Editing Large Binocular Telescope (section)

== First light ==
[[File:Large Binocular Telescope - November 2006.jpg|thumb|Dome during the day with doors closed]]
The telescope was dedicated in October 2004 and saw [[first light (astronomy)|first light]] with a single primary mirror on October 12, 2005, which viewed [[NGC 891]].<ref>{{cite web |title=LBT "First Light" image of NGC891 taken on October 12, 2005 |url=http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/first_light.htm |website=Large Binocular Telescope Observatory |via=medusa.as.arizona.edu |access-date=2010-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202105302/http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/first_light.htm |archive-date=2008-12-02 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Large Binoccular Telescope Successfully Achieves First Light |url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=18115 |via=spaceref.com |date=October 26, 2005 |access-date=2010-04-25}}</ref> The second primary mirror was installed in January 2006 and became fully operational in January 2008.<ref name="BBC"/> The first light with the second primary mirror was on September 18, 2006,{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} and for the first and second together it was on January 11–12, 2008.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Large Binocular Telescope Achieves First Binocular Light |url=http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/firstbinocularlight_press_release.htm |date=2008-02-28 |publisher=Large Binocular Telescope Corporation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725231212/http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbto/firstbinocularlight_press_release.htm |archive-date=2011-07-25 }}</ref>

The first binocular light images show three false-color renditions of the spiral galaxy [[NGC 2770]]. The galaxy is 88 million light years from the Milky Way galaxy, a relatively close neighbor. The galaxy has a flat disk of stars and glowing gas tipped slightly toward Earth's [[Line-of-sight propagation|line of sight]].

The first image taken combined ultraviolet and green light, and emphasizes the clumpy regions of newly formed hot stars in the spiral arms. The second image combined two deep red colors to highlight the smoother distribution of older, cooler stars. The third image was a composite of ultraviolet, green and deep red light and shows the detailed structure of hot, moderate and cool stars in the galaxy. The cameras and images were produced by the Large Binocular Camera team, led by Emanuele Giallongo at the Rome Astrophysical Observatory.

In binocular [[aperture synthesis]] mode LBT has a light-collecting area of 111 m<sup>2</sup>, equivalent to a single primary mirror {{convert|11.8|m|ft|adj=on|sp=us}} in diameter, and will combine light to produce the image sharpness equivalent to a single {{convert|22.8|m|ft|adj=on|sp=us}} telescope. However, this requires a beam combiner that was tested in 2008, but has not been a part of regular operations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lbti.as.arizona.edu/LBTI-Main/Project.html|title=LBTI Project|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819102029/http://lbti.as.arizona.edu/LBTI-Main/Project.html|archive-date=2010-08-19}}</ref> It can take images with one side at 8.4 m aperture, or take two images of the same object using different instruments on each side of the telescope.