A gamma-ray burst rapid-response observatory in the US Virgin Islands

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

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The College of Charleston is one of three institutions that belongs to a consortium to maintain and operate a remote, research-grade telescope on the island of St. Thomas (18 degrees north, 65 degrees west, elevation 420 meters, with arc-second seeing). The extreme eastern location of the observatory, and its ability to cover about 80% of the southern celestial hemisphere, makes this an ideal facility for observing Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The primary research function of this facility will be rapid, automated follow-up observations of GRBs observed with NASA's Swift spacecraft (via the GCN). The newly-renovated observatory houses a new robotic 0.5-meter Cassegrain telescope with a back-illuminated Marconi 4240 CCD imager (2048×2048 13-micron pixels) and a 12-position filter wheel. With our exceptional sky coverage, we anticipate a detection rate of about 10-15% of the Swift detection rate, thereby making a significant contribution to the global network of small telescopes dedicated to GRB response.

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