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Upcoming 4m ILMT facility and data reduction pipeline testing

Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy volume 43, Article number: 10 (2022) Cite this article

Abstract

The 4m international liquid mirror telescope (ILMT) installation activities have recently been completed at the Devasthal observatory (Uttarakhand, India). The ILMT will perform continuous observation of a narrow strip of the sky (\(\sim\)27\('\)) passing over the zenith in the SDSS \(g'\), \(r'\) and \(i'\) bands. In combination with a highly efficient \(4{\rm k}\times 4{\rm k}\) CCD camera and an optical corrector, the images will be secured at the prime focus of the telescope using the time delayed integration technique. The ILMT will reach \(\sim\)22.5 mag (\(g'\)-band) in a single scan and this limiting magnitude can be further improved by co-adding the nightly images. The uniqueness of the one-day cadence and deeper imaging with the ILMT will make it possible to discover and study various galactic and extra-galactic sources, specially variable ones. Here, we present the latest updates of the ILMT facility and discuss the preparation for the first light, which is expected during early 2022. We also briefly explain different steps involved in the ILMT data reduction pipeline.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the members of the ILMT team who provided their sincere support for this project which will see its first light soon. The authors also thank the referee for insightful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Manora Peak, Nainital, 263001, India

    Brajesh Kumar, Vibhore Negi, Bhavya Ailawadhi & Kuntal Misra

  2. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, 273009, India

    Vibhore Negi & Bhavya Ailawadhi

  3. Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Post Bag 4, Ganeshkhind, Pune, 411007, India

    Sapna Mishra

  4. Indian Space Research Organization, Antariksh Bhavan, New BEL Road, Bengaluru, 560231, India

    Bikram Pradhan

  5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada

    Paul Hickson

  6. Institute of Astrophysics and Geophysics, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août 19c, 4000, Liège, Belgium

    Jean Surdej

  7. Astronomical Observatory Institute, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Sloneczna 36, 60-286, Poznan, Poland

    Jean Surdej

Authors
  1. Brajesh Kumar
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  2. Vibhore Negi
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  3. Bhavya Ailawadhi
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  4. Sapna Mishra
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  5. Bikram Pradhan
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  6. Kuntal Misra
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  7. Paul Hickson
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  8. Jean Surdej
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brajesh Kumar.

Additional information

This article is part of the Special Issue on "Astrophysical Jets and Observational Facilities: A National Perspective".

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Kumar, B., Negi, V., Ailawadhi, B. et al. Upcoming 4m ILMT facility and data reduction pipeline testing. J Astrophys Astron 43, 10 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-021-09795-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12036-021-09795-3

Keywords

  • Optical telescope
  • liquid mirror telescope
  • instrumentation