Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope
Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope | |
Organisation | European Southern Observatory, Onsala Space Observatory |
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Location(s) | La Silla Observatory, Chile |
Coordinates | 29°15.67′S 70°43.88′W / 29.26117°S 70.73133°WCoordinates: 29°15.67′S 70°43.88′W / 29.26117°S 70.73133°W |
Built | 1987 |
Telescope style | single-dish parabolic reflector |
Diameter | 15 m |
Focal length | 4875 mm |
The Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope (SEST) was a radio telescope of diameter 15 metres located at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The telescope was built in 1987 as a combined project between ESO and Onsala Space Observatory, with contributions from Finland and Australia.[1] It was then the only large telescope for submillimetre astronomy in the southern hemisphere.[2] It was decommissioned in 2003.[3]
The telescope was used for single-dish observations of a wide range of astronomical objects, especially the Galactic centre and the Magellanic Clouds and for interferometric observations at millimetre wavelengths.[1]
In 1995 observations made with SEST showed that the Boomerang Nebula is the coldest known location in the universe, with a temperature lower than the background radiation.[4][5]
Gallery
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SEST dish measures 15 metres across. It was decommissioned in 2003.[1]
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Sky filled with star trails, a result of the camera's long exposure time.[2]
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SEST with the ESO 3.6 m Telescope in the background
- ^ "La Silla Dawn Kisses the Milky Way". Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Dizzying Star Trails over SEST". www.eso.org. European Southern Observatory. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
See also
References
- 1 2 "Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope - SEST". Onsala Space Observatory. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ R. S. Booth; et al. "The Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope" (PDF). ESO. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ "Swedish-ESO 15m Submillimeter Telescope (SEST)". Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ↑ Cauchi, Stephen (February 21, 2003). "Coolest bow tie in the universe". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
- ↑ Sahai, Raghvendra; Nyman, Lars-Åke (1997). "The Boomerang Nebula: The Coolest Region of the Universe?". The Astrophysical Journal 487 (2): L155–L159. Bibcode:1997ApJ...487L.155S. doi:10.1086/310897.