Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope
Encyclopedia
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT.net) is a non-profit private operating foundation
directed by the technologist Wayne Rosing
. The network's goal is to build a global network of 50 to 70 longitudinal
ly spaced robotic telescope
s for scientific and educational use. The longitudinal spacing would provide complete latitude
coverage in both hemispheres
to allow continuous observations of any astronomical object.
As of March 2010, the network currently comprises two fully operational, science-grade telescopes, the 2m Faulkes Telescopes, North
and South
. In 2010 work began at Cerro Tololo (Chile
) and Sutherland (South Africa
). A site on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) is being arranged.
(which also may be abbreviated as LCO) and partly to emphasis the global nature of Las Cumbres Observatory.
In 2005, Rosing founded the global telescope version of LCO. The first astronomers to join were Stuart Taylor in July, 2005, and Tim Brown, in June 2006. In 2005, Rosing and Taylor were joined by engineer Matt Dubberly, a longtime acquaintance of Rosing's from Las Cumbres.
Rosing set up the first offices were on Haley Street in Santa Barbara while evaluating which university to affiliate with. After choosing to affiliate with the University of California at Santa Barbara, the current Cortona street offices were established.
The fully operational parts of the network are Faulkes Telescope North and South. These were purchased from the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust in 2005, at a similar time that Telescope Technologies Limited (the company responsible for designing and building these 2-meter telescopes as well as their sister telescope, Liverpool Telescope
) was also taken over by LCOGT.
), Sutherland (South Africa
), Tenerife
in the Canary Islands, and at the McDonald Observatory
, Texas (USA). There are still negotiations on site locations, and the exact sites may change as the network evolves. The first shipments of enclosure components to the Chile and South Africa sites took place in 2010.
Each telescope in the network will operate robotically, without any need for a human presence at site during normal operations. Each site has weather and telemetry sensors which automatically inform the telescope and enclosure whether conditions are suitable for observing.
At present, observations can be made on the 2m telescopes either by remote control
, where an observer directly controls the telescope, or by robotic scheduler, where observations are submitted to a queue.
The network of telescopes will operate as a single global telescope, with a standardized and homogeneous photometric system with identical filters, CCDs
, calibration and reduction processes. To fulfill the science objectives, the global telescope network will include three classes of telescope: 0.4, 1.0m and 2.0m. There may also be occasional additions to the network which do not fit within these classes. One such addition is the Sedgwick Reserve Observatory in the Santa Ynez Valley, California
, which has 0.8m aperture and is a custom design system. It was commissioned in 2010 and is currently being used to test systems, instruments, and perform scientific projects.
The network will consist of 3 main classes of telescope.
At any time, any object of interest should be accessible from 2-4 of the planned site-clusters.
The following list details the requirements the network must fulfill in order to achieve the mission of the project:
". LCOGT.net will concentrate on time-varying astronomy.
Initially, LCOGT.net started with a strong concentration of astronomer
s studying extra solar planets. Science Director Timothy Brown was on the team that observed the first transiting extra solar planet, and has been a leader in transiting planet research. LCOGT scientists have since continued to be significant players in obtaining new measurements on newly found transiting planets. LCOGT's first staff astronomer, Stuart Taylor, established LCOGT's still ongoing project on transit timing variations (TTVs). Active global telescope astronomers who have worked at LCOGT include Marton Hidas, Stuart Taylor, Rachel Street, Timothy Lister, and Timothy Brown.
Recently the science program has been expanded to include research into extra-galactic supernovae follow-up. LCOGT network is being used to study nearby supernovae in combination with more distant supernovae discovered by the Supernova Legacy Survey
to determine the nature of Dark Energy
.
Having a worldwide network of telescopes will mean there will always be a telescope available for time-critical events. The flexibility to measure transits from multiple longitudes are an example of the advantage of having telescopes spaced around the earth, hence exoplanet and supernova
research remains a top priority.
LCOGT.net supports software research aiming to make continuous observing as seamless as possible.
and technical understanding in young people and learners of all ages."
LCOGT.net is keen to work in partnership with education organizations across the globe. It has been working closely with Faulkes Telescope Project
since 2006, to bring real-time observing into the classrooms of the UK. As the global network grows, and more observing time becomes available, more countries will be provided with access to the high quality instruments to make their own investigations. Accompanying the educational network will be a vast library of resources and projects.
The educational goal of LCOGT.net is to create an awareness for science and technology, and to foster the ability to think critically about the world around us.
