UK Astronomy Technology Centre
Encyclopedia
The UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) is based at the Royal Observatory
in Edinburgh
, Scotland, and is part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council
.
The UK ATC designs, builds, develops, tests and manages major instrumentation projects in support of UK and international Astronomy
. It has design offices, workshops and test facilities for both ground- and space-based instruments, including a suite of test labs capable of handling the largest current and projected instruments.
The UK ATC was formed in 1998 in Edinburgh from the technology departments of the Royal Observatory
, Edinburgh (ROE), and the Royal Greenwich Observatory
, Cambridge (RGO). Its initial "customers" were the then new Gemini Observatory
, the former ROE observatories in Hawaii (the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope
(JCMT) and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
(UKIRT)), and a former RGO observatory, the Isaac Newton Group
on La Palma
, Canary Islands
. More recently, collaboration with the European Southern Observatory
(ESO) and for the James Webb Space Telescope
(JWST) have gained importance. Major projects and collaborations include:
Following increased government emphasis on knowledge transfer
and declining funds for the Science and Technology Facilities Council
the UK ATC is increasingly working on projects with astronomical institutions beyond the UK and the EU, with institutions dedicated to science and technology other than astronomy, and with technology-related businesses.
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh
The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh is an astronomical institution located on Blackford Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. The site is owned by the Science and Technology Facilities Council...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland, and is part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council
Science and Technology Facilities Council
The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a UK government body that carries out civil research in science and engineering, and funds UK research in areas including particle physics, nuclear physics, space science and astronomy .-History:It was formed in April 2007 as a merger of the Particle...
.
The UK ATC designs, builds, develops, tests and manages major instrumentation projects in support of UK and international Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. It has design offices, workshops and test facilities for both ground- and space-based instruments, including a suite of test labs capable of handling the largest current and projected instruments.
The UK ATC was formed in 1998 in Edinburgh from the technology departments of the Royal Observatory
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh
The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh is an astronomical institution located on Blackford Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. The site is owned by the Science and Technology Facilities Council...
, Edinburgh (ROE), and the Royal Greenwich Observatory
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich , in London, England played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian...
, Cambridge (RGO). Its initial "customers" were the then new Gemini Observatory
Gemini Observatory
The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two telescopes at sites in Hawai‘i and Chile. Together, the twin Gemini telescopes provide almost complete coverage of both the northern and southern skies...
, the former ROE observatories in Hawaii (the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope
The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is a submillimetre-wavelength telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. Its primary mirror is 15 metres across: it is the largest astronomical telescope that operates in submillimetre wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum...
(JCMT) and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
UKIRT, the United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope, is a 3.8 metre infrared reflecting telescope, the largest dedicated infrared telescope in the world. It is operated by the Joint Astronomy Centre in Hilo and located on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i as part of Mauna Kea Observatory...
(UKIRT)), and a former RGO observatory, the Isaac Newton Group
Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes
The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes or ING operates the William Herschel Telescope, Isaac Newton Telescope and Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope optical telescopes for the Science and Technology Facilities Council , the NWO and the IAC...
on La Palma
La Palma
La Palma is the most north-westerly of the Canary Islands. La Palma has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands...
, Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. More recently, collaboration with the European Southern Observatory
European Southern Observatory
The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries...
(ESO) and for the James Webb Space Telescope
James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope , previously known as Next Generation Space Telescope , is a planned next-generation space telescope, optimized for observations in the infrared. The main technical features are a large and very cold 6.5 meter diameter mirror, an observing position far from Earth,...
(JWST) have gained importance. Major projects and collaborations include:
- Several first-generation instruments for the Gemini Observatory.
- A mid-infrared spectrometer for the UKIRT and the Gemini Observatory.
- Data acquisition and reduction software for the UKIRT and the JCMT.
- The Wide Field Infrared Camera for the UKIRT.
- The Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver of the Herschel Space ObservatoryHerschel Space ObservatoryThe Herschel Space Observatory is a European Space Agency space observatory sensitive to the far infrared and submillimetre wavebands. It is the largest space telescope ever launched, carrying a single mirror of in diameter....
. - The Visible and Infrared Survey TelescopeVISTA (telescope)The VISTA is a reflecting telescope with a 4.1 metre mirror, located at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. It is operated by the European Southern Observatory and saw first light in December 2009...
for UK universities and ESO. - A high-sensitivity, wide-field, sub-millimetre camera for the JCMT (SCUBA2).
- The Mid-Infrared Instrument for the JWST.
- Observing tool software for the Atacama Large Millimeter ArrayAtacama Large Millimeter ArrayThe Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array is an array of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array is being constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5000 metres altitude...
. - Design studies for ESO's European Extremely Large Telescope.
- An infrared K-band multi-object spectrometer for ESO's Very Large TelescopeVery Large TelescopeThe Very Large Telescope is a telescope operated by the European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT consists of four individual telescopes, each with a primary mirror 8.2m across, which are generally used separately but can be used together to...
. - The European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
funded Optical Infrared Coordination Network for Astronomy (OPTICON).
Following increased government emphasis on knowledge transfer
Knowledge transfer
Knowledge transfer in the fields of organizational development and organizational learning is the practical problem of transferring knowledge from one part of the organization to another part of the organization. Like Knowledge Management, Knowledge transfer seeks to organize, create, capture or...
and declining funds for the Science and Technology Facilities Council
Science and Technology Facilities Council
The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a UK government body that carries out civil research in science and engineering, and funds UK research in areas including particle physics, nuclear physics, space science and astronomy .-History:It was formed in April 2007 as a merger of the Particle...
the UK ATC is increasingly working on projects with astronomical institutions beyond the UK and the EU, with institutions dedicated to science and technology other than astronomy, and with technology-related businesses.