LT Operations Extension April - September 2014
Lead Research Organisation:
Liverpool John Moores University
Department Name: Astrophysics Research Institute
Abstract
In order to maintain the operations of the Liverpool Telescope in the period 1st April 2014 - 30st September 2014 while a longer term funding decision is made, and to allow the retention of staff during that period, a contribution to the staffing costs of the telescope is requested from STFC as agreed by Colin Vincent.
Planned Impact
ARI has a long tradition of strong industrial and PUS engagement. We will continue our policy of engagement with engineering firms who will be commissioned to manufacture the structure of the instrument. In the past this has allowed firms working with us to upgrade their skills and machinery to deliver the high precision needed for astronomical instrumentation, allowing them to received a grants and R&D tax credits in order to upgrade their precision machining capability and safeguarding a number of jobs at the time. In addition such firms have been able to use their work on astronomical instrumentation to enhance their reputation with other customers and has assisted them in gaining access to new markets (for example contracts with ING and CERN). In addition the LT will remain the core of the National Schools Observatory, the UK's most significant schools outreach activity.
Publications
Demangeon O
(2018)
The discovery of WASP-151b, WASP-153b, WASP-156b: Insights on giant planet migration and the upper boundary of the Neptunian desert
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jeong S
(2014)
The dark nature of GRB 130528A and its host galaxy
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Prentice S
(2018)
The Cow: Discovery of a Luminous, Hot, and Rapidly Evolving Transient
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Ramakrishnan V
(2014)
The connection between the parsec-scale radio jet and ?-ray flares in the blazar 1156+295
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jiménez-Ibarra F
(2019)
The complex evolution of the X-ray binary transient MAXI J1807+132 along the decay of its discovery outburst
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mo nik T
(2015)
The central star candidate of the planetary nebula Sh2-71: photometric and spectroscopic variability
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jayasinghe T
(2018)
The ASAS-SN catalogue of variable stars I: The Serendipitous Survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Holoien T
(2019)
The ASAS-SN bright supernova catalogue - IV. 2017
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ducrot E
(2018)
The 0.8-4.5 µm Broadband Transmission Spectra of TRAPPIST-1 Planets
in The Astronomical Journal
MacLeod C
(2019)
The 'Big Dipper': the nature of the extreme variability of the AGN SDSS J2232-0806
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bours M
(2014)
Testing the planetary models of HU Aquarii
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kuin N
(2019)
Swift spectra of AT2018cow: a white dwarf tidal disruption event?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Armas Padilla M
(2014)
Swift J1357.2-0933: the faintest black hole?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nicholl M
(2014)
Superluminous supernovae from PESSTO
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dobler G
(2015)
STRONG LENS TIME DELAY CHALLENGE. I. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
in The Astrophysical Journal
Vazquez B
(2015)
SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE MEASUREMENTS OF DUST REVERBERATION LAGS IN THE SEYFERT 1 GALAXY NGC 6418
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shvartzvald Y
(2015)
SPITZER MICROLENS MEASUREMENT OF A MASSIVE REMNANT IN A WELL-SEPARATED BINARY
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shalyapin V
(2018)
Spectroscopic follow-up of double quasar candidates
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Shalyapin V
(2014)
Spectra of faint sources in crowded fields with FRODOSpec on the Liverpool Robotic Telescope
in Astronomische Nachrichten
Zheng-Zhou Y
(2018)
SONG-China Project: A Global Automated Observation Networktwo
in Chinese Astronomy and Astrophysics
Prentice S
(2018)
SN 2016coi/ASASSN-16fp: an example of residual helium in a typeIc supernova?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Morales-Garoffolo A
(2014)
SN 2013df, a double-peaked IIb supernova from a compact progenitor and an extended H envelope
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barbarino C
(2015)
SN 2012ec: mass of the progenitor from PESSTO follow-up of the photospheric phase
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Morales-Garoffolo A
(2015)
SN 2011fu: a type IIb supernova with a luminous double-peaked light curve
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Jaeger T
(2015)
SN 2011A: A LOW-LUMINOSITY INTERACTING TRANSIENT WITH A DOUBLE PLATEAU AND STRONG SODIUM ABSORPTION
in The Astrophysical Journal
Description | The National Schools' Observatory (NSO) is a major educational website, established by Liverpool John Moores University, to allow schools to make their own observations alongside professional astronomers with the world's largest fully-robotic telescope - the Liverpool Telescope. The NSO also provides educational resources to help with the challenging task of teaching science, technology and mathematics in the classroom environment. It has long been known that astronomy creates a sense of excitement and wonder in pupils of all ages. The NSO taps into that interest to further the pupil's knowledge of science and mathematics, while at the same time improve computer literacy and communications skills, strengthen critical thinking and provide experience the real-world application of science and technology. Using astronomical telescopes is the most important feature of this website and schools registered with the Schools' Observatory have the opportunity to make their observations using the LT. Over the past 10 years, over 100,000 observations have been taken for schools. Once the observing request has been completed, pupils are able to download the telescope data and use special Image Processing software (LTImage) to analyse the resulting images. |
Sector | Education |
Impact Types | Societal |
Description | Collaboration with University of Oxford |
Organisation | University of Oxford |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Scientific Expertise, Access to telescope time |
Collaborator Contribution | Scientific Expertise, Financial Contribution |
Impact | Collaboration on followup of LOFAR radio transients starting in early 2014. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | ESA Gaia Support |
Organisation | European Space Agency |
Country | France |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Telescope time, observation management and data reduction in support of the tracking of the Gaia satellite via optical means. |
Collaborator Contribution | Target Position Information, Data Analysis |
Impact | Ongoing project - wast initially test programme prior to satellite launch in September 2013, after became ongoing commercial contract with ESA renewed annually |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | FRODOSpec |
Organisation | University of Southampton |
Department | Physics and Astronomy |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Funding and effort to develop a dual beam spectrograph for the Liverpool Telescope using optical fibre and VPH technology. Ongoing joint exploitation. |
Collaborator Contribution | Funding contribution and scientific input to the spectrograph design. Ongoing joint exploitation. |
Impact | The FRODOSpec instrument itself. Scientific publications. |
Description | Joint GRB Programme |
Organisation | University of Ljubljana |
Department | Faculty of Mathematics and Physics |
Country | Slovenia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Telescope time, data analysis, software development, scientific expertise |
Collaborator Contribution | Funding, scientific expertise. |
Impact | 17 joint scientific publications. |
Start Year | 2010 |
Description | RISE |
Organisation | Queen's University Belfast |
Department | School of Mathematics and Physics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Design of a new fast-timing camera for the Liverpool Telescope, integration and operation. Joint scientific exploitation. |
Collaborator Contribution | Funding of hardware. Software development. Joint scientific Exploitation. |
Impact | The RISE instrument. 17 scientific publications. |
Start Year | 2007 |
Title | Telescope Robotic Control Software |
Description | Robotic Control Software for telescopes |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2014 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
Impact | Used for robotic control of Liverpool and Faulkes Telescopes |
URL | https://github.com/LivTel/robotic-control-system |
Description | National Schools Observatory |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Over 100,000 Liverpool Telescope observations delivered into over 2,500 schools in the UK, with supporting curricular material etc. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016 |
URL | http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk |