Related papers: Status of Astronomy in Namibia
Being one of the most fascinating and ancient sciences, astronomy has always played a special role in society. In 2022 ESO organised an online conference to offer the community a platform to discuss astronomical topics of sociological and…
H.E.S.S. is a system of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) measuring cosmic gamma-rays with very high energies in Namibia. Extending the array with a fifth telescope with a mirror area of 600 m$^2$ leads to a lower energy…
This white paper offers cautionary observations about the planning and development of new, large radio astronomy instruments. Complexity is a strong cost driver so every effort should be made to assign differing science requirements to…
Astronomy is experiencing a rapid growth in data size and complexity. This change fosters the development of data-driven science as a useful companion to the common model-driven data analysis paradigm, where astronomers develop automatic…
In the last ten years, the field of Cherenkov astronomy has become an important contributor to high energy astrophysics with the detection of eight objects at energies above 300 GeV. These observations have advanced our understanding of…
Recent X-ray observations have had a major impact on topics ranging from protostars to cosmology. They have also drawn attention to important and general physical processes that currently limit our understanding of thermal and nonthermal…
Astrophotonics is a burgeoning field that lies at the interface of photonics and modern astronomical instrumentation. Here we provide a pedagogical review of basic photonic functions that enable modern instruments, and give an overview of…
Several projects planned or proposed can significantly expand our knowledge of the high-energy Universe in gamma rays. Construction of the Cherenkov telescope array CTA is started, and other detectors are planned which will use the…
Wide-angle surveys have been an engine for new discoveries throughout the modern history of astronomy, and have been among the most highly cited and scientifically productive observing facilities in recent years. This trend is likely to…
The construction of the H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System), a superior system of four 12 m imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, has been completed recently in the Namib desert close to Windhoek, at 1800 m above sea level. This…
Small satellite platforms with high performance avionics are becoming more affordable. So far, with a few exceptions, small satellites have been mainly dedicated to earth observation. However, astronomy is a fascinating field with a history…
The Australian Astronomical Observatory operates the Anglo-Australian Telescope and the United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope in Australia, as well as coordinating access for the Australian community to the Gemini, Magellan, and other…
H.E.S.S. (High Energy Stereoscopic System), which is designed to detect TeV gamma-rays, is a system of four Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes situated in Namibia. The system has been shown to be very successful in detecting and…
Europe and a number of countries in the world are investing significant amounts of public money to operate and maintain large, ground-based astronomical facilities. Even larger projects are under development to observe the faintest and most…
Whilst astronomy as a science is historically founded on observations at optical wavelengths, studying the Universe in other bands has yielded remarkable discoveries, from pulsars in the radio, signatures of the Big Bang at submm…
Forecasting optical turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere has been an ambitious challenge for the astronomical scientific community for several decades. While earlier research primarily focused on whether it was possible to predict optical…
Adaptive Optics is a prime example of how progress in observational astronomy can be driven by technological developments. At many observatories it is now considered to be part of a standard instrumentation suite, enabling ground-based…
The ground-based technique for imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes became a rapidly developing and powerful branch of science. Thanks to this technique, over 250 very high-energy gamma-ray sources of galactic and extragalactic origin…
Astronomy is the study of the Universe and all the objects that it comprises. Our attention is therefore usually focused beyond Earth, home to the only form of life known today. However, how can we continue to explore the secrets of the…
Laboratory astrophysics and complementary theoretical calculations are the foundations of astronomy and astrophysics and will remain so into the foreseeable future. The impact of laboratory astrophysics ranges from the scientific conception…