approach to achieving extremely large apertures for astronomy.
• This lunar observatory has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of exoplanets and the early universe.
• A prototype 6.5 m telescope will be tested at the lunar south pole to validate the concept.