Although many space researchers are engineering high-powered and expensive telescopes, some as expensive as $100 million, astronomers at Penn State and the University of Texas at Austin found a bargain in the $13.5 million William P. Hobby-Robert E. Eberly Telescope.

The telescope's abilities and the cost-sharing arrangement between five universities limits expenses without sparing scientific performance.

"Basically what we intend to do is deliver a very cost-effective instrument to cutting-edge science," said Larry Ramsey, a project scientist and Penn State astrophysics professor, adding that at $13.5 million, the Hobby-Eberly telescope costs about 15 percent of what similar-sized telescopes cost, which is usually between $60 to 80 million.

The telescope will use a technique known as spectroscopy, which measures individual wavelengths of light, Ramsey said.

"We're trying to understand the basic origins of the universe, how old it is, and how it's changing with time," he said.

One way the telescope can accomplish this is by "looking at quasars, looking at the elements, which tells us how early certain elements were created," Ramsey said.

In addition, the telescope will be capable of searching for planets around stars other than the sun.

"The search for planets is a priority mission in astronomy," Ramsey said, explaining that the telescope will observe small changes in the stars' motions that will indicate if a planet is nearby.

The Hobby-Eberly telescope's primary mirror will have 91 segments, each of which is 41 inches across, he said. The mirrors were tested at the end of an 85-foot shaft at Beaver Stadium.

The telescope will also be able to identify and measure activity on the stars' surface, study more of the dark matter located around galaxies, monitor violent activity in the hearts of some galaxies and refine star formation and evolution theories.

The idea for the telescope was conceived in 1982 by Ramsey and a former Penn State professor of astrophysics, Daniel Weedman, who is now at NASA, said Tom Sebring, project manager for the telescope. In 1985, a partnership to pursue its construction was formed between Penn State and the University of Texas at Austin.

Stanford University, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, and Georg-August University of Gottingen, Germany, are also project partners. The groundbreaking ceremony for the telescope's construction was March 25 at the McDonald Observatory in Texas.

Texas will cover about half of the telescope's cost, Penn State will pay about one-fourth and the other three schools will cover the rest, Ramsey said, adding that the telescope's instruments will be developed in Penn State laboratories.

"This project will bring the University a tremendous amount of visibility in the international community," he said. "It will give our students the opportunity to work with a forefront in technology."

The telescope is named for William P. Hobby, a former Texas lieutenant governor who has made important contributions to higher education in Texas, and Robert E. Eberly, a Penn State alumnus who helped the University with his time and money.