UK Astronomy Technology Centre

For #WorldSpaceWeek we are highlighting some of our favourite #astronomy stories from the last few months. 💫 ✨ New #JWST / #MIRI image of Arp 107: https://lnkd.in/eiEjwMpa 🗺 Gigantic infrared map of the Milky Way has been completed: https://lnkd.in/ez4spwiF 🛰 Profile of the LISA mission on Gizmodo.com: https://lnkd.in/dbNWaiuN 📡 Further funding for AtLAST announced: https://lnkd.in/dYC8kpt7 #Space #Astronomy #Technology

Another successful Doors Open Days at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh ✨ 🎉 🎈 This year we welcomed over 2,700 people to the site across over the two days. They enjoyed a variety of activities, including tours, demonstrations, crafts and our ever-popular LEGO kits (this year's model was A-DOT). Doors Open Days 2024 was a fantastic opportunity to engage with the public on astronomy, engineering and science. Experts were on hand to talk about our role on the James Webb Space Telescope, SKA Observatory, LISA, the Extremely Large Telescope, Gaia, Euclid and many more exciting astronomy projects. The feedback from the public was overwhelmingly positive, with over 95% saying they really enjoyed (83.4%) or enjoyed (12.3%) the event. We had some wonderful feedback from visitors: “I really loved the books in the library. I liked all of it! It was awesome! When I grow up I want to be an astronomer and inspire young people to make their dreams come true." (Elodie, 8) “I loved everything I saw. I love this place. I love science. I want to come back!" (Maisie, 5) “Thank you very much for taking the time to organise and run an amazing event. I brought two 12-year-olds who had a great time. I did too!" (N, 46). This year's event was also the last headed by UK ATC Director and  ROE Head of Site Professor Gillian Wright CBE before she steps down from the role. “Welcoming the public to the Royal Observatory is one of the highlights of every year. So, I'm very pleased I got to oversee one last Doors Open Days during my final weeks in the role of Director at UK ATC. It's been fantastic to watch the event grow over the years, giving people a real insight into the science and engineering taking place on site and the amazing research it makes possible." Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/ezFqz-wD

Find out more about a project 3D printing with copper that we've been working on 👇

🌟 3D Printing Industrial Placement Opportunity 🌟 AM4Space is a multidisciplinary team that works alongside the Project Science Group, Optics Group and the Mechanical Engineering Group at the UK ATC. The motivation behind AM4Space is to explore the design freedom offered by additive manufacturing (AM; 3D printing) and how astronomical components can be redesigned to take advantage of AM – specifically telescope mirrors. The AM4Space team aims to solve some of the fundamental challenges inherent to AM that have so far prevented wider uptake of AM within the astronomical community, such as mechanical performance, particularly within harsh environments; optical performance of AM substrates; and linking design for AM with design for manufacture. As an AM4Space Industrial Placement student you will work in parallel with a current UK ATC project team to redesign a key hardware component for AM. Potential projects include, but are not limited to, the AM redesign of the secondary mirror from the CubeSat Camera (CCAM) study, reducing the mass and combining multiple parts into one structure, or implementing a new AM design to convert an existing AM aluminium mirror into an AM ceramic mirror. The goal of the placement is to transfer the key knowledge in how the AM redesign has been achieved and the lessons learnt to the engineers, technicians and scientists working at the UKATC. Applications close 20 Oct 👉 https://lnkd.in/d8nSKYK9 #AdditiveManufacturing #IndustrialPlacement #Opportunity #Technology #Science

The largest infrared map of our Galaxy has been completed! The VISTA (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy), a European Southern Observatory facility in Chile, has successfully mapped over 1.5 billion objects in the Milky Way. ✨ Over the course of 13 years, the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey and its extension, the VVV eXtended survey (VVVX), observed the central regions of the Milky Way. These surveys required 420 nights of observation to capture approximately 200,000 images, monitoring over 1.5 billion celestial objects and generating 500 terabytes of scientific data. This represents the largest volume of data ever collected for an ESO observational project. Dante Minniti, an astrophysicist at Universidad de Los Andes in Chile, who led the overall project, said: “We made so many discoveries, we have changed the view of our Galaxy forever.” This data has already produced more than 300 scientific publications and 30 doctoral theses in South America and Europe. Working closely with partners across 18 UK Universities in the VISTA Consortium, the STFC, through its team at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh, played a key role in the development and delivery of the telescope to ESO. In addition, the Imaging Systems group from STFC’s RAL Space (alongside collaborators from UK ATC and the Durham University) were responsible for the design and construction of the Infrared camera, which at the time it was built was the largest ever produced. Now, ESO’s Paranal Observatory is being prepared for the future: VISTA will be updated with its new instrument 4MOST and ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) will receive the MOONS instrument. Together, they will provide spectra of millions of the objects surveyed here, with countless discoveries expected. Dr Oscar A. Gonzalez, Senior Project Scientist at UK ATC, said: “I have a deep affinity for VISTA. The early VVV data was instrumental to my PhD thesis. I then had the pleasure to be the Paranal Instrument Scientist for VISTA during my time at ESO in Chile. I believe VISTA to be a prime example of a facility designed and constructed with an end-to-end vision, with telescope, instrument, and software working as an entity - built for each other to perfection - to be then smoothly operated by ESO to deliver these remarkable public surveys to the community. We are now using all the knowledge gained from VVV and VVVX data in the design of the spectroscopic surveys that we will do with MOONS, a next-generation spectrograph for the Very Large Telescope, which we are currently building at UK ATC.” Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/ez4spwiF

There's still time to sign up for #free tickets to the Royal Observatory Edinburgh's #DoorsOpenDays on 28 & 29 Sep. 🎟 A chance to see behind the scenes at UK ATC, The University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy and Higgs Centre for Innovation. ✨🛰️🪐 We'll be showcasing cutting edge astronomy projects like the #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope, Euclid, MOONS, SKA Observatory, Gaia, the Extremely Large Telescope and more. Register for tickets now! 👉https://lnkd.in/e2Y7Y-iM

To find out how the Higgs Centre for Innovation and UK ATC can help your business take the next steps in the space industry come and talk to us at Stand H12 at Space-Comm Expo Scotland today and tomorrow (Wed 11 & Thu 12 Sep). 🚀 Higgs Centre for Innovation 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNsrYRyT UK ATC 👉 https://lnkd.in/enSTFvMH STFC | STFC Business & Innovation | Space-Comm Expo | UK Space Agency #SpaceIndustry #technology #Space

A busy Sep and Oct for the team at the Higgs Centre for Innovation - come and say hello if you are attending Space-Comm Expo in Glasgow today or tomorrow (Wed 11 & Thu 12 Sep).

One month to go! Register now for free tickets for the Royal Observatory Edinburgh's Doors Open Days on 28 & 29 Sept. 🎟 🌠 An opportunity to go behind the scenes and find out more about our work at UK ATC alongside our friends and colleagues at the Royal Observatory, Higgs Centre for Innovation and The University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy. Astronomers, engineers, and technicians will be on hand to talk about exciting astronomy projects like the #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope, SKA Observatory, ELT, VLT, Gaia, Euclid and many more. Plus tours, demos, astronomy crafts, talks and #LEGO! ✨ 🔭 🛰 More info and registration 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2Y7Y-iM #astronomy #DoorsOpenDays #events #free

For #WorldPhotographyDay we're sharing some of our favourite images from the archives, taken by #VISTA and #ERIS in Chile. Find out more about VISTA: https://lnkd.in/e8sKzgrk Find out more about ERIS/NIX: https://lnkd.in/ervbm7hC STFC | European Southern Observatory