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Overview, design, and flight results from SuperBIT: a high-resolution, wide-field, visible-to-near-UV balloon-borne astronomical telescope

Romualdez, L.J.; Benton, S.; Brown, A.; Clark, P.; Damaren, C.; Eifler, T.; Fraisse, A.; Galloway, M.; Hartley, J.; Jauzac, M.; Jones, W.; Li, L.; Luu, T.; Massey, R.; McCleary, J.; Netterfield, C.; Redmond, S.; Rhodes, J.; Schmoll, J.; Tam, S.

Overview, design, and flight results from SuperBIT: a high-resolution, wide-field, visible-to-near-UV balloon-borne astronomical telescope Thumbnail


Authors

L.J. Romualdez

S. Benton

A. Brown

P. Clark

C. Damaren

T. Eifler

A. Fraisse

M. Galloway

J. Hartley

W. Jones

L. Li

T. Luu

J. McCleary

C. Netterfield

S. Redmond

J. Rhodes

J. Schmoll

S. Tam



Contributors

Hideki Takami
Editor

Christopher J. Evans
Editor

Luc Simard
Editor

Abstract

Balloon-borne astronomy is a unique tool that allows for a level of image stability and significantly reduced atmospheric interference without the often prohibitive cost and long development time-scale that are characteristic of space-borne facility-class instruments. The Super-pressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) is a wide-field imager designed to provide 0.02" image stability over a 0.5 degree field-of-view for deep exposures within the visible-to-near-UV (300-900 um). As such, SuperBIT is a suitable platform for a wide range of balloon-borne observations, including solar and extrasolar planetary spectroscopy as well as resolved stellar populations and distant galaxies. We report on the overall payload design and instrumentation methodologies for SuperBIT as well as telescope and image stability results from two test flights. Prospects for the SuperBIT project are outlined with an emphasis on the development of a fully operational, three-month science flight from New Zealand in 2020.

Citation

Romualdez, L., Benton, S., Brown, A., Clark, P., Damaren, C., Eifler, T., …Tam, S. (2018). Overview, design, and flight results from SuperBIT: a high-resolution, wide-field, visible-to-near-UV balloon-borne astronomical telescope. In H. Takami, C. J. Evans, & L. Simard (Eds.), Proceedings of SPIE, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2307754

Conference Name SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018
Conference Location Austin, Texas, United States
Start Date Jun 10, 2018
End Date Jun 15, 2018
Online Publication Date Jul 6, 2018
Publication Date Jul 6, 2018
Deposit Date Jul 17, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Publisher SPIE
Series Title Astronomy Group; Proceedings of SPIE
Series Number 10702
Book Title Proceedings of SPIE, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII.
ISBN 9781510619579
DOI https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2307754
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1145011

Files

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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2018 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic electronic or print reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited.





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