A giant new telescope opened its Cyclops eye on the Universe today [18 January]. Perched on the desolate summit of Cerro Pachon in the Chilean Andes, the Gemini South telescope is an identical twin to Gemini North in Hawaii. The two telescopes, located each side of the equator, will enable UK astronomers to view the entire sky in both northern and southern hemispheres.

The Gemini telescopes, in which the UK has almost a quarter share through the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council [PPARC], have been designed to produce extremely sharp images of the Universe. Astronomers will be able to see through the cosmic dust that obscures star forming regions and violent galaxies to reveal the mysteries of the Universe, like how a star is born. Each telescope also has 10 times the light gathering power of the Hubble Space Telescope. Coupled with high-tech instruments to 'take the twinkling out of stars' the Gemini telescopes will produce images as sharp as those from space.

Commenting on the dedication of Gemini South, Prof. Ian Halliday, PPARC Chief Executive, said, "This is a significant day for the Gemini telescopes and for the entire UK astronomy community. Britain is the second largest partner in the 7-country Gemini consortium. By taking a leading role in such international projects PPARC ensures that UK scientists have access to world-class facilities, enabling them to participate at the frontier of global astronomy research and discovery".

The UK has played a leading role in the design and construction of both telescopes and several key individuals in the international consortium are British, including the overall project director, Dr. Matt Mountain. "About a month ago we reached a milestone when both Gemini North and Gemini South made observations at the same time but in different parts of the sky invisible to each other," said Dr Mountain. "Today's dedication celebrates a decade of work by hundreds of people to build these two telescopes that have now become one observatory".