But it will also be useful for basic science. Its time-lapse images can be used to create 3D maps of the mass distribution in the universe. That should not only help to trace billions of galaxies, but also tell cosmologists more about the mysterious and recently discovered "dark energy" that is driving the expansion of the universe.
Every night the telescope will pull in 30 terabytes of image data (about 190 times more than a top of the range iPod), which will be made available free on the internet.
"People can find out what's going on everywhere in the sky, and no one has ever done that before -- not even come close," said Donald Sweeney, the project manager. "There are lots of things that happen every night in the sky, and no one has been able to track them and detect them," he said.
Cerro Pachon, located in northern Chile near the city of Vicuna, is a foothill of the Andes, but high enough to escape haze and light pollution. It was chosen over a site in Mexico because it hosts two other telescopes known as Gemini South and SOAR, delivering a ready-made infrastructure.
"It's very beautiful up there, very rocky and quiet. You can see glaciers in the distance," Krabbendam said.
This week's donations will keep the project on schedule by enabling the early fabrication of large optics and other long-lead components of the telescope system, Sweeney said.
Simonyi, estimated to be worth US$1 billion, has an obsession with outer space.
Last year he became the fifth space tourist and the second Hungarian in space.
"There is a similarity between the telescope and these two guys," said Suzanne Jacoby, a project spokesperson. "It's very innovative and the technology is very cool. It appeals to technologically minded people."
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