[meteorite-list] Astronomers Unite To Use Hawaii PS1 Telescope

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Oct 8 21:11:50 2006
Message-ID: <200610090111.SAA03968_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases/PS1_consortium/

Astronomers unite to use Hawaii telescope
University of Hawaii Press Release
October 3, 2006

Astronomers from several major research institutions around the world
have signed an agreement with astronomers at the University of Hawaii to
make use of a revolutionary new survey telescope on Haleakala on the
island of Maui.

The PS1 telescope is expected to discover billions of new stars,
galaxies and solar system objects, including potential "killer
asteroids" that threaten Earth. It will also produce the most detailed
three-dimensional map of the Universe ever made.

Over 30 world-renowned scientists and their graduate students have
committed themselves to analyzing the unprecedented flood of data from
PS1 over the next three and half years.

"We decided to recruit a number of top astronomers to join us in order
to make the best use of this fantastic instrument," said University of
Hawaii's Kenneth Chambers who, as project scientist, is responsible for
carrying out the PS1 survey.

"We are delighted to have assembled a powerful consortium that includes
the prestigious Max Planck Society in Germany, Harvard University, Johns
Hopkins University, and the Las Cumbres Observatory in the USA, plus
Durham University, University of, Edinburgh, and Queen's University
Belfast in the United Kingdom," said Rolf Kudritzki, director of UH's
Institute for Astronomy.

The PS1 Science Consortium will contribute about $10 million to cover
the cost of operating the telescope in Hawaii.

"Pan-STARRS is the next critical step in mapping the Universe. Our
scientists are eagerly awaiting the first data for a large range of
astronomical projects", said Harvard Professor of Cosmology John Huchra.

The PS1 telescope has been developed by astronomers at the University of
Hawaii. It is the first stage of the "Panoramic Survey Telescope and
Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS)" project, which is the brainchild of
IfA's Nick Kaiser.

The telescope, which has a 71-inch diameter mirror, achieved "first
light" in June this year. It is currently undergoing engineering tests
and will become fully operational in 2007. It will soon be equipped with
the world's largest digital camera, now under construction at the UH
Institute for Astronomy's Manoa headquarters under the leadership of
John Tonry. The camera will have 1.4 billion pixels--about 300 times as
many as a typical commercial digital camera.

More information:

    * Pan-STARRS project <http://pan-starrs.ifa.hawaii.edu/public/>
    * University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy
      <http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/>
    * Max Planck Society <http://www.mpg.de/english/portal/index.html>;
      institutes in Garching <http://www.mpe-garching.mpg.de/> and in
      Heidelburg <http://www.mpia.de/Public/menu-e.php>
    * The Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
      <http://physics.jhu.edu/>
    * Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
      <http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/>
    * Las Cumbres Observatory <http://www.lcogt.net/>
    * Durham University, Extragalactic Astronomy & Cosmology Research
      Group <http://www.astro.dur.ac.uk/Cosmology/>
    * University of Edinburgh, Institute for Astronomy
      <http://www.roe.ac.uk/ifa/>
    * Queen's University Belfast, Astrophysics Research Center
      <http://star.pst.qub.ac.uk/>

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The Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii conducts
research into galaxies, cosmology, stars, planets, and the sun. Its
faculty and staff are also involved in astronomy education, deep space
missions, and in the development and management of the observatories on
Haleakala and Mauna Kea.

Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of
Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaii is the state's sole
public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of
undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs
on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers
across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaii, the
U.S. mainland, and around the world.

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Received on Sun 08 Oct 2006 09:11:45 PM PDT