Announcements
| Prompt 2 dark time | Posted on Dec 12, 2011 by Kevin Ivarsen |
|---|---|
| Prompt 2 will be offline for specialized use during this month's lunar dark cycle from Dec 17th thru Dec 31st. | |
| New Skynet images delayed | Posted on Dec 1, 2011 by Kevin Ivarsen |
|---|---|
Tonight we will be transitioning to a new RAID for image data storage. As we prepare for this transition, we have temporarily halted the transfer of new images back from Skynet telescopes. This means that, while images taken before tonight will continue to be accessible, new images will not be available on the website until tomorrow morning. We will post an update once new images are being transferred once again. UPDATE:The transition to our new storage server is complete, and telescope image transfer has been resumed. All recent images from Prompt should be available within a few hours. | |
| Skynet data server back online | Posted on Nov 30, 2011 by Kevin Ivarsen |
|---|---|
The Skynet data/image server is now back online. Images should be available through the website again. We are working through the backlog of images taken over the past 1-2 days that need to be transferred from Skynet telescopes to our server at UNC. We should be back up to date within about 12 hours for most telescopes. Over the next few days there may be a few more brief outages as we finish transitioning to a new data server that should be more reliable. We will do our best to keep these outages to a minimum. | |
About
SKYNET is a distributed network of robotic telescopes operated by students, faculty, and staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The network began operation in January 2006 with the opening of the six PROMPT telescopes in Chile. Since then, several more telescopes in the U.S. and Europe have been integrated into the network. We are ramping up to integrate many new telescopes around the world throughout 2011 and 2012.
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 afterglows, 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 have used SKYNET to teach astronomy for several years, and partner institutions across the U.S. are now using Skynet to enhance their curriculum. We also have programs that allow members of the general public to use Skynet's telescopes.
Contact
If you have any questions about Skynet, would like to learn how to gain access to the
telescopes, or would like more information on adding your telescope to the
network, please contact us: