Toward high spatial resolution in solar observations

To achieve high spatial resolution capability for IR solar observations, we suggest the use of a special mask placed before the entrance aperture of large conventional optical telescopes. Such a mask would match well the resolution of a non-redundant array and would provide safe operation of a large telescope used for solar observations. The proposed solution has the additional advantage of relatively low cost because already-existing optical telescopes are used.     

High resolution observations using adaptive optics: Achievements and future needs

Over the last few years, several interesting observations were obtained with the help of solar Adaptive Optics (AO). In this paper, few observations made using the solar AO are enlightened and briefly discussed. A list of disadvantages with the current AO system are presented. With telescopes larger than 1.5 m expected during the next decade, there is a need to develop the existing AO technologies for large aperture telescopes. Some aspects of this development are highlighted. Finally, the recent AO developments in India are also presented.     

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT): An International Observatory

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will be the first truly global ground-based optical/infrared observatory. It will initiate the era of extremely large (30-meter class) telescopes with diffraction limited performance from its vantage point in the northern hemisphere on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA. The astronomy communities of India, Canada, China, Japan and the USA are shaping its science goals, suite of instrumentation and the system design of the TMT observatory. With large and open Nasmyth-focus platforms for generations of science instruments, TMT will have the versatility and flexibility for its envisioned 50 years of forefront astronomy. The TMT design employs the filled-aperture finely-segmented primary mirror technology pioneered with the W.M. Keck 10-meter telescopes. With TMT’s 492 segments optically phased, and by employing laser guide star assisted multi-conjugate adaptive optics, TMT will achieve the full diffraction limited performance of its 30-meter aperture, enabling unprecedented wide field imaging and multi-object spectroscopy. The TMT project is a global effort of its partners with all partners contributing to the design, technology development, construction and scientific use of the observatory. TMT will extend astronomy with extremely large telescopes to all of its global communities.     

Future Prospects for Spectroscopy with Large and Small Telescopes

In the coming few years, more new telescopes with large aperture will become available for observations of stars in the Milky Way and in Local Group galaxies, and, increasingly, of stars in more distant galaxies. A wide range of new targets will come within reach not only from the increase of telescope aperture, but also from new technology which improves the performance goals of modern instrumentation. New technologies on the horizon will be explored to evaluate their impact on scientific programs in the future. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Radiometric and Pointing Calibration of SECCHI COR1 on STEREO

COR1 is the innermost coronagraph of the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instrument suite aboard the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft. The paired COR1 telescopes observe the white-light K-corona from 1.4 to 4 solar radii in a waveband 22.5 nm wide centered on the Hα line at 656 nm. An internal polarizer allows the measurement of both total and polarized brightness. The co-alignment of the two COR1 telescopes is derived from the star λ Aquarii for the Ahead spacecraft, and from an occultation of the Sun by the Moon for Behind. Observations of the planet Jupiter are used to establish absolute photometric calibrations for each telescope. The intercalibration of the two COR1 telescopes are compared using coronal mass ejection observations made early in the mission, when the spacecraft were close together. Comparisons are also made with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) C2 and Mauna Loa Solar Observatory Mk4 coronagraphs.     

Optical Monitoring of bright Blazars with Automatic Telescopes

Well sampled light curves of BL Lac objects are very useful to understand the physical processes responsible for the highly variable emission from this class of AGN. The best way to perform the necessary high number of observations is the use of automatic small aperture telescopes. We present some results of the Perugia-Roma monitoring program concerning the recent active phase of BL Lac and the Intra-Day Variability of S5 0716+714. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Robotic telescopes for high energy astrophysics in Ondřejov

We report on two small aperture robotic telescopes called BART and D50 operated in Ondřejov. Both telescopes are capable of automatic observation of gamma ray burst (GRB) optical afterglows. Coordinates of GRBs are taken from alerts distributed via Internet. Telescopes observe other interesting high energy sources when there is not any alert. The smaller telescope BART has aperture D = 254 mm. The bigger telescope D50 has a primary mirror of diameter D = 500 mm. Both telescopes are controlled by free software package RTS2 and are accessible through Internet. We describe the two telescopes and related software and show some results such as our first observed optical counterpart of GRB.     

Large-aperture telescopes in the problems of near-Earth astronomy

Telescopes with aperture higher than 3 m and with travel rate of optical axis of more than 4 angular degrees per second are examined. These telescopes are used for estimating the situation in near-Earth space. Up to now, there are three telescopes with such parameters: SOR, AMOS, SST (all in the United States). A telescope of the same class with aperture of 3.12 m (information telescope TI-3.12) is under completion at Altai Optical Laser Center. The main technical performances of the TI-3.12 telescope are described in the paper. Current problems are defined and ways for their solution are presented.     

New telescopes in China

This paper covers the main aspects of three new optical telescopes: a 1.26 m aperture one for use in the infrared, a 1.56 m aperture one for astrometry, and a 2.16 m reflector for general astrophysical work. It also briefly mentions the 13.7 m telescope designed for the mm wavelength band, the first VLBI in China and the meter wavelength aperture synthesis telescope. All these telescopes, optical and radio, are now being built in China.Paper presented at the IAU Third Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting, held in Kyoto, Japan, between 30 September–6 October, 1984.     

Characteristics of small-sized space debris objects using Terskol observatory measurements

The Zeiss-2000 telescope of the International Center for Astronomic and Medico-Ecological Research, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Terskol observatory), with a 2-meter aperture is the largest optical instrument in Europe that is regularly used for investigating space debris in the vicinity of the geostationary orbit. One of the main objectives is to detect and characterize small fragments of space debris that are difficult to approach for other telescopes. During each photometric night, we usually detect four to five unknown fragments of 17th to 20th magnitude. This article provides orbital parameters and physical characteristics of several small-sized fragments of space debris that were detected during observations at Terskol observatory in 2014–2015.     

New Aspects of Extragalactic Globular Clusters

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History of solar telescopes

Solar observations have been done with telescopes since their invention—already Galileo looked at the Sun. Despite the Sun’s unusual brightness, telescopes which specialize in solar observations are fairly recent, dating from the late nineteenth century onwards. Today, many solar telescopes have rather little in common with nighttime telescopes. They are adapted to high light flux, a limited range of declination, and to the specifications of solar spectrographs and polarimeters. This paper presents the history of the modern optical solar telescope on the ground and in space, the accompanying evolution of scientific capabilities, and a brief outlook into the future.     

IR spectroscopy of COmosphere dynamics with the CO ?rst overtone band

We discuss observations of the weak ?rst overtone (Δν = 2) CO absorption band near 2300 nm with the U.S. National Solar Observatory Array Camera (NAC), a modern mid‐infrared detector. This molecular band provides a thermal diagnostic that forms lower in the atmosphere than the stronger fundamental band near 4600 nm. The observed center‐to‐limb increase in CO line width qualitatively agrees with the proposed higher temperature shocks or faster plasma motions higher in the COmosphere. The spatial extent of chromospheric shock waves is currently at or below the diffraction limit of the available CO lines at existing telescopes. Five minute period oscillations in line strength and measured Doppler shifts are consistent with the p‐mode excitation of the photospheric gas. We also show recent efforts at direct imaging at 4600 nm. We stress that future large‐aperture solar telescopes must be teamed with improved, dynamic mid‐infrared instruments, like the NAC, to capitalize on the features that motivate such facilities (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Near-Limb Zeeman and Hanle Diagnostics

“Weak” magnetic-field diagnostics in faint objects near the bright solar disk are discussed in terms of the level of non-object signatures, in particular, of the stray light in telescopes. Calculated dependencies of the stray light caused by diffraction at the 0.5-, 1.6-, and 4-meter entrance aperture are presented. The requirements for micro-roughness of refractive and reflective primary optics are compared. Several methods for reducing the stray light (the Lyot coronagraphic technique, multiple stages of apodizing in the focal and exit pupil planes, apodizing in the entrance aperture plane with a special mask), and reducing the random and systematic errors are noted. An acceptable level of stray light in telescopes is estimated for the V-profile recording with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than three. Prospects for the limb chromosphere magnetic measurements are indicated.     

