Upcoming Super Telescope Will Study the Universe’s Most Extreme Explosions

The European Commission recently established a planned gamma-ray observatory as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium, or ERIC, which will expedite the construction of the telescope and set up a framework for the distribution of its data. In other words, we’ll soon have a record-breaking observatory for studying gamma ray sources—some of the most energetic and mysterious objects in the universe. The observatory’s full name is the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), and it will be the “world’s most powerful ground-based observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy,” according to the European Southern Observatory. On February 13, the ERIC Council gave the go-ahead for Japan to be a strategic partner and recognized the United States, Brazil, and Australia as third-party members, setting the stage for the telescope’s path to reality. Gamma rays are the most energizing waves in the electromagnetic spectrum. They are produced by some of the most energetic objects ... Read full article.