LST-1 Discovers the Most Distant AGN at Very High Energies
On 15 December, the Large-Sized Telescope (LST) Collaboration announced through an Astronomer’s Telegram (ATel) the detection of the source OP 313 at very high energies with the LST-1.
Major Telescope Operations Milestone Achieved with ACADA Software Integration
In September and October, two teams of scientists and engineers traveled to the CTAO-North site in La Palma, Spain, to conduct pivotal tests of ACADA system on the LST-1.
The CTAO Will Double its Staff as Major Infrastructure Development Begins In 2024
On 6 September 2023, the CTAO’s two governing bodies, the Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR) and the CTAO gGmbH Council, gathered to agree on the significant forthcoming measures to advance the Observatory to its construction phase. During the meeting, both bodies unanimously certified their commitment to the progress of the CTAO, including a foreseen endorsement of up to approximately 30 million euro for 2024. This represents a significant increase in annual funding, which will enable the Observatory to not only move forward with substantial infrastructure development but also to double its workforce.
The LST Collaboration Publishes the LST-1 Performance Paper
On 14 July 2023, the performance paper of the LST-1 was accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (ApJ).
Spanish Scientific Community Gathers to Discuss the Latest Progress on the CTA Project
On 20 September, nearly 60 representatives from the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Project and the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), as well as from the broader Spanish astronomical community, participated in a conference called “CTA Spanish Day” to share and analyze the latest project news and advances from the different Spanish groups.
CTAO Releases the Layout of its Arrays for the Alpha Configuration
The CTAO released the final layouts that define the geographical position of the elements (telescopes, calibration systems and atmospheric characterization devices) that will compose the two CTAO arrays according to the approved Alpha Configuration. The particular configuration is the result of a thorough optimization process meant to maximize the scientific performance of the two CTAO arrays.
The CTAO Barcelona Raman Lidar Pathfinder detects the volcano dust plume at La Palma
On September 22, the Barcelona Raman LIDAR (BRL) Pathfinder installed on the CTAO-North site at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) detected the volcano dust plume while monitoring the atmosphere. These are the first results made public by the BRL team and the most accurate results for the characterization of the atmosphere provided by any current operative LIDAR system on-site.
Raman LIDAR Pathfinder on CTA-North Site Achieves First Light
On the evening of the 25 March, the Barcelona Raman LIDAR Pathfinder installed on the CTA-North site at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma (Spain) achieved first light.
Seminario online de CTAO con la Fundación Starlight
El 9 y 10 de diciembre, el CTA Observatory y la Fundación Starlight llevarán a cabo el seminario online “Explorando el Universo más Extremo desde Canarias con CTA”
CTA Prototype LST-1 Detects Very High-Energy Emission from the Crab Pulsar
Between January and February 2020, the prototype Large-Sized Telescope (LST), the LST-1, observed the Crab Pulsar, the neutron star at the centre of the Crab Nebula. The telescope, which is being commissioned on the CTA-North site on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, was conducting engineering runs to verify the telescope performance and adjust operating parameters.