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 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).
The LST Collaboration Publishes its first Scientific Paper with Data from the LST-1
On March 6, the LST Collaboration published its first scientific paper in Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A), focused on a multi-wavelength study of the unidentified ultra-high-energy gamma-ray source known as LHAASO J2108+5157, and using data from the LST-1.
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.
The LST-1 Passes its Critical Design Review
During the week of 8 June 2020, at the remote biannual general meeting of the Large-Sized Telescope (LST) consortium, the CTA Observatory (CTAO) announced that the LST prototype, the LST-1, passed its Critical Design Review (CDR)., bring it one step closer to becoming CTA’s first telescope.
The LST-1 Detects its First Gamma-Ray Signal
In its first attempt to detect a gamma-ray source, the Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST-1) successfully detected its first gamma-ray signal on 23 November 2019 when it pointed to the Crab Nebula.
The Low End: Why CTA is Interested in Low-Energy Gamma Rays
The low energies from CTA’s perspective are those on the low edge (20 GeV to around 200 GeV) of its full energy range between 20 GeV and 300 TeV. Why are these low energies important and what do scientists hope to discover through their study? This is an overview of why scientists are scrambling to push for excellent sensitivity of CTA in this lower-energy band.