An Advanced, Large Monolithic Imager for the Lowell Observatory 4.2-meter Discovery Channel Telescope

用于洛厄尔天文台 4.2 米探索频道望远镜的先进大型单片成像仪

• 批准号: 1005313
• 负责人: Philip Massey
• 金额: $ 107.5万
• 依托单位: Lowell Observatory
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1005313&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Advanced; Large; Monolithic; Imager; Lowell

The Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) is a wide-field 4.2-m diameter optical-infrared telescope being constructed by Lowell Observatory and scheduled for first light in mid-2011. The $42M telescope was funded entirely through private donations - largely from Discovery Communications and its founders the Hendricks family - and is located on the dark and high-altitude site of Happy Jack Mountain, near Flagstaff, AZ. In addition to its planned use toward understanding the stellar content of galaxies, star formation in interstellar clouds, cometary dust and gas, and Kuiper belt objects, the DCT is in the remarkable position of being the focal point of an ongoing variety of astronomically-related multimedia programming for an established world-wide audience of more than a billion subscribers.With support from NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences through its Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation program, Dr. Philip Massey of Lowell Observatory intends to construct a wide-field imager for the DCT using a state-of-the-art CCD that will be the largest single square device possible on the 150-mm silicon wafers used in today's semiconductor foundries. This 6144 x 6144 (38 megapixel) detector will be teamed with corrector optics, a wide assortment of remotely-selectable filters, and guider hardware to make up the workhorse research instrument on the telescope for at least the first several years of use. The imager will also provide the scientific material and large-scale astronomical images to highlight the educational programming on the Discovery Channel and for outreach programs to the 80,000 members of the public who visit Lowell Observatory annually.The Discovery Channel is renowned for producing entertaining and educational programming relating to scientific discovery and achievement. Their production for the DCT will include a documentary on the construction of the telescope itself, features on the astronomical instrumentation in use, on the research programs underway, and short spots called "Tonight at the DCT". Lowell astronomers will participate in preparing and vetting these programs for scientific accuracy and relevance, as well as in using the DCT for many of the educational programs that the observatory sponsors. The latter range from graduate student research programs, to Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs, to outreach activities into the public schools of Flagstaff and the surrounding Navajo and Hopi nations.

探索频道望远镜 (DCT) 是一台直径为 4.2 米的宽视场光学红外望远镜，由洛厄尔天文台建造，计划于 2011 年中期首次亮相。 这台价值 4200 万美元的望远镜完全由私人捐赠资助——主要来自 Discovery Communications 及其创始人亨德里克斯家族——位于亚利桑那州弗拉格斯塔夫附近的快乐杰克山黑暗高海拔地区。 除了计划用于了解星系的恒星成分、星际云中的恒星形成、彗星尘埃和气体以及柯伊伯带天体之外，DCT 还处于一个显着的位置，它是为全球超过 10 亿订阅者提供的各种天文相关多媒体节目的焦点。在 NSF 天文科学部的支持下，通过其高级 在技术和仪器项目中，洛厄尔天文台的 Philip Massey 博士打算使用最先进的 CCD 构建用于 DCT 的宽视场成像仪，该成像仪将成为当今半导体铸造厂使用的 150 毫米硅晶圆上可能的最大单方形设备。 这款 6144 x 6144（38 兆像素）探测器将与校正光学器件、各种远程可选择的滤光片和引导硬件配合使用，构成望远镜上至少在使用的前几年的主力研究仪器。 该成像仪还将提供科学材料和大型天文图像，以突出探索频道的教育节目，并为每年访问洛厄尔天文台的 80,000 名公众提供外展计划。探索频道以制作与科学发现和成就相关的娱乐和教育节目而闻名。 他们为 DCT 制作的纪录片将包括一部有关望远镜本身构造的纪录片、有关正在使用的天文仪器、正在进行的研究项目的专题报道，以及名为“今晚在 DCT”的短片。洛厄尔天文学家将参与准备和审查这些项目的科学准确性和相关性，并将 DCT 用于天文台赞助的许多教育项目。 后者的范围包括研究生研究项目、本科生研究经验 (REU) 项目、到弗拉格斯塔夫公立学校以及周边纳瓦霍和霍皮民族的外展活动。