> [!note] > Below, there is a variety of instruments, observatories, and telescopes used in astronomy and astrophysics. > > For different surveys conducted, see [[Catalogs]]. > [!instrumentation] Optical Telescope Comparison > ![[Comparison_optical_telescope_primary_mirrors.svg.png]] ## Multi-wavelength Surveys #### SWIFT *(****Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory****)* ![[swift.gif|align:center|400]] - [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|X-ray/UV/optical]] space telescope launched in 2004. - Originally built to search for [[Gamma Ray Burst|GRBs]] and their afterglows. - Still operational and great for transient follow-up. - 3 Main Instruments: - BAT: Burst Alert Telescope ($\sim 15-150\,\pu{keV}$) - "Coded Mask Aperture" telescope - XRT: X-Ray Telescope ($\sim 0.3-10\,\pu{keV}$) - UVOT: UV/Optical Telescope ## Radio Telescopes #### MWA *(**Murchison Wide-field Array**)* ![[MWA.jpg|align:center|400]] - Low frequency $70-230\,\pu{MHz}$ radio interferometer with wide FOV ($\sim 30^\circ$ across). - GLEAM: survey of extragalactic radio sources measured with MWA - Precursor to [[#SKA]] - Jackie Hewitt here at MKI was a founding collaborator. #### PAPER *(**Precision Array to Probe the Epoch of Reionization**)* - [[Spectral Features#21cm line]] observations #### LOFAR *(**LOw Frequency ARray**)* - [[Spectral Features#21cm line]] observations #### CHIME *(**Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment**)* ![[chime.jpg|align:center|400]] - A radio ($400-800\,\pu{MHz}$) telescope array with a very large FOV ($200\,\pu{deg^2}$) stretching from the northern horizon to the southern horizon - Consists of four adjacent $20 \; {\rm m} \times 100 \; {\rm m}$ cylindrical reflectors oriented north-south. - The focal axis of each cylinder is lined with 256 dual-polarization antennas - "Pointing" takes place in post-processing by examining autocorrelations in the signal. - Can probe the [[Spectral Features#21cm line]] from redshifts $z\sim 0.8-2.5$ (so $\lambda \simeq 50\,\pu{cm}$) - An excellent [[Fast Radio Burst|FRB]] finding device, though localization is hard - Built outrigger stations to assist, will be made better by [[#CHORD]]. - Kiyoshi Masui's group here at MKI is heavily involved #### ALMA *(**Atacama Large Millimeter Array**)* ![[ALMA.jpeg|align:center|400]] #### CHORD *(**Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-transient Detector**)* #### HERA *(**Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array**)* ![[HERA.png]] - Array of radio dishes in South Africa operating at $120-200\,\pu{MHz}$ - Measure the [[Spectral Features#21cm line]] line heavily [[Redshift|redshifted]] at $z\sim 6-13$ (so $\lambda \simeq 2\,\pu{m}$). - Precursor to [[#SKA]] (along with [[#MWA]]) - Jackie Hewitt at MKI is PI #### MeerKAT *(originally the **Karoo Array Telescope (KAT)**)* ![[meerkat.jpg|align:center|400]] - A radio telescope consisting of 64 (13-meter) radio dish antennas in the Meerkat National Park (Karoo desert), in the Northern Cape of South Africa (alongside [[#HERA]]) - In 2003, South Africa submitted an expression of interest to host the Square Kilometre Array ([[#SKA]]) Radio Telescope in Africa - The locally designed and built MeerKAT was incorporated into the first phase of the SKA. - MeerKAT was launched in 2018. #### ASKAP *(**Australian SKA Pathfinder**)* ![[askap.jpg|align:center|400]] - Radio telescope array located at Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) in the Mid West region of Western Australia. - Began as a technology demonstrator for the future [[#SKA]] observatory - Construction commenced in late 2009 and first light was in October 2012 - Consists of 36 (12-meter) parabolic antennas - Work together as a single astronomical interferometer with a FOV $\sim 4,000 \; {\rm m^{2}}$ - Each antenna is equipped with a phased-array feed (PAF), significantly increasing the field of view. This design provides both fast survey speed and high sensitivity. #### VLA *(**Very Large Array**)* ![[VLA.jpeg|align:center|400]] - A centimeter-wavelength radio astronomy observatory in the southwestern United States. - 6GHz is ~an optimal frequency for VLA, and is used