ACADA Software System Passes its Critical Design Review

On September 23, the CTAO ACADA Collaboration achieved yet another milestone when the CTAO Central Organisation officially approved and closed out the Critical Design Review (CDR) of the Array Control and Data Acquisition (ACADA) system. The approval of the CDR, an in-depth evaluation to ensure the system design meets all the requirements of the Observatory, marks a new phase in the project, moving from testing to integrating the advanced software packages that will operate the arrays.

Critical Design Review of the Large-Sized Telescope Successfully Approved and Closed 

The CTAO LST Collaboration has reached a significant milestone with the successful approval and closure of the telescope’s Critical Design Review (CDR). The CDR is a thorough, multi-disciplinary evaluation of the telescope’s design to ensure it meets all required specifications and functions for its proper operation. The completion was marked by the official release of … Continued

The CTAO Enters a New Phase of Growth

Bologna, Italy – On Thursday, 18 April, during the closing session of the CTAO Science Symposium at Teatro Duse in Bologna, the Managing Director of the CTAO, Dr. Stuart McMuldroch, officially announced the Observatory’s new phase of growth. Supported by the 30M Euro endorsement by the CTAO’s governing bodies in September 2023, this new period … Continued

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.

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.