The Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope, a Novel Prototype for CTA, Detects Crab Nebula


Brian Humensky and Reshmi Mukherjee's groups, in collaboration with researchers from other institutions, have detected gamma rays from the Crab Nebula, the "standard candle" of gamma-ray astronomy, using a prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope. Demonstrating the viability of the key technologies used in this innovative telescope opens the door for their use as astrophysicists study some of the most energetic and unusual objects in the universe. This work is part of an international effort, known as the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), which aims to construct the world’s largest and most powerful gamma-ray observatory. The results were announced June 1st at the 236th AAS meeting. For more information, click here.

 

June 09, 2020