Cambridge-based scientific software consultancy Observatory Sciences has completed the design study for the Observatory Control System software for the new Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).
The LSST is a
The LSST will image an area of the sky roughly fifty times that of the full moon every 15 seconds, opening a broad window on objects that change or move rapidly. This could include supernova explosions which can be seen halfway across the universe, nearby asteroids which might potentially strike Earth, and faint objects in the outer solar system, far beyond Pluto.
Using the light-bending gravity of dark matter, the LSST will chart the history of the expansion of the universe and probe the mysterious nature of dark energy.
The LSST has become possible because optical technicians are now able to make large, deeply curved mirrors to an accuracy thought impossible ten years ago. The telescope will use three mirrors, an 8.4m primary, a 3.4m secondary and a 5.0m tertiary, with the first and last fabricated as a single monolith. This three stage reflection means that LSST is actually so compact that it could sit inside current generation telescope domes.
It has recently been announced that Cerro Pachón, a 2,680m high mountain peak in northern
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