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NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 20 September 2016
Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias and CTA Observatory Sign Agreement on Hosting CTA’s Northern Hemisphere Array
Heidelberg, Germany – On 19
September 2016, the Council of the
Cherenkov Telescope Array
Observatory (CTAO) concluded
negotiations with the Instituto de
Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) to host
CTA’s northern hemisphere array at the
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
in La Palma, Spain.
To provide access to the whole sky, the
CTA Observatory will have two sites,
with 19 telescopes in the northern
hemisphere and 99 in the southern
hemisphere planned.
CTA’s northern hemisphere site will be located on the existing site of the IAC’s Observatorio del
Roque de los Muchachos on the island of La Palma, the fifth largest island in the Canary Islands. At
2,200 m altitude and nestled on a plateau below the rim of an extinct volcanic crater, the site
currently hosts the two Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes (MAGIC)
telescopes. This location offers excellent conditions for astronomical observations.
“This is a big step, which allows CTAO to start work on the ground,” said CTAO gGmbH Managing
Director Ulrich Straumann. Rafael Rebolo, Director of the IAC, was very positive about the future: “We
are looking forward to a great partnership with CTA and expect exciting discoveries with these
telescopes.”
The agreement allows the construction of the CTA northern array to proceed at the Roque de los
Muchachos site and ensures access to the infrastructure and common services needed for the
operation of the Observatory, including the digital connection of the CTA network with the rest of the
cherenkov telescope array
Rafael Rebolo (left), Director of the IAC, and Ulrich Straumann, Managing Director of the CTAO gGmbH, sign the hosting agreement for CTA’s site in the Northern Hemisphere. Back row from left: Inmaculada Figueroa (MINECO), Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph (Vice Chair CTA Council) and Giampaolo Vettolani (Chair, CTA Council).
world. In return, Spain will receive 10 percent of the observation time at the northern site, with part
of this transferable to the southern hemisphere. Beyond provision of the northern site, Spain plans
to make major contributions to the construction of CTA
“The full sky coverage and excellent conditions provided by the IAC site, together with the ESO site in
Chile, are crucial for achieving CTAs ambitious science goals,” said CTA Spokesperson Werner
Hofmann.
Construction of a Large-Sized Telescope prototype is currently underway on the La Palma site and
can be watched live here: http://webcam.lst1.iac.es/stream2view.htm.
Negotiations with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) for the southern hemisphere site near
ESO’s existing Paranal Observatory in Chile are expected to conclude before the end of 2016. If all
goes as planned, construction will begin in 2017, with first telescopes on site in 2018.
Notes for Editors:
CTA (http://www.cta-observatory.org) is a global initiative to build the world’s largest and most
sensitive high-energy gamma-ray observatory. More than 1,000 scientists and engineers from 32
countries1 and more than 200 research institutes participate in the CTA project. CTA will serve as an
open observatory to a wide astrophysics community and provide a deep insight into the non-thermal,
high-energy universe. The CTA observatory will detect high-energy radiation with unprecedented
accuracy and approximately ten times the sensitivity of current instruments, providing novel insights
into some of the most extreme and violent events in the universe. (Read more about CTA's expected
performance.) CTA is included in the 2008 roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research
Infrastructures (ESFRI).
Signing Ceremony Photos: Signing: 1.7 MB Credit: CTA Collaboration CTA Council Group Photo: 2.2 MB Credit: CTA Collaboration La Palma Site Photos: La Palma Candidate Site: 2.2 MB Credit: Daniel Lopez/IAC La Palma Site at Night: 2.8 MB Credit: Daniel Lopez/IAC Panoramic View of La Palma Site: 22.6 MB Credit: Daniel Lopez/IAC Contact Information:
Dr. Giampaolo Vettolani, Chair CTA Council +39-349-4172072; [email protected]
Dr. Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph, Vice Chair CTA Council +49-228-9957-3633; [email protected] Prof. Werner Hofmann, CTA Spokesperson +49-6221-516330; [email protected] Prof. Rene Ong, CTA Co-Spokesperson +1-3108253622; [email protected] Prof. Ulrich Straumann, CTAO gGmbH Managing Director +49-6221-516471; [email protected] Megan Grunewald, CTA Communications Officer +49-6221-516471; [email protected]
### 1 Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America, Ukraine
