Announcements
| Prompt 3 shutter problem | Posted on Jun 24, 2009 by Kevin Ivarsen |
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| A problem has developed with the camera on Prompt 3. We have found that the shutter is partially open before and after some exposures. This causes vertical streaks to extend from bright stars near the center of the image. See this image for an example of the problem. We will ship a replacement camera to Prompt, but in the meantime we will leave Prompt 3 operating as-is. Please be aware of this problem if your project could be affected by it. | |
| Prompt 2 online with new filter wheel | Posted on Jun 2, 2009 by Kevin Ivarsen |
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| Prompt 2 is now back online after the most recent lunar dark cycle. The next dark cycle begins on June 15. We have completed installation of a new, larger filter wheel to match the larger camera that was installed a few months ago. The severe mechanical vignetting effect should no longer be an issue, and the wider 21' x 14' field of view will offer Prompt users an interesting alternative to the usual 10' x 10' view offered by our telescopes. Also note that the science filters on Prompt 2 have changed, as this new camera has poor response in the blue wavelengths, especially in the UV. The U, uprime, B, and gprime filters have been replaced with V, R, and rprime. If your observations require UV or B exposures, please use Prompt 3 with its UV-optimized camera. | |
| Prompt 2 offline for lunar dark cycle | Posted on May 18, 2009 by Kevin Ivarsen |
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| Prompt 2 is now offline for use during the May lunar dark cycle. The telescope will be back online around June 1st. | |
About
SKYNET is a distributed network of robotic telescopes controlled by a central server operated by students and faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In January 2006, the first six telescopes (PROMPT) officially began operation. Two more telescopes (TTT and GORT) joined during the first year, and many more are scheduled to come online in the year to come!
Science
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful explosions the Universe has seen since the Big Bang. They occur approximately once per day and are brief, but intense, flashes of gamma radiation. They come from all different directions of the sky and last from a few milliseconds to a few hundred seconds. The primary mission of the robotic array is to obtain early time data of these transient phenomena in multiple bands.
While the array is not imaging GRB afterflows, individual telescopes perform scheduled observations of targets of scientifc interest for researchers around the globe. Observers can track their observations through the automated system and ultimately retrieve their data directly from the world wide web.
Outreach
A large fraction of PROMPT's observing time is dedicated to outreach. High schools and universities across the state of North Carolina use SKYNET to teach a unit on astronomy.