ASOW 2012/08/18: Observations with the HESS

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SsDd
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ASOW 2012/08/18: Observations with the HESS

Post by SsDd » Tue Aug 21, 2012 12:20 am

Observations with the High Energy Stereoscopic System
Presenter: Dr. German Hermann
Max Planck Institute of nuclear Physics.

H.E.S.S. is a system of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes that investigates cosmic gamma rays in the energy range from 10s of GeV to 10s of TeV. The name H.E.S.S. stands for High Energy Stereoscopic System, and is also intended to pay homage to Victor Hess , who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1936 for his discovery of cosmic radiation. The instrument allows scientists to explore gamma-ray sources with intensities at a level of a few thousandths of the flux of the Crab nebula (the brightest steady source of gamma rays in the sky). H.E.S.S. is located in Namibia, near the Gamsberg mountain, an area well known for its excellent optical quality. The first of the four telescopes of Phase I of the H.E.S.S. project went into operation in Summer 2002; all four were operational in December 2003, and were officially inaugurated on September 28, 2004. A much larger fifth telescope - H.E.S.S. II - is operational since July 2012, extending the energy coverage towards lower energies and further improving sensitivity.

In this seminar Dr. Hermann talks about observations with the High Energy Stereoscopic System.

H.E.S.S was also featured on APOD on 2012 July 27 http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120727.html

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