to measure [[Gamma Ray Burst|GRBs]] afterglows - Consist of 28 (25-meter) radio telescopes - 27 are operational while one is always rotating through maintenance - Deployed in a Y-shaped array and all the equipment, instrumentation, and computing power to function as an interferometer. - Each of the massive telescopes is mounted on double parallel railroad tracks, so the radius and density of the array can be transformed to adjust the balance between its angular resolution and its surface brightness sensitivity. - Astronomers using the VLA has observed... - black holes - protoplanetary disks around young stars - magnetic filaments - complex gas motions at the Milky Way's center - probed the Universe's cosmological parameters #### GBT *(**Green Bank Telescope**)* ![[GBT.jpg|align:center|400]] #### SKA *(**Square Kilometre Array**)* - A low-frequency radio telescope to be built in Australia expected to have first light in 2027 - Will have two components which observe [[Spectral Features#21cm line]] up to $z=3$ and $z\in(3,27)$ respectively - Percursor Observatories include: - [[#HERA]] (Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array) - [[#ASKAP]] (Australian SKA Pathfinder) and the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), the MeerKAT is one of four precursors to the final SKA. #### EHT *(**Event Horizon Telescope**)* ![[EHT.jpg|align:center|500]] - A large telescope array consisting of a global network of 11 radio telescopes - Combines data from several [[Methods#Long Baseline Interferometry|VLBI]] stations around Earth, which form a combined array with sub-arcsecond angular resolution for $1.3 \; {\rm mm}$ wavelengths (sufficient to observe objects the size of a [[Black Hole#Supermassive Black Hole|SMBH]] event horizon) - Observed M87* (2019 April 10) - center of the supergiant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 - Observed [[Active Galactic Nuclei#Sagittarius A*|Sag A*]] (2022 May 12) - center of the Milky Way ![[EHT-images.jpg|align:center|450]] #### ZTF *(**Zwicky Transient Facility**)*" #### UTRAO *(**University of Texas Radio Astronomy Observatory**)* ## Microwave Telescopes #### SPT *(**South Pole Telescope**)* ![[SPT.jpg|align:center|400]] - $10\,\pu{m}$ telescope observing in $\pu{mm/sub-mm}$ ([[Electromagnetic Spectrum|microwave]]) at the South Pole. - First light in 2007 (still operational) - Goal is to study [[Cosmic Microwave Background|CMB]], but also locates 1000s of [[Galaxy Cluster|galaxy clusters]] via the [[Cosmic Microwave Background#Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect|SZ-effect]] - Sometimes can be followed up with [[#HST|HST]] #### CMB-S4 *(**CMB - Stage 4**)* ![[CMB_S4.jpg|align:center|400]] - Next-generation ground-based [[Cosmic Microwave Background|CMB]] experiment. - Telescopes equipped with highly sensitive superconducting cameras operating at the South Pole, the high Chilean Atacama plateau, and possibly northern hemisphere sites. - Designed for... - cross critical thresholds in testing inflation - determining the number and masses of the neutrinos - constraining possible new light relic particles - providing precise constraints on the nature of dark energy - testing general relativity on large scales - Has more frequency channels which allow one to discern between the [[Cosmic Microwave Background#Kinetic SZ-effect]] and contaminants like background quasars more easily. #### BICEP *(**Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization**)* - South Pole mission - Aimed to measure the polarization of the [[Cosmic Microwave Background|CMB]]; in particular, measuring the B-mode of the CMB. See [[Question 79]] for dust sadness. #### ACT *(**Atacama Cosmology Telescope**)* - CMB measurements of power spectra - $\sim 98 -150 \; {\rm GHz}$ #### COBE *(**Cosmic Background Explorer**)* ![[CMB_COBE.jpg|align:center|400]] - Space probe launched in 1989 to measure the [[Cosmic Microwave Background|CMB]] (ran until 1993) - Measured CMB anisotropy at $\Delta T/T \simeq 10^{-5}$ precision - Essentially measured the low-$l$ (where $l \equiv$ multipole moment) flat part of the [[#CMB Power Spectrum|CMB power spectrum]] - 2006 Nobel prize #### WMAP *(**Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe**)* ![[CMB_WMAP.jpg|align:center|400]] - Space probe launched in 2001 to measure the [[Cosmic Microwave Background|CMB]] (ran until 2010) - Beam sizes ranged from $10'-50'$ ([[Units & Conversions#Arcminute ($)|arcminute]]) - Placed strong constraints on cosmological parameters, like the [[Hubble#Hubble Constant]] ($H_{0}$) and matter abundances ($\Omega_{M}$) #### Planck ![[CMB_Planck.jpg|align:center|400]] - ESA space probe launched in 2009 to measure the [[Cosmic Microwave Background|CMB]] (ran until 2013) - Best measurement of the [[Cosmic Microwave Background#CMB Power Spectrum]] + CMB measured [[Cosmic Microwave Background#Relation to Cosmological Density Parameters|cosmological parameters]] - Temperature Sensitivity: $\Delta T/T \sim 10^{-6}$ - Angular Resolution: $\sim 5'-10'$ ([[Units & Conversions#Arcminute ($)|arcmin]]) Cosmological Constraints on [[Friedmann Equation|Friedmann equation parameters]]" ![[planck_params.png|align:center|500]] Different types of emission detected by Planck: ![[planck_components.png|align:center|600]] ## Infrared Telescopes #### Spitzer ![[spitzer.png|align:center|400]] - NASA's flagship [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|IR]] instrument launched in 2003 (ran until 2020) - 3 Main Instruments: - Infrared Array Camera (IRAC): $3.6,4.5 ,5.8,8\,\pu{\mu m}$ filters - Infrared Spectrograph (IRS): $\sim 5-40\,\pu{\mu m}$ - Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) - Ran out of coolant in 2009 - Partially operational afterwards - only the $3.6, \; 4.5 \; {\rm \mu m}$ filters were functioning - Start of "Warm Mission" #### WISE *(**Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer**)* ![[WISE.png|align:center|400]] - Launched in 2009 - Later renamed to "NEOWISE" for "Near-Earth Orbit WISE". - All-sky survey. - IR band at $3-20\,\pu{\mu m}$ #### JWST *(**James Webb Space Telescope**)* ![[JWST.png|align:center|400]] - NASA's flagship [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|near-IR]] mission that launched on Dec 25 2021. - $6.5\,\pu{m}$ diameter IR telescope ($0.6-28.3\,\pu{\mu m}$) orbiting in the [[Sun]]-Earth L2 [[Methods#Space-based detector orbits|Lagrange point]]. - 4 science instruments: - NIRCam: ($0.6-5\,\pu{\mu m}$) - NIRSpec: ($0.6-5\,\pu{\mu m}$ with 3 observing models) - MIRI: ($5-27\,\pu{\mu m}$) with MIR camera and imaging spectrometer - FGS/NIRISS ($0.8-5\,\pu{\mu m}$) #### Roman *(**Nancy Grace Roman space telescope**)* ![[roman.png|align:center|400]] - Formerly, **Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST)**. - NASA [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|IR]] instrument that will launch near 2027 - $2.4\,\pu{m}$ wide and FoV $\sim 28\,\pu{deg^2}$ - 2 Main Instruments: - WFI: Wide Field Instrument ($\sim 0.5 - 2.3\,\pu{\mu m}$ with 6 filters) - CGI: CoronaGraphic Instrument ($\sim 0.5 - 0.8\,\pu{\mu m}$ with high contrast) - Science goals are: - [[Detection Methods#Direct Imaging Method|Direct Imaging]] of exoplanets via the CGI - cosmology + dark energy (via [[Baryon Acoustic Oscillations|BAO]], distance [[Stellar Explosions#Supernova|SNe]] and [[Gravitational Lensing#Weak Lensing|weak lensing]]) - One of the largest IR FOV planned (Roman Empire = Big) #### WINTER *(**Wide-field INfrared Transient ExploreR**)** - Robotically operated ground-based [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|NIR]] telescope ($\lambda \sim 0.9 - 1.7\,\pu{\mu m}$) - Located in Southern California at Palomar Observatory ($1\,\pu{m}$ diameter) - Used for electromagnetic follow-up of [[Gravitational waves|GW]] events. - Motivated by GW170817 - Comissioned in May 2023, before the beginning of LIGO Run4 - Performs the first seeing-limited IR time-domain survey with 6 cameras (each with FOV $\sim 1 \; {\rm deg^{2}}$, covering $\sim 400 \; {\rm deg^{2}}$ per week) - can probe magnitudes up to 18 (higher magnitude = dimmer sources = deeper into space) - Looking for time-domain events: - [[Stellar Explosions#Kilonova]] - TDEs - Other variable systems... - Can also aid with [[Methods#Reverberation Mapping|reverberation mapping]] - Current issues - Dark current