ELT: The biggest eye on the sky

The European Southern Observatory is now constructing what will be the world's largest visible/infrared telescope, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). With a primary collecting area of 39m in diameter, the ELT will give us unprecedented views of the sky - from planets around nearby stars right out to galaxies at the edge of the observable Universe. I will give an overview of this tremendously exciting project, and highlight some of the leading roles that UK groups are playing in turning this long-standing dream into reality.