Tripling the scientific productivity of Macquarie’s Huntsman Telescope facility

Project: Other

Project Details

Description

Infrastructure: Upgrade of the Huntsmen telescope system: filter-changers for 10 lenses

Macquarie’s Huntsman Telescope is the only facility that can obtain ultra-faint images of astronomical targets in the Southern Sky. It leverages the unique capabilities of 10 off-the-shelf Canon lenses to reveal ultra-faint information not accessible with more conventional telescopes. Huntsman has three observing modes that depend on the lunar phase, each supporting distinct science goals. Currently, switching between these modes is a manual process: someone must drive 7 hours each way to the facility in remote NSW. The requested funds will upgrade Huntsman to automatically switch between observing modes and triple its scientific output. This will enhance Huntsman’s support of current ARC projects, increase the impact of HDR student publications and strengthen future ARC grants.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date1/01/1931/12/19