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Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network
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Metadata
Title
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network
Abstract
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) is a young organization dedicated to timedomain observations at optical and (potentially) near-IR wavelengths. To this end, LCOGT is constructing a worldwide network of telescopes, including the two 2 m Faulkes telescopes, as many as 17 × 1 m telescopes, and as many as 23 × 40 cm telescopes. These telescopes initially will be outfitted for imaging and (excepting the 40 cm telescopes) spectroscopy at wavelengths between the atmospheric UV cutoff and the roughly 1-μm limit of silicon detectors. Since the first of LCOGT’s 1 m telescopes are now being deployed, we lay out here LCOGT’s scientific goals and the requirements that these goals place on network architecture and performance, we summarize the network’s present and projected level of development, and we describe our expected schedule for completing it. In the bulk of the paper, we describe in detail the technical approaches that we have adopted to attain desired performance. In particular, we discuss our choices for the number and location of network sites, for the number and
sizes of telescopes, for the specifications of the first generation of instruments, for the software that will schedule and control the network’s telescopes and reduce and archive its data, and for the structure of the scientific and educational programs for which the network will provide observations.
Date
01/01/2013
Type of Publication
Author(s)
Brown, Timothy M. | Baliber, Nairn | Bianco, Federica B. | Bowman, Mark | Burleson, Ben | Conway, Patrick | Crellin, Mark | Depagne, Éric | De Vera, Jon | Dilday, Ben | Dragomir, Diana | Dubberley, Matt | Eastman, Jason D. | Elphick, Mark | Falarski, Michael | Foale, Steve | Ford, Martyn | Fulton, Benjamin J. | Garza, Juan | Gomez, Edward L. | Graham, Melissa | Greene, Richard | Haldeman, Ben | Hawkins, Eric | Haworth, Brian | Haynes, Rachel | Hidas, Marton G. | Hjelstrom, Annie E. | Howell, Andy | Hygelund, John | Lister, Tim A. | Lobdill, Rich | Martinez, John J. | Mullins, Dave S. | Norbury, Martin | Parrent, Jerod | Paulson, Robert | Petry, David L. | Pickles, Andrew J. | Posner, Vincent | Rosing, Wayne E. | Ross, Rachel J. | Sand, David J. | Saunders, Eric A. | Shobbrook, John | Shporer, Avi | Street, Rachel A. | Thomas, Doug | Tsapras, Yiannis | Tufts, Joe R. | Valenti, Stefano | Vander Horst, Kurt | Walker, Zach | White, Gary | Willis, Mark,
Construct
Methodology
Research Setting
Specific Interest
Target Group
Institution(s)
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network
Journal Name
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Peer-Reviewed Status
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Volume
125
ISSN
0004-6280, 1538-3873
Resource Type
Nation(s) of Study
United States of America
Language
English