content: manual editorial pass over all news articles (headings, quotes, captions)

2026-07-25 07:02:35 +02:00
parent 4ace039233
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@@ -26,5 +26,5 @@ On behalf of the CTAO, I would like to thank our teams and partners around the w

 I wish you all a very happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

-**Stuart McMuldroch
-**CTAO Director General
+**Stuart McMuldroch**  
+CTAO Director General
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ On 23 January, AES Andes announced [on their website](https://www.aesandes.com/

 Last year, ESO publicly [raised the alarm](https://www.eso.org/public/unitedkingdom/news/eso2501/?lang) about the threat that the INNA megaproject posed to the Paranal Observatory, a site renowned for having the world’s darkest and clearest skies for astronomy and the location of the [CTAO’s southern hemisphere array (CTAO-South)](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-south/). The project, proposed by AES Andes, a subsidiary of the U.S. power company AES Corporation, involved multiple energy and processing facilities spread over an area of more than 3,000 hectares, the size of a small city. Its planned location was situated just [a few kilometres from the Paranal telescopes](https://www.eso.org/public/unitedkingdom/images/INNA-map-EN/). An in-depth [technical analysis issued by ESO](https://www.eso.org/public/unitedkingdom/news/eso2506/) in March 2025 revealed that INNA’s impact would cause devastating and irreversible damage, particularly regarding light pollution, micro-vibrations, dust, and an increase of the air turbulence in the area.

-“While we await the company’s official withdrawal from SEA, we very much welcome this announcement. I would like to extend my deep and sincere appreciation to everyone who advocated for the protection of Paranal’s pristine skies,” says Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO Director General. “The CTAO remains committed to the preservation of dark and quiet skies, and we will continue collaborating with our hosting partners at ESO towards that goal.”
+> “While we await the company’s official withdrawal from SEA, we very much welcome this announcement. I would like to extend my deep and sincere appreciation to everyone who advocated for the protection of Paranal’s pristine skies,” says Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO Director General. “The CTAO remains committed to the preservation of dark and quiet skies, and we will continue collaborating with our hosting partners at ESO towards that goal.”

 Reflecting on the announced cancellation, ESO has also emphasised the broader lessons this situation provides regarding industrial projects near astronomical facilities. In [their press release](https://www.eso.org/public/unitedkingdom/news/eso2602/), they note that “the INNA case and its [proposed location](https://www.eso.org/public/images/INNA-map-EN/) highlight the urgent need to establish clear protection measures in the areas around astronomical observatories. Such measures are essential to allow astronomical observatories to continue operating.” Safeguarding this natural heritage is vital not only for future generations but also for the continued exploration of the Universe by cutting-edge facilities like the CTAO.

@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ AMANAR, which means “Pleiades” in Berber, was born as an outreach project to

 The summer activities in the Canary Islands within the “Holidays in Peace” program will be carried out in Tenerife (July 20), La Palma (27 July) and Gran Canaria (August 3). In Tenerife and La Palma, the Saharawi children will join us in a visit to the observatories, where they will get an up-close look at some of the telescopes, such as the Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST-1) located at the El Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (La Palma). Moreover, the group has crafted educational and outreach workshops for the children to inspire their interest in the Cosmos and develop their creativity. These activities include designing a new telescope to catch gamma rays and learning about the Solar System, among others. CTAO Outreach and Education Coordinator, Alba Fernández-Barral, and the Outreach and Communication Officer, Megan Grunewald, have actively participated in the organization of activities for these two sites and will join the group on these dates. The last activity will take place in Gran Canaria, in the Juan de Zamora school (Arucas), where the Saharawi and local children will learn about astronomy and will enjoy the night sky together. The astronomical program within the “Holidays in Peace” is expected to continue for the next three years. The project will close this year in October with a visit to the refugee camps in Tindouf, where scientists and experts from different organizations will carry out workshops at schools and will study and disseminate the astronomical knowledge of the Saharawi population.

-“The project has a long-term goal of contributing to raise awareness, at the national and international level, about the hard conditions that the Saharawi people must live in the refugee camps, which has lasted already for 40 years. To do so, we will create different audiovisual materials, such as an immersive video and a documentary, with which we will give a voice to the participants and disseminate their message of peace and social justice,” explains the main organizer Sandra Benítez Herrera, astrophysicist and science communicator at the IAC’s Communication and Scientific Culture Unite (UC3) and member of GalileoMobile since 2011. “The institutions collaborating in the project have committed to help in this sense, too.”
+> “The project has a long-term goal of contributing to raise awareness, at the national and international level, about the hard conditions that the Saharawi people must live in the refugee camps, which has lasted already for 40 years. To do so, we will create different audiovisual materials, such as an immersive video and a documentary, with which we will give a voice to the participants and disseminate their message of peace and social justice,” explains the main organizer Sandra Benítez Herrera, astrophysicist and science communicator at the IAC’s Communication and Scientific Culture Unite (UC3) and member of GalileoMobile since 2011. “The institutions collaborating in the project have committed to help in this sense, too.”

