The Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) - designed exclusively for Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz. - will be among the most sophisticated ground-based telescopes of its size. The four-meter telescope will have a significantly wider field of view than any currently existing telescope of its size, giving it the unprecedented ability to survey the sky at nearly eight times the capacity of the largest existing survey telescope.

In this wide-field mode, the DCT's ability to perform deep imaging surveys of the night sky will be unmatched. This versatile telescope can be quickly converted to its alternative optical configuration, allowing it, unlike other pure survey telescopes, to be highly effective during bright phases of the moon. Once operational, the DCT also will have real-time capability, allowing the images acquired by the telescope to be simultaneously broadcast to people around the world.

"Since its founding more than a century ago, Lowell Observatory has been dedicated to astronomical research, particularly the study of our solar system and its evolution, and to sharing that knowledge with the public," said Robert L. Millis, director of the observatory.

"The Discovery Channel Telescope will have a considerable impact on the exploration of our solar system and the deep reaches of space, and we are very excited to be working in partnership with Discovery Communications to develop this innovative technology."

Millis also noted that the partnership with Discovery Communications, Inc., which also includes educational programming and Lowell Observatory's involvement in Discovery's annual Young Scientists Challenge, was a natural fit given the Lowell's research and educational mission and the founding principles of the education and discovery-oriented company.

"Discovery Communications was founded to provide the highest-quality television in the world enabling people to explore their world and satisfy their natural curiosity," said John S. Hendricks, founder, chairman and CEO of Discovery Communications, Inc.

"Together, Discovery and Lowell Observatory will literally explore our world and bring the most exciting new discoveries found in our universe to millions of people around the globe." Among the DCT's numerous scientific objectives, the search for near-Earth asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects and planets orbiting other stars, will be substantially advanced.

Approximately 2,300 near-Earth asteroids have been discovered in the last decade. Once complete, the DCT will make it possible to identify the same number of potentially life-threatening near-Earth asteroids in just 30 days.

The DCT also will make it possible to identify smaller near-Earth asteroids capable of causing regional devastation. Currently, the federally mandated search for near-Earth asteroids focuses on objects that are larger than a kilometer in diameter and capable of creating global devastation.

Similar results are expected in the search for Kuiper Belt Objects, of which only 863 have been identified and can range in size from that of large asteroids to objects comparable in size to the planet Pluto. The Kuiper Belt, the first objects of which were discovered in 1992, is a sun-centered swarm of orbiting icy bodies extending from Neptune to as yet unknown distances.

Construction is expected to begin on the DCT in fall 2004, with completion in 2008. The telescope's innovative components are already in design and production. The DCT's mirror blanks are being developed by Corning Incorporated in Canton, N.Y. Design currently continues on the following telescope components: optical system by Goodrich Corporation in Danbury, Conn.; facility and site design by M3 Engineering in Tucson, Ariz.; and the telescope mount by Vertex RSI in Richardson, Texas. The camera that Lowell will design and build for the four-meter telescope will have 36 2K by 4K charge-coupled devices capable of acquiring enormous amounts of data from each exposure and has a two degree field of view.

The DCT is being jointly funded by Discovery Communications, Inc., and Lowell Observatory. Collaborations with additional institutional partners and private support also are being sought to help fund the venture.

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