Telescope with lobster eyes
2006/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
A group of European astronomers are conducting an x-ray telescope with a very wide field of view, based on lobster eyes.
The human eye focuses light through the lenses. The lobster, meanwhile, focuses on a gigantic network of tiny channels, allowing you to enjoy a huge visual field.
Astronomers since the 1970s have tried to make an x-ray telescope based on it, but have had to wait 30 years for the optics to be sufficiently advanced. In the end, they begin to develop a telescope of these characteristics. In English it is called Lobster All-Sky X-ray Monitor, that is, Total Sky X-ray Abakando Telescope.
The goal is to be located at the International Space Station (ISS). According to astronomers, it will be very useful to detect explosions and spectacular phenomena such as supernovae. In addition, they hope to use it as an alert system, as soon as they detect something they will immediately send the warning to Earth. In this way, telescopes operating at other wavelengths can be placed looking where appropriate.
