  The next major advancement in astronomy and cosmology will be driven by deep
observations using very sensitive telescopes with high spatial and spectral
resolution capabilities. An international consortium of astronomers, including
Indian astronomers are building the Thirty Meter Telescope to achieve
breakthroughs in different areas of astronomy starting from studies of the
solar system to that of the early universe. This article provides a brief
overview of the telescope, science objectives and details of the first light
instruments.
