{"id":49753,"date":"2017-02-28T21:29:13","date_gmt":"2017-02-28T21:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=49753"},"modified":"2017-02-28T21:30:46","modified_gmt":"2017-02-28T21:30:46","slug":"uvi-astronomers-granted-access-to-worlds-largest-telescopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753","title":{"rendered":"UVI Astronomers Granted Access To World\u2019s Largest Telescopes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Astronomers at the University of the Virgin Islands were granted access to two of the world\u2019s largest telescopes in Chile and Hawaii by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), UVI announced this afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientists, collaborators and students will now be better equipped to study gamma-ray bursts (GRB), explosive phenomena generated by exploding stars 30 to 100 times larger than our sun.\u00a0 These may be the first generation of stars ever to have formed in the universe, which makes their analysis critical to our deepening understanding of the formation of the universe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are entering a great era in the history of UVI astronomy,\u201d said Dr. Antonino Cucchiara, assistant professor of Physics in the College of Science and Mathematics. \u201cBecause our students will be able to participate in cutting-edge research that is a top priority of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the University of the Virgin Islands will take on a significant role within the worldwide spectrum of top astronomy research institutions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gemini Observatory consists of two eight meter telescopes that collectively provide access to the entire sky from strategic mountaintop locations, and are capable of providing nuanced information about astronomical events that is not visible through smaller telescopes. The UVI team was granted four hours of use on the southern Chilean telescope, and ranked in the top quartile for the Northern telescope in Hawaii.\u00a0 Meanwhile, a smaller but faster robotic telescope is coming online at the Etelman Observatory (the Virgin Islands Robotic Telescope, VIRT), which will be able to identify gamma-ray bursts (GRB\u2019s) a few minutes after they have been discovered by satellites.\u00a0 With access to both technologies in different parts of the world, UVI researchers will be among the first to obtain and analyze GRB data as it becomes available.<\/span><\/p>\n

GRB\u2019s are usually identified by a rapid \u201cflash\u201d of very energetic gamma rays that only lasts a few seconds.\u00a0 NASA\u2019s Swift satellite, launched in 2004 to study these phenomena, detects 100 GRB\u2019s a year.\u00a0 Once the gamma-ray emission is detected, the satellite communicates the coordinates of the GRB explosions to scientists and computers around the world via email and text messages.\u00a0 Within a few minutes after the explosion, the UVI team is able to point the VIRT and other facilities at its disposal, such as the Gemini telescope, to collect data immediately.\u00a0 To rapidly receive these data from distant facilities, astronomers like Dr. Cucchiara and the Etelman Observatory staff can communicate with the astronomers in Chile to obtain critical data in real time.\u00a0 This data is analyzed at UVI and the results are shared with the astronomical community via the GRB Circular Network, which is a specialized mailing-listed based at NASA, within a few hours after the GRB explosion<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Dr. Cucchiara, who spearheaded the initiative, one factor that contributed to the proposal\u2019s success was the physical location of the Etelman Observatory.\u00a0 Because UVI has the easternmost astronomical observatory in the United States, VIRT will be the first in line after Europe to pick up satellite detections of gamma-ray explosions.\u00a0 From these images, Cucchiara and his team will be able to determine whether or not an explosion is worth a more detailed look.\u00a0 If it is, UVI researchers are now authorized to tell Gemini South technicians in Chile to drop whatever it is they are doing and point at the explosion.\u00a0 They can also tell the technicians how to point, in an effort to collect maximum useable data from the massive telescope about the distance and chemical composition of the bursts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are essentially filling a gap between observatories in Europe and Arizona,\u201d said Cucchiara.\u00a0 \u201cBy adjusting the strategy for exploration of the bursts based on what we see, we will be able to share resources with a worldwide network of astronomers.\u00a0 Analyzing these astronomical events will help to explain how the universe evolved.\u00a0 It will also function as part of a knowledge base for a wide variety of climate change studies involving water, wind speed and weather analysis in general.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Cucchiara and his colleague, Dr. David Morris \u2013 assistant professor of Physics and director of the Etelman Observatory \u2013 are excited about the incredible opportunities that are opening up to do top level science at UVI through remote access to sophisticated technology at other facilities and institutions.\u00a0 But they are also eager to raise awareness about local astronomy developments with an eye toward fortifying their own facility. According to Dr. Cucchiara, UVI\u2019s astronomy program and observatory are strong, but additional support is still needed for supplemental equipment, a past-due overhaul of the observatory\u2019s computer system, and more volunteers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe will certainly be applying for grants,\u201d said Dr. Cucchiara.\u00a0 \u201cAnd we\u2019re hopeful about that because our goal is to become more of a resource for scientists from all over the world.\u201d\u00a0 Cucchiara continued, \u201cThe more we can engage with the worldwide network of astronomers, the more able we will become to give our students incredible opportunities to continue their education in astronomy and physics.\u00a0 The experience they gain at UVI will also catapult them to the forefront of research experiences at other institutions such as NASA, the Space Telescope Science Institute or Harvard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more about supporting the Etelman Observatory as a donor, partner or volunteer, visit\u00a0 <\/span>http:\/\/observatory.uvi.edu\/<\/span><\/a> or contact <\/span>antonino.cucchiara@uvi.e<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Astronomers at the University of the Virgin Islands were granted access to two of the world\u2019s largest telescopes in Chile and Hawaii by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), UVI announced this afternoon. Scientists, collaborators and students will now be better equipped to study gamma-ray bursts (GRB), explosive phenomena generated by exploding stars 30 to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":49755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1078,191,147],"tags":[1014,6527],"yoast_head":"\nUVI Astronomers Granted Access To World\u2019s Largest Telescopes - V.I. Consortium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find Virgin Islands new, opinion, politics, lifestyle, business and more\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753\",\"name\":\"UVI Astronomers Granted Access To World\u2019s Largest Telescopes - V.I. Consortium\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-02-28T21:29:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-02-28T21:30:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#\/schema\/person\/39b3006bfe8aca8c2131c695b7505c09\"},\"description\":\"Find Virgin Islands new, opinion, politics, lifestyle, business and more\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UVI Astronomers Granted Access To World\u2019s Largest Telescopes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/\",\"name\":\"V.I. Consortium\",\"description\":\"Uniting the Caribbean\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#\/schema\/person\/39b3006bfe8aca8c2131c695b7505c09\",\"name\":\"Staff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/2.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f92cdebdd3d534234e61f7a1b9fbfa8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/2.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f92cdebdd3d534234e61f7a1b9fbfa8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Staff\"},\"url\":\"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?author=3\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"UVI Astronomers Granted Access To World\u2019s Largest Telescopes - V.I. Consortium","description":"Find Virgin Islands new, opinion, politics, lifestyle, business and more","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Staff","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753","url":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753","name":"UVI Astronomers Granted Access To World\u2019s Largest Telescopes - V.I. Consortium","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-02-28T21:29:13+00:00","dateModified":"2017-02-28T21:30:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#\/schema\/person\/39b3006bfe8aca8c2131c695b7505c09"},"description":"Find Virgin Islands new, opinion, politics, lifestyle, business and more","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=49753#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UVI Astronomers Granted Access To World\u2019s Largest Telescopes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#website","url":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/","name":"V.I. Consortium","description":"Uniting the Caribbean","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#\/schema\/person\/39b3006bfe8aca8c2131c695b7505c09","name":"Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/2.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f92cdebdd3d534234e61f7a1b9fbfa8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"http:\/\/2.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f92cdebdd3d534234e61f7a1b9fbfa8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Staff"},"url":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?author=3"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49753"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}