Foundation (charity)
A foundation is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes....
directed by the technologist Wayne Rosing
Wayne Rosing
Wayne Rosing has been involved as a key player in several landmark projects in the computing industry since the late 1970s. Gaining experience as an engineering manager at DEC and Data General in the 1970s, he became a director of engineering at Apple Computer in the early 1980s. There he led the...
. The network's goal is to build a global network of 50 to 70 longitudinal
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
ly spaced robotic telescope
Robotic telescope
A robotic telescope is an astronomical telescope and detector system that makes observations without the intervention of a human. In astronomical disciplines, a telescope qualifies as robotic if it makes those observations without being operated by a human, even if a human has to initiate the...
s for scientific and educational use. The longitudinal spacing would provide complete latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
coverage in both hemispheres
Celestial sphere
In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an imaginary sphere of arbitrarily large radius, concentric with the Earth and rotating upon the same axis. All objects in the sky can be thought of as projected upon the celestial sphere. Projected upward from Earth's equator and poles are the...
to allow continuous observations of any astronomical object.
As of March 2010, the network currently comprises two fully operational, science-grade telescopes, the 2m Faulkes Telescopes, North
Faulkes Telescope North
The Faulkes Telescope North is a clone of the Liverpool Telescope, and is located at Haleakala Observatory in the U.S. state of Hawaii.The telescope is owned and operated by LCOGT. This telescope and its sister telescope Faulkes Telescope South are used by research and education groups across the...
and South
Faulkes Telescope South
The Faulkes Telescope South is a clone of the Liverpool Telescope and is located at Siding Spring Observatory. It is a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope....
. In 2010 work began at Cerro Tololo (Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
) and Sutherland (South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
). A site on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) is being arranged.
History
LCOGT was originally started by Wayne Rosing under the name LCO or Las Cumbres Observatory. The company was later renamed LCOGT partly to avoid confusion with Las Campanas ObservatoryLas Campanas Observatory
Las Campanas Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Carnegie Institution for Science It was established in 1969 and remains the primary observing site of that institution. The headquarters is located in La Serena, Chile and the observatory is in the southern Atacama...
(which also may be abbreviated as LCO) and partly to emphasis the global nature of Las Cumbres Observatory.
In 2005, Rosing founded the global telescope version of LCO. The first astronomers to join were Stuart Taylor in July, 2005, and Tim Brown, in June 2006. In 2005, Rosing and Taylor were joined by engineer Matt Dubberly, a longtime acquaintance of Rosing's from Las Cumbres.
Rosing set up the first offices were on Haley Street in Santa Barbara while evaluating which university to affiliate with. After choosing to affiliate with the University of California at Santa Barbara, the current Cortona street offices were established.
The fully operational parts of the network are Faulkes Telescope North and South. These were purchased from the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust in 2005, at a similar time that Telescope Technologies Limited (the company responsible for designing and building these 2-meter telescopes as well as their sister telescope, Liverpool Telescope
Liverpool Telescope
The Liverpool Telescope is a fully robotic telescope that observes autonomously, i.e. it operates without human intervention. Professional astronomers and other registered users submit observation specifications to be considered by the telescope's robotic control system at any time of the day or...
) was also taken over by LCOGT.
Network plans
LCOGT.net's network two 2-meter telescopes underwent improvements and upgrades during 2005-2010. The network will eventually be sited at roughly six locations in a northern and a southern global ring. The network will be deployed in clusters of up to three 1-meter telescopes and up to four 0.4-meter telescopes, at each site. Currently the entire network is planned to contain approximately 27 telescopes. At present the confirmed sites are Haleakala (Maui, USA), Siding Spring (New South Wales, Australia), Cerro Tololo (ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
), Sutherland (South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
), Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
in the Canary Islands, and at the McDonald Observatory
McDonald Observatory
The McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas...
, Texas (USA). There are still negotiations on site locations, and the exact sites may change as the network evolves. The first shipments of enclosure components to the Chile and South Africa sites took place in 2010.
Each telescope in the network will operate robotically, without any need for a human presence at site during normal operations. Each site has weather and telemetry sensors which automatically inform the telescope and enclosure whether conditions are suitable for observing.
At present, observations can be made on the 2m telescopes either by remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
, where an observer directly controls the telescope, or by robotic scheduler, where observations are submitted to a queue.
