About

• The Thirty Meter Telescope is a new class of extremely large telescopes that will allow us to see deeper into space and observe cosmic objects with unprecedented sensitivity. 
• With its 30 m prime mirror diameter, TMT will be three times as wide, with nine times more area, than the largest currently existing visible-light telescope in the world. 
• This will provide unparalleled resolution with TMT images more than 12 times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope.
• The Thirty Metre Telescope is a joint venture (JV) involving following countries namely, USA, Japan, China, India and Canada.

Benefits of TMT

• It will allow astronomers to explore the mysterious period in the life of the universe when the first stars and galaxies were formed.
• One of its key uses will be the study of exoplanets, many of which have been detected in the last few years, and whether their atmospheres contain water vapour or methane — the signatures of possible life.
• TMT will also observe the formation and development of the large-scale structures by looking at faint distant galaxies and the intergalactic medium.
• It has  capability to detect and investigate black holes that reside in the center of many distant galaxies, as well as study in detail the black hole in the center of our own Milky Way.

Why in News?

The Department of Science & Technology said that 2020 Physics Nobel Laureate Prof. Andrea Ghez had worked closely with Indian astronomers on the design of back-end instruments and possible science prospects of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project being installed at Maunakea in Hawaii.

References:

1. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1671685
2. https://www.tmt.org/page/about