Status of VERITAS

VERITAS, the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System, is a major new ground-based observatory for studying nonthermal astrophysics in the gamma-ray band above 100 GeV. Stereo observations with the first two of four telescopes began in March, 2006 at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in southern Arizona, USA. Construction and commissioning of the remainder of the array has taken place during the Summer and Fall of 2006, in parallel with engineering and science observations by the first two telescopes. We present the performance of the VERITAS telescopes during this commissioning period and discuss the key science program planned for VERITAS during the first two years of routine array operation, beginning in March, 2007. This program includes a sky survey in the galactic plane, observations of SNRs and PWNe, studies of TeV-emitting AGN, and a search for dark matter. For the VERITAS Collaboration.     

An Overview of the Veritas Prototype Telescope and Camera

The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS) is the next-generation ground-based gamma-ray observatory that is being built in southern Arizona by a collaboration of 10 institutions in Canada, Ireland, the UK and the USA. VERITAS is designed to operate in the range from 50 GeV to 50 TeV with optimal sensitivity near 200 GeV; it will effectively overlap with the next generation of space-based gamma-ray telescopes. The first phase of VERITAS, consisting of four telescopes of 12 m aperture, will be operational by the time of the GLAST launch in 2007. Eventually, the array will be expanded to include the full array of seven telescopes on a filled hexagonal grid of side 80 m. A prototype VERITAS telescope with a reduced number of mirrors and signal channels has been built. Its design and performance is described here. The prototype is scheduled to be upgraded to a full 499 pixel camera with 350 mirrors during the autumn of 2004. The VERITAS collaboration consists of universities and institutions from Ireland, UK, USA and Canada. See for a full listing.     

Fast guiding and small telescopes in the 8-m era

Fast guiding may improve the images delivered by telescopes. It may be implemented fairly cheaply and offers an upgrade path to smaller telescopes, which will make them more useful in the 8-m era. However, the detailed performance of a fast guiding system must depend on many parameters and this makes it difficult to assess its precise scientific benefits. This paper provides a comprehensive mathematical framework for calculating the performance of fast guiding systems. A range of models has been calculated that illustrates the benefits for telescopes of various sizes in various wavelength ranges. Three measures of performance have been examined: FWHM, 50 per cent encircled energy diameter and energy concentration in a 0.35-arcsec aperture. Typical gains over natural seeing are found to be in the 20 to 40 per cent range at useful levels of sky coverage. Other things being equal, small telescopes do not benefit as much as large ones from fast guiding. The sensitivity of these benefits to assumptions has also been examined, and this highlights the need to operate in the correct wavelength range for the aperture in question. The largest perturbations to ideal models are likely to be the result of telescope windshake and the outer scale of turbulence. If there is appreciable windshake, fast guiding will yield larger benefits than expected from the natural seeing. A short outer scale (a few hundred metres) will, however, lose most of the gains.     

High resolution solar telescopes

The advantages and disadvantages of the configurations for high resolution solar telescopes are discussed within two broad groups: those with steerable mountings and those with fixed mountings. We then consider simple optical tests, stabilization of the internal optical path, windows, vibration, guiding and alignment systems, improving the observations, and solutions for large-aperture telescopes for Stokes polarimetry observations. This review does not address all the problems. It is not a compendium of solar telescopes, nor does it include any discussion of focal-plane instrumentation.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Performance of the MAGIC stereo system obtained with Crab Nebula data

MAGIC is a system of two Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes located in the Canary island of La Palma. Since autumn 2009 both telescopes have been working together in stereoscopic mode, providing a significant improvement with respect to the previous single-telescope observations. We use observations of the Crab Nebula taken at low zenith angles to assess the performance of the MAGIC stereo system. The trigger threshold of the MAGIC telescopes is 50 − 60 GeV. Advanced stereo analysis techniques allow MAGIC to achieve a sensitivity as good as (0.76 ± 0.03)% of the Crab Nebula flux in 50 h of observations above 290 GeV. The angular resolution at those energies is better than ∼0.07°. We also perform a detailed study of possible systematic effects which may influence the analysis of the data taken with the MAGIC telescopes.