William Herschel Telescope
Alternative names | WHT |
---|---|
Named after | William Herschel |
Part of | Roque de los Muchachos Observatory |
Location(s) | Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain |
Coordinates | 28°45′38″N 17°52′54″W / 28.76066°N 17.88174°W |
Organization | Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes |
Altitude | 2,344 m (7,690 ft) |
Built | 1983–1987 |
First light | 1 June 1987 |
Telescope style | reflecting telescope |
Diameter | 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) |
Secondary diameter | 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) |
Collecting area | 13.8 m2 (149 sq ft) |
Website | www |
Related media on Commons | |
The William Herschel Telescope (WHT) is a 4.20-metre (165 in)
At the time of construction in 1987, the WHT was the third largest single optical telescope in the world.[note 1][1][2] It is currently the second largest in Europe,[note 2] and was the last telescope constructed by Grubb Parsons in their 150-year history.
The WHT is equipped with a wide range of instruments operating over the
History
The WHT was first conceived in the late 1960s, when the 3.9 m (150 in)
The AAT was completed in 1974, at which point the British
By 1979 the 4 m was on the verge of being scrapped due to a ballooning budget,
Construction of the telescope was by
Design
Optics
The telescope consists of a 4.20 m (165 in)
In its most usual configuration, a 1.00 m (39 in)
A
Mount
The optical system weighs 79,513 kg (78.257 long tons) and is manoeuvred on an
Dome
The telescope is housed in an
Attached to the dome is a three-storey rectangular building which houses the telescope control room, computer room, kitchen etc.
Operations
The WHT is operated by the
The vast majority of observations are carried out in visitor mode i.e. with the investigating astronomer physically present at the telescope. A shift to service mode operations (those carried out by observatory staff on behalf of astronomers who do not travel to the telescope) has been considered and rejected on scientific and operational grounds.[17]
Instruments
The WHT is equipped with a wide range of scientific instruments, providing a range of capabilities to astronomers. As of 2022[update], the common-user instrumentation is:[18]
- ACAM
- Auxiliary-port CAMera – optical imager/spectrograph, with broad- and narrow-band imaging over an 8' field and low-resolution(R < 900) spectroscopy. Permanently mounted at one of the broken-Cassegrain foci.
- ISIS
- Intermediate dispersion Spectrograph and Imaging System – medium resolution (R = 1,800-20,000) long-slit dual-beam optical spectrograph. Mounted at Cassegrain focus. ISIS was one of the original first generation of WHT instruments.[7]
- LIRIS
- Long-slit Intermediate Resolution Infrared Spectrograph – spectropolarimetry, and long slitand multi-object slit-masks. Mounted at Cassegrain focus.
- WEAVE
- WHT Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer - a multi-object optical spectrograph, which uses a robot positioner and optical fibres to observe up to 1000 targets at a time.[19]
Beginning in 2022, 70% of the telescope's time will be dedicated to surveys with WEAVE. Prior to the installation of WEAVE (2020-22), ISIS and LIRIS were the workhorses of the WHT, with approximately two-thirds of all time awarded using those two instruments.[20]
In addition the WHT is a popular telescope for single-purpose visitor instruments, which in recent years have included PAUCam, GHαFaS, PNS, INTEGRAL, PLANETPOL, SAURON, FASTCAM and ULTRACAM.[21] Visitor instruments can use either the Cassegrain focus or one of the Nasmyth foci.
A common set of calibration lamps (Helium and Neon arc lamps, and a Tungsten flat-field lamp) are permanently mounted at one of the broken-Cassegrain foci, and can be used for any of the other instruments.
Scientific research
Astronomers use the WHT to conduct scientific research across most branches of observational astronomy, including Solar System science, galactic astronomy, extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. Most of the instruments are designed to be useful for a range of different research.
The WHT has been used to make many significant new discoveries. Some of the more notable include the first evidence of a
Since the mid-1990s the WHT has faced increasing competition from newer 8-to-10 m (310-to-390 in) telescopes. Nevertheless, a wide range of research continues to be done with the telescope. In recent years (as of 2010[update]) this has included:
- The SAURON project, an integral field spectrograph survey of nearby elliptical and lenticular galaxies (2001–2010)[24][25]
- The first spectrum of an asteroid which subsequently hit Earth, 2008 TC3 (2009)[26]
- The first spectrum of Hanny's Voorwerp (2009)[27][28]
- The discovery that diffuse interstellar bands do not originate in circumstellar envelopes (2008)[29][30]
- Confirmation that
- High-resolution spectra of the first known double supernova, SN 2006jc (2007)[33][34]
Future developments
The upcoming generation of
The UK's STFC (originally the major financial contributor) has gradually reduced its funding for the ING telescopes over a number of years. Some of this funding shortfall has been made up by other partners increasing their contributions, and some by efficiency savings and cutbacks. As a result, the shares of observing time will become UK 33%, Netherlands 28%, Spain 34% and 5% for any nationality.[37] A new development, started in 2010, is the development of a new wide-field multi-object spectroscopy facility (WEAVE), being developed by a UK-led consortium involving major contributions from the Netherlands, Spain, France, and Italy, the final installation of which was confirmed in August 2022.[19] WEAVE will provide medium-high resolution spectroscopy in the visible (360–950 nm) range for up to 1000 simultaneous targets over a 2 degree field of view, and is currently expected to operate for several years.[38]
See also
Notes
- ^ Multiple Mirror Telescopealso had a larger collecting area but did not have a single primary mirror
