researchers have developed a highly reflective liquid system that is (almost) suitable for establishing a liquid mirror telescope on the moon. The idea is that if you rotate a liquid, the surface cross section is a parabola, so it nicely focuses light from very distant sources in one point. You just need to find a liquid that doesn't freeze or evaporate, and that is very bright and shiny ...

read my story here:

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2007/June/21060701.asp