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Overwhelmingly Large Telescope

The Overwhelmingly Large Telescope (OWL) is a conceptual design by the European Southern Observatory organization for a telescope which is intended to have a single aperture of 100 meters in diameter.

Whilst this design would not exceed the angular resolving power of interferometric telescopes, it would have exceptional light-gathering and imaging capacity which would greatly increase the depth to which mankind could explore the universe.

If built, it would be the largest optical telescope ever constructed. It has been claimed that OWL would have more mirror surface than that of all previous professional telescopes put together.