RoboNet
Encyclopedia
RoboNet-1.0 was a prototype global network of UK-built 2-metre robotic telescopes, the largest of their kind in the world, comprising the Liverpool Telescope
on La Palma (Canary Islands), the Faulkes Telescope North
on Maui (Hawaii), and the Faulkes Telescope South
in Australia, managed by a consortium of ten UK universities under the lead of Liverpool John Moores University
. For the technological aims of integrating a global network to act effectively as a single instrument, and maximizing the scientific return by applying the newest developments in e-Science
, RoboNet adopted the intelligent-agent architecture devised and maintained by the eSTAR
project.
With the flexible scheduling and short response time of robotic telescopes being ideal for time-domain astronomy, RoboNet-1.0 had two major science goals that critically depend on these requirements: the determination of origin and nature of gamma-ray bursts, and the detection of cool extra-solar planets by means of gravitational microlensing
.
Apart from their science use, the telescopes forming the RoboNet-1.0 have also been made available for two educational programmes, the Faulkes Telescope Project
and the National Schools‘ Observatory.
The RoboNet microlensing programme, led by the University of St Andrews
, engages in a common campaign with the PLANET
collaboration since 2005.
With the official end of RoboNet-1.0 in October 2007, and the earlier acquisition of the two Faulkes Telescopes by Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network
, the microlensing programme is carried on as RoboNet-II. From 2008, RoboNet-II will make use of the expert system for microlensing target selection
that is being provided by the Automated Robotic Terrestrial Exoplanet Microlensing Search (ARTEMiS). RoboNet-II aims at obtaining a first census of cool terrestrial exoplanets and competes for the first detection of an exoplanet of Earth mass or below.
Liverpool Telescope
The Liverpool Telescope is a fully robotic telescope that observes autonomously, i.e. it operates without human intervention. Professional astronomers and other registered users submit observation specifications to be considered by the telescope's robotic control system at any time of the day or...
on La Palma (Canary Islands), the Faulkes Telescope North
Faulkes Telescope North
The Faulkes Telescope North is a clone of the Liverpool Telescope, and is located at Haleakala Observatory in the U.S. state of Hawaii.The telescope is owned and operated by LCOGT. This telescope and its sister telescope Faulkes Telescope South are used by research and education groups across the...
on Maui (Hawaii), and the Faulkes Telescope South
Faulkes Telescope South
The Faulkes Telescope South is a clone of the Liverpool Telescope and is located at Siding Spring Observatory. It is a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope....
in Australia, managed by a consortium of ten UK universities under the lead of Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University is a British 'modern' university located in the city of Liverpool, England. The university is named after John Moores and was previously called Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts and later Liverpool Polytechnic before gaining university status in 1992, thus...
. For the technological aims of integrating a global network to act effectively as a single instrument, and maximizing the scientific return by applying the newest developments in e-Science
E-Science
E-Science is computationally intensive science that is carried out in highly distributed network environments, or science that uses immense data sets that require grid computing; the term sometimes includes technologies that enable distributed collaboration, such as the Access Grid...
, RoboNet adopted the intelligent-agent architecture devised and maintained by the eSTAR
ESTAR
The eSTAR project is a multi-agent system that aims to implement a true heterogeneous network of robotic telescopes for automated observing. The project is a joint collaboration between the Astrophysics Group of the University of Exeter and the Astrophysics Research Institute at Liverpool John...
project.
With the flexible scheduling and short response time of robotic telescopes being ideal for time-domain astronomy, RoboNet-1.0 had two major science goals that critically depend on these requirements: the determination of origin and nature of gamma-ray bursts, and the detection of cool extra-solar planets by means of gravitational microlensing
Gravitational microlensing
Gravitational microlensing is an astronomical phenomenon due to the gravitational lens effect. It can be used to detect objects ranging from the mass of a planet to the mass of a star, regardless of the light they emit. Typically, astronomers can only detect bright objects that emit lots of light ...
.
Apart from their science use, the telescopes forming the RoboNet-1.0 have also been made available for two educational programmes, the Faulkes Telescope Project
Faulkes Telescope Project
The Faulkes Telescope Project is supported by the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust. It provides access to 1,500 hours of observing time on two 2-metre class telescopes located in Hawaii and Australia...
and the National Schools‘ Observatory.
The RoboNet microlensing programme, led by the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, engages in a common campaign with the PLANET
Probing Lensing Anomalies Network
The Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork collaboration coordinates a network of telescopes to rapidly sample photometric measurements of the magnification of stars in the galactic bulge undergoing gravitational microlensing by intervening foreground stars...
collaboration since 2005.
With the official end of RoboNet-1.0 in October 2007, and the earlier acquisition of the two Faulkes Telescopes by Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network is a non-profit private operating foundation directed by the technologist Wayne Rosing. The network's goal is to build a global network of 50 to 70 longitudinally spaced robotic telescopes for scientific and educational use...
, the microlensing programme is carried on as RoboNet-II. From 2008, RoboNet-II will make use of the expert system for microlensing target selection
that is being provided by the Automated Robotic Terrestrial Exoplanet Microlensing Search (ARTEMiS). RoboNet-II aims at obtaining a first census of cool terrestrial exoplanets and competes for the first detection of an exoplanet of Earth mass or below.
Research highlights
RoboNet data so far contributed to the detection of five extra-solar planets (in the order of announcement of their discovery)- OGLE-2005-BLG-071LOGLE-2005-BLG-071LOGLE-2005-BLG-071L is a distant, magnitude 19.5 galactic bulge star located in the constellation Scorpius, approximately 11000 light years away from the Solar System...
b - OGLE-2005-BLG-390LbOGLE-2005-BLG-390LbOGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb is a 'super-Earth' extrasolar planet orbiting the star OGLE-2005-BLG-390L, which is situated 21,500 ± 3,300 light years away from Earth, near the center of the Milky Way galaxy...
(the most Earth-like planet at the time of its discovery) - OGLE-2005-BLG-169LOGLE-2005-BLG-169LOGLE-2005-BLG-169L is a dim and distant magnitude 20 galactic bulge star located about 2,700 parsecs away in the constellation Sagittarius. If it is a main sequence star, then it is most likely a red dwarf with about half of the mass of the Sun...
b - OGLE-2006-BLG-109LOGLE-2006-BLG-109LOGLE-2006-BLG-109L is a dim magnitude 17 unclassified galactic bulge star approximately 4,920 light-years away in the constellation of Sagittarius.- Planetary system :...
b and OGLE-2006-BLG-109Lc (a pair similar to Jupiter and Saturn in the Solar system)
External links
- RoboNet homepage
- eSTAR homepage
- ARTEMiS homepage
- LJMU Astrophysics Research Institute
- University of St Andrews Astronomy Group
- Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGTN)
- The Sky at Night episode on RoboNet (August 2007)
- Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics
- Burst Observer and Optical Transient Exploring System (BOOTES) Robotic Telescope Network