FT South, LCO and Armagh Observatory Combine for Uranus Breakthrough
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An international team of astronomers led by Apostolos Christou at Armagh Observatory has used Faulkes Telescope South to make the first ever observation of one of the satellites of the planet Uranus passing in front of another.
The observation was made on the night of 4th May by Marton Hidas and Tim Brown, of the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCO), Santa Barbara, California, using FT South at Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. This work involves a collaboration between scientists at Siding Spring, Las Cumbres, Armagh and Cardiff University.
This event is the first of many over the coming few months, and is a fantastic example of how the Faulkes Telescopes and LCO and can produce interesting research results, while able to produce data that students and regular telescope users will be able to examine.
The major satellites of Uranus as viewed by Voyager 2 in January 1986. Shown, from left to right and in order of increasing distance from the planet, are Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon.
Image courtesy Paul M. Schenk, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston.
This Uranian moons project will continue for the next few months using both FT South and FT North and will develop techniques that can be used to detect eclipsing extrasolar planets and variable stars.
Read the Armagh Observatory press release
More information about the Mutual Events
