Ultra-Fast Movies Of The Sky

Status
Not open for further replies.
Z

zavvy

Guest
<b>Ultra-Fast Movies Of The Sky</b><br /><br />LINK<br /><br />British scientists have opened a new window on the Universe with the recent commissioning of the Visitor Instrument ULTRACAM on the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. <br /><br />ULTRACAM is an ultra fast camera capable of capturing some of the most rapid astronomical events. It can take up to 500 pictures a second in three different colours simultaneously. It has been designed and built by scientists from the Universities of Sheffield and Warwick (United Kingdom), in collaboration with the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh. <br /><br />ULTRACAM employs the latest in charged coupled device (CCD) detector technology in order to take, store and analyse data at the required sensitivities and speeds. CCD detectors can be found in digital cameras and camcorders, but the devices used in ULTRACAM are special because they are larger, faster and most importantly, much more sensitive to light than the detectors used in today's consumer electronics products. <br /><br />In May 2002, the instrument saw "first light" on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma. Since then the instrument has been awarded a total of 75 nights of time on the WHT to study any object in the Universe which eclipses, transits, occults, flickers, flares, pulsates, oscillates, outbursts or explodes. <br /><br />These observations have produced a bonanza of new and exciting results, leading to already 11 scientific publications published or in press. <br /><br />To study the very faintest stars at the very highest speeds, however, it is necessary to use the largest telescopes. Thus, work began 2 years ago preparing ULTRACAM for use on the VLT. <br /><br />"Astronomers using the VLT now have an instrument specifically designed for the study of high-speed phenomena", said Vik Dhillon, from the University of Shef
 
L

Leovinus

Guest
At 500 frames per second, the flickering due to the atmosphere wouldn't be noticeable, right? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
Z

zavvy

Guest
That's what my sources say... <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />
 
S

spacester

Guest
Every once in a while, even though I have nothing to add, I just have to respond to a post with a simple "that's so friggin cool."<br /><br />zavvy, thanks for sharing that link.<br /><br />That is so friggin cool! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts