Participation in the Thirty Meter Telescope Project has been the top recommendation of Canada’s Long-range Plan for astronomy for the last 15 years. Federal funding obtained in 2014 currently affords Canada about a 15% share in this facility, one of only three planned telescopes in its class worldwide. As the name suggests, the TMT is an optical/infrared telescope with a single, segmented mirror that is 30m in diameter. This provides an advantage in both light collecting power and angular resolution over smaller telescopes; specifically, it is 80 times more
sensitive than the largest existing telescopes, and 200 times more sensitive than Canada’s largest existing national optical facility, Gemini. First light is expected in 2028. Balogh is presently the Chair of an advisory committee that serves as a link between the professional Canadian
community and the TMT project.