- ^ The neighbouring Gran Telescopio Canarias (10.4 m) overtook the WHT in 2009 to become the largest in Europe
- £18M to £10M, at 1979 values[4]
- ^ The budget of £10M set in 1979 was equivalent to £15.7M in 1984, due to high inflation during the early 1980s recession.[9]
References
- ^ a b c
Javier Méndez (3 March 2004). "General information on the William Herschel Telescope". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Murdin, Paul; Boksenberg, Alec (July 1987). "The William Herschel telescope" (PDF). Astronomy Now. 1 (2): 17–25. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ^
Chris Benn (28 May 2009). "Site Quality". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g
Chris Benn (31 October 2005). "History of William Herschel Telescope". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
- ^ Parker, Chas (February 1999). "CASTLE IN THE SKY – THE STORY OF THE ROYAL GREENWICH OBSERVATORY AT HERSTMONCEUX". In Moore, Patrick (ed.). The Yearbook of Astronomy 2000. London: Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^
Méndez, Javier (8 September 2009). "Chronology of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes". ING Website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s
ISSN 0083-6656. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- ^ a b
Bibcode:1990S&T....80..136R. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ^ a b UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e
Javier Méndez (25 February 2008). "WHT Telescope Optics". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
- ^
Javier Méndez (16 October 2003). "WHT – Mirror Support Systems". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
- ^ a b
Javier Méndez (16 October 2003). "WHT – The Mounting". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d e
Javier Méndez (3 March 2004). "The Dome and the Building of the William Herschel Telescope". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
- ^
"WHT Dome Seeing Investigation". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
- ^
"An Overview of ING". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ^
Chris Benn (19 May 2010). "WHT publication and oversubscription statistics". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ^ a b
Balcells, Marc; Benn, Chris; Abrams, Don Carlos (26 January 2010). "ING Decadal Strategy 2010–2020". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ^
Chris Benn (14 February 2022). "Overview of Instrumentation at ING". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ a b Ghosh, Pallab (1 August 2022). "Weave: New device will investigate Milky Way's origins". BBC News.
- ^
Benn, Chris (14 April 2010). "WHT OPERATIONS DURING 2009B". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^
S. A. Rix; C. R. Benn & M. Santander-García (4 March 2010). "Visiting Instruments at the 4.2m WHT" (PDF). Science with the William Herschel Telescope 2010–2020. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- ^
Krabbe, A.; Genzel; Eckart; Najarro; Lutz; Cameron; Kroker; Tacconi-Garman; et al. (July 1995). "The Nuclear Cluster of the Milky Way: Star Formation and Velocity Dispersion in the Central 0.5 Parsec". doi:10.1086/309579.
- ^
van Paradijs, J.; Groot; Galama; Kouveliotou; Strom; Telting; Rutten; Fishman; et al. (April 1997). "Transient optical emission from the error box of the γ-ray burst of 28 February 1997" (PDF). S2CID 4248753.
- ^
Javier Méndez (8 December 2008). "The SAURON Project". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^ "SAURON Website". Leiden Observatory. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- ^
S2CID 7976525.
- ^
Javier Méndez (25 February 2009). "The Galaxy Zoo and Hanny's Voorwerp". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^
S2CID 16752721.
- ^
Javier Méndez (4 February 2009). "Diffuse Bands Don't Originate in Circumstellar Envelopes". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^
R. Luna; N. L. J. Cox; M. A. Satorre; D. A. García Hernández; O. Suárez & P. García Lario (March 2008). "A search for diffuse bands in the circumstellar envelopes of post-AGB stars". S2CID 18298474.
- ^
Javier Méndez (3 January 2009). "SuperWASP Finds a Strongly-Irradiated Transiting Gas-Giant Exoplanet". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^
Pollacco, D.; Skillen; Collier Cameron; Loeillet; Stempels; Bouchy; Gibson; Hebb; et al. (April 2008). "WASP-3b: a strongly irradiated transiting gas-giant planet". S2CID 2317308.
- ^
Javier Méndez (23 November 2008). "Two Stellar Explosions at Exactly the Same Position". ING website. Isaac Newton Group. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^
Pastorello, J.; Smartt; Mattila; Eldridge; Young; Itagaki; Yamaoka; Navasardyan; et al. (June 2007). "A giant outburst two years before the core-collapse of a massive star". S2CID 4409319.
- ^
Myers, Richard M.; Calia, D. Bonaccini; Devaney, N.; (23 authors); et al. (2007). "The European E-ELT WHT LGS Test Facility Consortium". Adaptive Optics: Analysis and Methods. Adaptive Optics: Methods, Analysis and Applications. Optical Society of America. Retrieved 10 January 2010.)
{{cite conference}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^
Evans, Chris J. (August 2008). "The European Extremely Large Telescope". ISSN 1366-8781.
- ^ Benn, Chris; Abrams, Don; Skillen, Ian (2009). "ING La Palma – 2020 vision". Opticon. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^
Dalton, Gavin; Trager, Scott; Abrams, Don Carlos; (53 authors) (2014). Ramsay, Suzanne K; McLean, Ian S; Takami, Hideki (eds.). "Project overview and update on WEAVE: the next generation wide-field spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope". Proc. SPIE. Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V. 9147: 0L–11. S2CID 119232422.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link
External links
- Media related to William Herschel Telescope at Wikimedia Commons
- WHT Homepage
- Images of the WHT
- Merrifield, Michael; Dhillon, Vik; Balcells, Marc; Mendez, Javier. "William Herschel Telescope". Deep Space Videos. Brady Haran.