Scientists plan giant telescope

European scientists want to build an optical telescope the size of a sports field to solve some of the universe's biggest mysteries and watch the seasons change on a small, possibly habitable planet orbiting a star far away in the galaxy.
The case for what astronomers call the ELT, or extremely large telescope, was formally put at a meeting of scientists at Dwingeloo in the Netherlands. It could measure 50 or even 100 metres across, cost £1bn and test the ingenuity of engineers and scientists for the next decade. The most ambitious telescope so far made is just 10 metres across.