ANU 2.3 m Telescope
 | |
| Alternative names | Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 937: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 1560: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 611: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Organization | Australian National University |
| Altitude | 1,165 m |
| Diameter | 2.3 m |
| Secondary diameter | 0.3 m |
| Focal length | f/2.05 |
| Mounting | Altazimuth mount |
| Enclosure | Co-rotating |
| Error creating thumbnail: File missing Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The ANU 2.3 metre telescope is an optical telescope situated at Siding Spring Observatory, and operated by the Australian National University's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA).[1] The telescope was constructed during the early 1980s and featured, at the time, bold features and design: an unusually thin mirror, an altazimuth mount, and a co-rotating building.[2][1]
History
[edit | edit source]The telescope was the initiative of Don Mathewson, the then-director of the observatory. It was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, on 16 May 1984, and was regarded as an achievement in high technology for Australia.[3] In 1985, it won an award from the Institution of Engineers.[3] In early 2023 the telescope was automated, enabling it to instantly respond to alerts from other facilities. In particular, the automated telescope is well suited for studying time-varying sources such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and gravitational wave sources.[4][5]
Mirror
[edit | edit source]The telescope's mirror is unusually thin, with a diameter-to-thickness ratio of about 20:1.[3] The light mirror and rotating design allow the telescope to be rapidly moved as observations are made.
Instruments and Programs
[edit | edit source]The telescope's current instrument in the Wide-Field Spectrograph (WiFeS), an integral field spectrograph designed and built at the RSAA, and installed on the 2.3m telescope in 2009.[6] Previous instruments have included the Cryogenic Array Spectrometer/Imager (CASPIR), the Dual-Beam Spectrograph (DBS), an echelle spectrograph, and an imaging camera.[1]
The 2.3m telescope is regularly used by students from ANU and other universities, enabling students to gain experience working with large scientific telescopes.[1] The telescope also regularly performs follow-up observations on objects of interest identified by other detectors.[4] The telescope has been involved in a number of large survey programs, including the Dark Energy Bedrock All Sky Survey (DEBass), a survey of over 500 type Ia supernovae.[7]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 392: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').