Robo-AO is the world’s only robotic adaptive optics system.
By Sreekanth A Nair
Rohan Murty, son of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, has donated $1 million to Robo-AO, an astronomy project at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.
Robo-AO is a joint project of the Caltech Optical Observatories (COO) and the Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (ICUAA) in Pune, India.
It is guided by principal investigator Christoph Baranec, a former Caltech postdoctoral fellow (now a professor and Sloan Research Fellow at the University of Hawaii), and co-principal investigator Professor AN Ramaprakash of the IUCAA.
Budget cuts forced the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which operates the Kitt Peak Observatory for the National Science Foundation, to seek new operators for the observatory’s 2.1-meter telescope. This time, Murthy came to know about this and pledged to give $1 million for three years of operation.
“Automating the discovery of the universe impacts one of mankind’s oldest activities: to look up at the heavens and wonder about our place in the universe,” said Murthy.
“This activity has been the source of inspiration for religion, poetry, literature, science, and culture in general. Hence, I am pleased to support a dedicated telescopic facility for Robo-AO, which will serve as a new frontier for what computer science can do for astronomy and for mankind, in general”, he added.
Robo-AO is the world’s only robotic adaptive optics system. While other adaptive optics systems must be monitored and set up by several people, Robo-AO is fully robotic, which makes it 10 times more efficient than any other adaptive optics system in the world.
The instrument was developed by California Institute of Technology, popularly known as Caltech, and initially functioned with the 60-inch telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory north of San Diego.
Shrinivas R Kulkarni, Caltech’s John D and Catherine T MacArthur, professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science and director of the COO said, “As a dedicated facility, Robo-AO on the 2.1-m telescope can undertake other long-term studies, such as monitoring weather on Neptune, and large surveys, such as tracking and resolving asteroids. Furthermore, it is an excellent opportunity for young people to have hands-on experience with a state-of-the-art facility.”