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This telescope, the seventh at the CHARA Array, is uniquely mounted on a trailer, allowing for dynamic positioning in proximity to six other fixed telescopes. This adaptability facilitates varied astronomical observations.
Douglas Gies, director of the CHARA Array and Regents' Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Georgia State, highlighted the enhanced capabilities provided by this addition. The telescope's mobility extends the operational range, enabling better imaging of celestial objects of varying sizes.
Astronomers have long sought to expand the array's capabilities for broader scientific inquiries, Gies noted. "The new telescope will help us to see these remarkable stars by moving between a location close to existing telescopes for images of big stars, and a far southern location for measurements of small stars. The new largest baseline, or telescope separation, will increase from 330 meters to 550 meters at the southern site. Thus, the CHARA Array is now beating its own world's largest record through this expansion."
Located on Mount Wilson in California, the CHARA Array operates as a single vast telescope, allowing astronomers to measure stellar sizes and binary star separations with high precision.
The integration of the new telescope with existing facilities is achieved through the transmission of starlight via fiber optic cables, a collaboration involving CHARA staff and the University of Limoges in France.
Recognized as one of the foremost instruments globally for star and stellar system studies at unprecedented resolutions, the CHARA Array offers unmatched visual and near-infrared wavelength resolution.
The ongoing CHARA Michelson Array Pathfinder (CMAP) project aims to explore further array expansions, particularly through additional telescopic connections via fiber optics, facilitating a broader interferometric array.
Donald Hamelberg, interim vice president for Research and Economic Development at Georgia State, expressed enthusiasm for the array's growth and its contributions to global scientific research.
Gies also mentioned the project's leadership by CHARA staff member Robert Ligon, an expert in optics and interferometry, and his team's critical role in designing and deploying the new telescope and associated equipment.
The CHARA Array anticipates beginning observations with the new telescope before year's end, promising significant advancements and discoveries in astronomy.
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Related Links
Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It
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