Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope

Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope

Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope
Organisation European Southern Observatory, Onsala Space Observatory
Location(s) La Silla Observatory, Chile
Coordinates 29°15.67′S 70°43.88′W / 29.26117°S 70.73133°W / -29.26117; -70.73133Coordinates: 29°15.67′S 70°43.88′W / 29.26117°S 70.73133°W / -29.26117; -70.73133
Built 1987
Telescope style single-dish parabolic reflector
Diameter 15 m
Focal length 4875 mm

The Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope (SEST) was a radio telescope of diameter 15 metres located at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The telescope was built in 1987 as a combined project between ESO and Onsala Space Observatory, with contributions from Finland and Australia.[1] It was then the only large telescope for submillimetre astronomy in the southern hemisphere.[2] It was decommissioned in 2003.[3]

The telescope was used for single-dish observations of a wide range of astronomical objects, especially the Galactic centre and the Magellanic Clouds and for interferometric observations at millimetre wavelengths.[1]

In 1995 observations made with SEST showed that the Boomerang Nebula is the coldest known location in the universe, with a temperature lower than the background radiation.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope - SEST". Onsala Space Observatory. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
  2. ↑ R. S. Booth; et al. "The Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope" (PDF). ESO. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
  3. ↑ "Swedish-ESO 15m Submillimeter Telescope (SEST)". Retrieved 2012-07-27.
  4. ↑ Cauchi, Stephen (February 21, 2003). "Coolest bow tie in the universe". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  5. ↑ Sahai, Raghvendra; Nyman, Lars-Åke (1997). "The Boomerang Nebula: The Coolest Region of the Universe?". The Astrophysical Journal. 487 (2): L155–L159. Bibcode:1997ApJ...487L.155S. doi:10.1086/310897.
  6. ↑ "La Silla Dawn Kisses the Milky Way". Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Dizzying Star Trails over SEST". www.eso.org. European Southern Observatory. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
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