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Large Binocular Telescope Observatory
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Large Binocular Telescope Observatory

observatory, Arizona, United States
Also known as: LBTO
Written by
Erik Gregersen
Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the...
Erik Gregersen
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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Article History

Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBTO), observatory consisting of two 8.4-metre (28-foot) telescopes located on Mount Graham (3,221 metres [10,567 feet]) in Arizona, U.S. The two telescopes combined have the resolution of a telescope with a mirror 22.8 metres (74.8 feet) across. Construction of the LBTO began in 1997, and the first observations were made in 2005 with one mirror. In 2008 the LBTO made its first observations as a binocular telescope. The LBTO is funded by a collaboration of 19 universities and research institutes in the United States, Italy, and Germany.

Erik Gregersen
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