SCHOTT AG - SCHOTT Lighting and Imaging

Overview

24.07.2009, SCHOTT AG, La Palma/Mainz

World’s largest telescope with a mirror blank from SCHOTT inaugurated on La Palma

Prof. Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of the Board of Management of SCHOTT AG, attends as guest of honor / SCHOTT supplied mirror segments made of the “Zerodur” glass ceramic

Located at the top of the 2,426 meter high Roque de los Muchachos on the Canary Island of La Palma, the Gran Telescopio Canarias (Grantecan or GTC) that the Institutio de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) will be operating is the new star among the world’s eyes on the sky. This Friday, the galactic hunter that cost 130 million euros was officially put into operation by the King and Queen of Spain during a festive celebration.

“The primary mirror that consists of 36 “Zerodur” glass ceramic segments from SCHOTT makes up the heart of the world’s largest telescope, which is 10.4 meters in diameter. We are proud to be able to participate in this superlative astronomy project with our “Zerodur” glass ceramic that remains stable when temperatures change,” explained Prof. Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of the Board of Management of SCHOTT AG, who took part in the inauguration ceremony on the Canary Island as a guest of honor.

Even with major shifts in temperature, the material that has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is close to zero hardly expands at all. This, in turn, ensures that the images of the universe are clear and undistorted. “Our glass ceramic has been the material of choice for astronomical applications for over 40 years. Besides, with our optical glasses, SCHOTT has been a partner to the world of astronomy for more than 100 years. We stay in close contact with the world’s leading astronomical institutes and are optimistic that we will also be involved in future projects that are planned,” Professor Ungeheuer noted.

High demands with respect to the quality and exactness of shape of the material require the most modern processing technology. Due to the fact that astronomers attach great importance to extremely high accuracy, for the first time ever, SCHOTT used a mobile 3-D laser measurement system for the Grantecan project that is capable of measuring even down to hundredths of millimeters.

The primary mirror of the Grantecan that consists of hexagonal “Zerodur” parts that are bent towards the inside, each of them 1.9 meters in width, 8.5 centimeters thick, and nearly 500 kilograms in weight, has a surface of 82 square meters. A sophisticated support, drive and sensor system ensures that these segments remain exactly opposite each other. SCHOTT delivered an additional six segments to Spain as spares. In the future, astronomers will be using this observatory to screen the universe in both the visible, as well as the infrared spectral range. The researchers are hoping to discover distant planets and galaxies and look into how our universe was formed.

SCHOTT is an international technology group that sees its core purpose as the lasting improvement of living and working conditions. To this end, the company has been developing special materials, components and systems for 125 years. The main areas of focus are the household appliances industry, pharmaceuticals, solar energy, electronics, optics and the automotive industry. The SCHOTT Group is present in close proximity to its customers with production and sales companies in all its major markets. The Group’s approximately 17,300 employees generated worldwide sales of approximately 2.2 billion Euros in the fiscal year 2007/2008. The company's technological and economic expertise is closely linked with its social and ecological responsibility. The SCHOTT AG is an affiliate of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung (Foundation).

SCHOTT AG

Further information:

SCHOTT AG

Dr. Haike Frank

Hattenbergstraße 10

55122 Mainz

Tel. +49 (0)6131/66-4088

Fax +49 (0)3641/28889-141

E-mail

SCHOTT AG

Christine Fuhr

Hattenbergstraße 10