and cooling causes larger noise than hoped - 1/34 photons from source it hitting detector (hoped for 1/3) - 1000x2000 pixels Rob Simcoe & Danielle Frostig worked on it here at MKI ## Optical/UV/NIR Telescopes #### BOSS #### HST *(**Hubble Space Telescope**)* ![[HST.jpg|align:center|400]] - [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|Optical/UV/NIR]] 2.4m space telescope launched in 1990 - 4 Active Instruments: - ACS: used for UV-NIR imaging - COS: used for UV spectroscopy - STIS: used for all - WFC3: used for UV-NIR imaging $(0.04'' \; {\rm pixels, } \; 2.7' \times 2.7' \; {\rm FOV})$ - Huge contributions to all fields of astronomy, including galaxies, exoplanets, [[Black Hole|black holes]], etc. #### Magellan ![[Magellan-Telescopes-at-LCO-2014-04-19.jpg|align:center|400]] - 2 twin $6.5 \; {\rm m}$ telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. - First light in 2000 and 2002 - Contains spectrographs + imaging cameras for [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|optical and NIR]] observation. #### VLT *(**Very Large Telescope**)* - located in Chile - operated by European Southern Observatory #### Subaru #### Gemini - A pair of 8-meter telescopes located in Hawaii (Gemini North) and Chile (Gemini South). - They host [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|optical to MIR]] instruments. - Wide science goals, including - distant galaxies - star and planet formation - [[Black Hole|black holes]] - [[Dark matter]] - exoplanet atmospheres #### Keck - Two telescopes with $10\,\pu{m}$ primary mirrors near the summit of Mauna Kea. [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|Optical]]. #### Vera C. Rubin Observatory - $8.4\,\pu{m}$ ground based optical telescope in Chile - First light expected in 2023 - Will perform a sky survey down to 25th [[Magnitude|magnitude]] in a single visit - Expected to find thousands of transients a night. ##### LSST *(**Legacy Survey of Space and Time**)* - Will be carried out by Vera Rubin - Used to mean "Large Tynoptic Turvey Telescope" which is now called the [[#Vera C. Rubin Observatory]]. - Will take pictures of the entire southern sky every 3 days, for the next 10 years. #### LBT #### GAIA - ESA astrometry telescope (positions and velocities). - [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|Near-UV]] to NIR wide band. - Sits at [[Methods#Space-based detector orbits|L2]] #### GMT *(**Giant Magellan Telescope**)* - Successor to [[#Magellan]]. - Under constrcution at Las Campanas Observatory in Chili (Atacama Desert) - Commissioning expected in early 2030s #### ELT *(**Extremely Large Telescope**)* - Construction began in Chile in 2017 - When completed, it will be the world's largest optical/near-infrared extremely large telescope. - Part of the European Southern Observatory agency #### TMT *(**Thirty Meter Telescope**)* - Construction began 2014, halted since 2015 - Controversial due to its location on Mauna Kea, on the island of Hawaiʻi - Would be the largest visible-light telescope on Mauna Kea #### LAMOST ## X-ray Telescopes #### CHANDRA ![[chandra.png]] - NASA's flagship [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|X-ray]] mission launched in 1999 still operating. - Best angular resolution of any x ray telescope ($\sim 0.5''$, about 10 times better than next best). Observes between $\sim 0.3-10\,\pu{keV}$ (about $1\,\pu{nm}$) - 2 Main Detectors - HRC: High Resolution Spectrometer - ACIS: Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer - Mark Bautz here at MKI is PI - 2 Transmission Gratings - LETG: High Energy Transmission Grating - HETG: High Energy Transmission Grating - Claude Canizares here at MKI is PI - [[Question 154|Wolter Type I]] x-ray telescope configuration four thick nested mirrors coated in iridium. #### ROSAT *(**Röntgensatellit**)* ![[rosat.jpg|align:center|400]] - German lead [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|X-ray]] telescope launched in 1990 (ran until 1999) - Performed the first X-ray all sky survey during first 1/2 year of operation. - Best in soft X-rays (lt;2\,\pu{keV}$) - 4 Main Instruments - XRT: X-Ray Telescope - PSPC: Position Sensitive Proportional Counters ($\sim 20''$ resolution) - High Resolution Imager ($\sim 5''$) - WFC: Wide Field Camera #### NICER *(**Neutron star Interior Composition ExploreR**)* ![[nicer.png|align:center|500]] - NASA [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|X-ray]] telescope on the ISS with $0.3- 12\,\pu{keV}$ coverage (although best soft energies). - Began taking data in 2018 with the primary goal of constraining the [[Neutron Star|NS]] equation of state - Non-imaging telescope with high time resolution - Measures hot spots on NS as they rotate into the LoS and constrain the NS radius. - Hot spot locations indicate that NS are not exact magnetic dipoles - Also great for [[Active Galactic Nuclei|AGNs]], TDEs, [[Binary Stars#X-Ray Binary|XRBs]], [[Stellar Explosions#Nova|novae]], etc. - Similar to [[#SWIFT]] with fast response times, but better #### XRISM *(**X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission**)* ![[XRISM.png|align:center|400]] - Mission to investigate X-ray objects with high-throughput imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy - XRISM was launched on September 7, 2023 in Japan - Designed to resume and recover most of the the science capability lost with the [[#Hitomi]] mishap, focusing only on the soft X-ray bands - 2 Main Instruments - Resolve: a soft X-ray spectrometer - Combines a lightweight X-ray Mirror Assembly (XMA) paired with an X-ray calorimeter spectrometer - non-dispersive $5-7 \; {\rm eV}$ energy resolution in the $0.3-12 \; {\rm keV}$ bandpass with FOV of $3'$ - Xtend: soft X-ray imager - Array of 4 [[Tools#CCD]]s with FOV of $30'$ over energy range $0.4-13 \; {\rm keV}$ - Uses an identical lightweight XRM #### IXPE *(**Imaging Polarimetry X-ray Explorer**)* #### AXIS #### Athena #### XMM *(**X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM) -Newton**)* #### Suzaku - Japanese X-ray observatory - Uses a conical approximation of the [[Question 154|Wolter Type I design]]. - Its mirrors are coated in gold, and they are far thinner than the ones used in [[#CHANDRA]]. - This allows for denser nesting with 700 mirrors (CHANDRA has four) - The result is a much higher collecting efficiency at a reduced weight. #### NuSTAR *(**Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array**)* ![[NuSTAR.jpeg|aling:center|400]] - Launched on June 13, 2012 - Focued on the high energy X-ray ($3 - 79 {\rm keV}$) region - Observations in this range have been limited because previous orbiting telescopes have not employed true focusing optics, but rather have used coded apertures that have intrinsically high backgrounds and limited sensitivity. - Science Topics: - Take a census of collapsed stars and black holes - Map recently-synthesized material in young [[Stellar Explosions#Supernova|supernova]] remnants - Relativistic jets of particles from [[Active Galactic Nuclei|AGN]] - cosmic ray origins - extreme physics around collapsed stars - microflares on the surface of the Sun ## Gamma-ray Telescopes #### Fermi - A space observatory being used to perform [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|gamma-ray]] astronomy observations from low Earth orbit. - 2 Main Instruments - LAT: Large Area Telescope (LAT) - performs an all-sky survey studying astrophysical and cosmological phenomena such as [[Active Galactic Nuclei|AGN]], [[Neutron Star#Pulsar|pulsars]], other high-energy sources and dark matter. - GBM: Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (formerly GLAST Burst Monitor) - used to study [[Gamma Ray Burst|GRBs]] and [[Sun|solar]] flares. --- ## Cosmic Ray ### Ground based #### IceCube Neutrino obseratory at South Pole. Would see a spike in neutrino detection from a certain direction in the Milky Way disk if there way an otherwise undetected (say, behind galactic center) [[Stellar Explosions#Supernova|supernovae]] event. #### HAWC #### LHASSO #### HESS #### Pierre-Auger #### IceCube ### Space Based #### Fermi-LAT #### DAMPE #### CALET #### AMS-02 ## Gravitational Wave Observatories #### LIGO *(**Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory**)* ![[LIGO_LLO_LHO.jpeg|align:center|500]] ![[GW_observatory_map.png]] - Laser Interferometers with $4\,\pu{km}$ arms - Two locations in Hanford (LHO) and Livingston (LLO) - The detectors are oriented in space such that they can only detect one polarization state of gravitational waves, but the double-detection makes for more convincing results. (the geometry of [[#LISA]] is such that it can detect both simultaneously) - Announced first detection of [[Gravitational Waves|GW]]s in 2015 from binary [[Black Hole|BH]] merger. - The mirror is suspended on a quadruple pendulum system. - There is a noise spike at 60Hz in America and 120Hz in Europe (Virgo) due to the AC power frequency. ![[GW_LIGOnoise.png|align:center|500]] #### LISA *(**Laser Interferometer Space Antenna**)* ![[LISA.jpeg|align:center|400]] - Space based [[Gravitational waves|GW]] observatory consisting of 3 detectors with $10^6\,\pu{km}$ arm lengths. - Will operate in the $\pu{mHz}$ frequency range and be sensitive to binary [[Black Hole#Supermassive Black Hole|SMBH]] mergers and extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) (which Scott Hughes studies) - ESA mission to launch in 2030s. #### Cosmic Explorer - Future [[Gravitational Waves|GW]] observatory - Two facilities, one 40km arms L shape, another 20km arms. - Will detect compact binary mergers out to $z \sim 100$ ![[GW_sensitivity_curves.png|align:center|500]] #### KAGRA #### VIRGO ## Exoplanets #### TESS *(**Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite**)* ![[TESS.png|align:center|400]] - All-sky photometric survey searching for transiting exoplanets and other transients like [[Binary Stars#Cataclysmic Variables (CVs)|CVs]] and maybe even [[Stellar Explosions#Supernova|SNe]] - Stares at one patch of the sky for $\sim$month, getting an observation every $10 \; {\rm min}$ - Observes each of its target fields (called a sector) for about 27 days - 4 cameras combine their FOV for the total sector's FOV - Does about 13 sectors per year - Observes in red side of [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|optical]] $600\,\pu{nm} - 1\,\pu{\mu m}$ bandpass (single filter). - George Ricker here at MKI is the PI #### Kepler ![[Kepler.png|align:center|250]] - (2009) Led to significant increase in the number discovered, potential exoplanets - Space telescope that was designed to see Earth-sized exoplanets in [[Electromagnetic Spectrum|optical]] wavelengths. Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit. - By observing the brightness of over 150,000 stars in a single field of view, Kepler identified many transiting planets simultaneously. A "survey" of a small patch of sky. #### HARPS *(**The High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher**)* - A high-precision planet-finding [[Tools#Echelle Spectrograph]] installed in 2002 on the ESO's 3.6m telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile - Second-generation radial-velocity spectrograph, based on experience with the ELODIE and CORALIE instruments. - First light was achieved in February 2003 - Discovered over 130 exoplanets to date, with the first one in 2004, making it the most successful planet finder behind the [[#Kepler|Kepler space observatory]]. #### HWO *(**Habitable World Observatories**)* - Future exoplanet space-based observatory focused on [[Detection Methods#Direct Imaging Method|direct imaging]] - Scheduled for construction after [[#Vera C. Rubin Observatory]] (expected 2040s) - Should be observing in NIR/Optical/UV - Goals: - Observing Earth-mass exoplanets around sun-mass stars and their properties - Will also observe a variety of other [[Planetary Classes|exoplanet types]] as well - Further probing [[Standard Model of Planetary Formation|Planetary Formation]] theory - Not only for exoplanets, but can pursue a variety of other scientific topics as a general survey ## Microlensing #### OGLE *(**Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment**)* - Polish astronomical project based at the University of Warsaw that runs a long-term variability sky survey (1992–present). - Focused on detection of: - Variable stars (pulsating and eclipsing) - Discovery of microlensing events - Dwarf novae - Galactic Structure and the Magellanic Clouds - Extrasolar planets - Gravitational microlensing #### KMTnet ## Pulsar Timing Arrays > [!cian] > Pulsar timing array: GWs produce correlated changes in pulse arrival times. Unlike LIGO need to account for gravitational wave perturbation both at the pulsar and the Earth. (?). Oh cuz We are not detecting with some detector like LIGO on Earth, we are deteching the GW strain on Earth itself, which changes the pulse arrival times at different telescopes. Maybe? Not sure. Globally, there are five active pulsar timing array (PTAs) projects. [[#PPTA]], [[#EPTA]], [[#NANOGrav]], and [[#InPTA]] have begun collaborating under the title of the *International Pulsar Timing Array* project. #### PPTA The Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) at the Parkes radio-telescope has been collecting data since 2005. #### EPTA The European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA) has been collecting data since 2009; it uses the five largest radio telescopes in Europe: - Lovell Telescope - Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope - Effelsberg Telescope - Nancay Radio Telescope - Sardinia Radio Telescope. #### NANOGrav The North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) uses data, collected since 2005, from the Arecibo and [[#GBT|Green Bank]] radio telescopes. Collaboration with goal to measure low-frequency gravitational wave universe through radio pulsar timing. #### InPTA The Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA) uses the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. #### CPTA The Chinese Pulsar Timing Array (CPTA) uses the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). #### MPTA The MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array (MPTA), part of MeerTime, a MeerKAT Large Survey Project. The MPTA aims to precisely measure pulse arrival times from an ensemble of 88 pulsars visible from the Southern hemisphere, with the goal of contributing to the search, detection, and study of nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves as part of the International Pulsar Timing Array. ## Other Instruments and Facilities #### Pan-STARRS *(**Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System**)* - Located at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, US - Consists of astronomical cameras, telescopes and a computing facility that is surveying the sky for moving or variable objects on a continual basis, and also producing accurate astrometry and photometry of already-detected objects. - In January 2019 the second Pan-STARRS data release was announced. - At 1.6 petabytes, it is the largest volume of astronomical data ever released. #### Deep Space Network NASA facility for the retrieval of signals from deep space telescopes. Consists of three facilities spaced equidistant from each other – approximately 120 degrees apart in longitude – around the world. These sites are near Goldstone, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia. #### eRosita Half of the data unavilable due to Russian invasion of Ukraine. #### Lynx #### Hitomi #### KATRIN *(**Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment**)* - Wants to measure the mass of the electron antineutrino with sub-eV precision by examining the spectrum of electrons emitted from the beta decay of tritium. #### Voyager *(Mission Page: https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/)* ![[Voyager_spacecraft_model.png|align:center|300]] - Two unmanned space missions, the probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 - Launched in 1977 to take advantage of a favorable alignment of the planets during the late 1970s - Voyager 1: *close fly-bys of Jupiter and Saturn* - Voyager 2: *close fly-bys of Jupiter and Saturn, in addition to Uranus and Neptune* - Space probes were able to continue their mission into the outer solar system - Voyager 1 left [[Sun#Heliopause|heliopause]] in 2012 - Voyager 2 left [[Sun#Heliopause|heliopause]] in 2018 - Used to place limits interstellar environment beyond solar system - Voyager 1 is furthest manmade object from Earth - Both Voyager missions are equipped with a Gold Record with the "Sounds of Earth" (similar to the [[Pioneer_plaque.svg|Pioneer Plaque]]) ![[Voyager_Golden_Record_fx.png|align:center|300]] #### SITELLE