The network of telescopes will operate as a single global telescope, with a standardized and homogeneous photometric system with identical filters, CCDs
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
, calibration and reduction processes. To fulfill the science objectives, the global telescope network will include three classes of telescope: 0.4, 1.0m and 2.0m. There may also be occasional additions to the network which do not fit within these classes. One such addition is the Sedgwick Reserve Observatory in the Santa Ynez Valley, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, which has 0.8m aperture and is a custom design system. It was commissioned in 2010 and is currently being used to test systems, instruments, and perform scientific projects.
The network will consist of 3 main classes of telescope.
- ~10-15 0.4 meter telescopeTelescopeA telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
s arranged in clusters of 4 that are primarily for educational uses, but also science capable. - ~12 1-meter telescopeTelescopeA telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
s that are primarily for science use, but also capable of educational use, in clusters of 3 at 6 sites around the world in the North & South hemispheres - Existing 2-meter telescopes NorthFaulkes Telescope NorthThe Faulkes Telescope North is a clone of the Liverpool Telescope, and is located at Haleakala Observatory in the U.S. state of Hawaii.The telescope is owned and operated by LCOGT. This telescope and its sister telescope Faulkes Telescope South are used by research and education groups across the...
and SouthFaulkes Telescope SouthThe Faulkes Telescope South is a clone of the Liverpool Telescope and is located at Siding Spring Observatory. It is a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope....
allowing 24/7 high quality observations of time variable astrophysicalAstrophysicsAstrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
and solar systemSolar SystemThe Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
phenomena for both scientific research and education.
At any time, any object of interest should be accessible from 2-4 of the planned site-clusters.
The following list details the requirements the network must fulfill in order to achieve the mission of the project:
- rapid response to targets of opportunities, e.g. microlensing events, supernovae and gamma-ray bursts
- scheduled event monitoring (a central scheduler)
- moving sources, e.g. near Earth objects (NEOs)
- periodic sampling of interesting objects, e.g. X-ray binaries
- central online archive of data
- automated calibration pipeline.
Research
The network's research goal, as stated, is "to establish and build a durable scientific institution dedicated to time-domain astrophysicsAstrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
". LCOGT.net will concentrate on time-varying astronomy.
Initially, LCOGT.net started with a strong concentration of astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s studying extra solar planets. Science Director Timothy Brown was on the team that observed the first transiting extra solar planet, and has been a leader in transiting planet research. LCOGT scientists have since continued to be significant players in obtaining new measurements on newly found transiting planets. LCOGT's first staff astronomer, Stuart Taylor, established LCOGT's still ongoing project on transit timing variations (TTVs). Active global telescope astronomers who have worked at LCOGT include Marton Hidas, Stuart Taylor, Rachel Street, Timothy Lister, and Timothy Brown.
Recently the science program has been expanded to include research into extra-galactic supernovae follow-up. LCOGT network is being used to study nearby supernovae in combination with more distant supernovae discovered by the Supernova Legacy Survey
Supernova Legacy Survey
The Supernova Legacy Survey Program is a project designed to investigate dark energy, by detecting and monitoring approximately 2000 high-redshift supernovae between 2003 and 2008, using MegaPrime, a large CCD mosaic at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. It also carries out detailed spectroscopy...
to determine the nature of Dark Energy
Dark energy
In physical cosmology, astronomy and celestial mechanics, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe. Dark energy is the most accepted theory to explain recent observations that the universe appears to be expanding...
.
Having a worldwide network of telescopes will mean there will always be a telescope available for time-critical events. The flexibility to measure transits from multiple longitudes are an example of the advantage of having telescopes spaced around the earth, hence exoplanet and supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
research remains a top priority.
LCOGT.net supports software research aiming to make continuous observing as seamless as possible.
Education
The network's educational goal, as stated, is "to use astronomical research to inspire critical thinkingCritical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
and technical understanding in young people and learners of all ages."
LCOGT.net is keen to work in partnership with education organizations across the globe. It has been working closely with Faulkes Telescope Project
Faulkes Telescope Project
The Faulkes Telescope Project is supported by the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust. It provides access to 1,500 hours of observing time on two 2-metre class telescopes located in Hawaii and Australia...
since 2006, to bring real-time observing into the classrooms of the UK. As the global network grows, and more observing time becomes available, more countries will be provided with access to the high quality instruments to make their own investigations. Accompanying the educational network will be a vast library of resources and projects.
The educational goal of LCOGT.net is to create an awareness for science and technology, and to foster the ability to think critically about the world around us.