LSST Mirror Glass Melt

March 29, 2008 You're watching hot glass melt inside the rotating oven of the University of Arizona's Mirror Lab. When cooled, the glass will form the primary and tertiary mirrors of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, a unique wide-field survey telescope expected to see first light in 2014 from Cerro Pachón in Chile. The glass melted over several hours to the consistency of honey before seeping between ceramic molds. When cooled to a solid surface, the glass is ready for grinding and polishing into the proper shape for the telescope's mirrors.