 The CTAO’s participation is within the framework of its own Astrodiversity program. The CTAO is a global organisation proud of its diversity that aims to become a reference of equity and respect in science, as well as to work internationally to achieve equality in our field. Based on this idea, the CTAO Outreach, Education and Communication group has created the Astrodiversity program, under which it joins all its diversity-related activities.

-### About GalileoMobile:
+## About GalileoMobile:

 GalileoMobile is an international project, itinerant and non-profit, whose objective is to share Astronomy with students and teachers of rural communities with reduced access to programs of this type. The team consists of a group of 15 volunteer astronomers, educators and science communicators from around the world. Since its creation in 2008, GalileoMobile has reached more than 1,400 teachers and 16,000 students, donating hundreds of telescopes and organizing public sky observations for thousands of people in 15 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Nepal, Peru, Spain, Uganda and the United States of America.
@@ -8,23 +8,27 @@ cover: /uploads/15354061055_c2311325a0_k_small-768x513.png
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-Exactly 30 years after the first historical observation of Crab nebula at TeV energies, which opened the era of TeV astronomy with the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique (IACT), another advancement in IACT technology has been achieved. The ASTRI-Horn Cherenkov Telescope, based on the innovative Schwarzschild-Couder dual-mirror configuration and equipped with an innovative camera, has detected the Crab Nebula at TeV energies for the first time, proving the viability of this technology.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In 1989, the very first detection of the Crab Nebula at TeV energies (about a trillion times the energy of visible light) was obtained with the Whipple Telescope. This discovery was the initiation of *TeV astronomy*, which, with its rapid growth, has led to the detection of about 200 gamma-ray sources from other ground-based detectors like H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS and has paved the way for the next generation: the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO).
+Exactly 30 years after the first historical observation of Crab nebula at TeV energies, which opened the era of TeV astronomy with the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique (IACT), another advancement in IACT technology has been achieved. The ASTRI-Horn Cherenkov Telescope, based on the innovative Schwarzschild-Couder dual-mirror configuration and equipped with an innovative camera, has detected the Crab Nebula at TeV energies for the first time, proving the viability of this technology.
+
+In 1989, the very first detection of the Crab Nebula at TeV energies (about a trillion times the energy of visible light) was obtained with the Whipple Telescope. This discovery was the initiation of *TeV astronomy*, which, with its rapid growth, has led to the detection of about 200 gamma-ray sources from other ground-based detectors like H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS and has paved the way for the next generation: the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO).

 Because gamma-rays never make it to the Earth’s surface, these instruments use the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Technique (IACT) to detect the by-product of the gamma-ray’s interaction with the atmosphere: Cherenkov light. The interaction produces cascades of subatomic particles – these highly energetic particles can travel faster than the speed of light, which causes a faint and extremely short (of the order of a billionth of a second!) flash of bluish light. Cherenkov telescopes, since the very beginning, have been built following a typical optical design where the light is reflected off the telescope’s mirror to be captured by the camera and then is converted into an electrical signal that is digitized and transmitted to record the image of the light.

-The Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) is leading the ASTRI (*Astrofisica con Specchi a Tecnologia Replicante Italiana*) project aimed at the design, deployment and implementation of a novel end-to-end prototype telescope that is proposed for the CTA Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs). This Cherenkov telescope, named ASTRI-Horn (in honor of Guido Horn d’Arturo an Italian astronomer who first proposed in the past century the technology of tessellated mirrors for astronomy), is adopting a wide (10°x10°) field *Schwarzschild-Couder dual-mirror *optical configuration and is equipped with a specifically designed, innovative Silicon photo-multiplier (SiPM) camera managed by very fast read-out electronics. The ASTRI-Horn prototype, located on Mount Etna (Italy) at the INAF “M.C. Fracastoro” observing station, has been conceived as an end-to-end project including the full data archiving and processing chain, from raw data up to final scientific products.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The observations of the Crab Nebula were carried out between December 2018 and January 2019, during the ASTRI-Horn telescope verification phase, for a total observation time of about 29 hours, divided in on- and off-axis source exposure. The camera system was still undergoing assessment, and its functionality was not fully exploited. Moreover, owing to recent eruptions of the Etna Volcano, the mirror reflection efficiency was partially reduced. In spite of such camera and mirrors limitations, observations yielded the detection of the Crab Nebula with a statistical significance of 5.4s above an energy threshold of about 3.5 TeV, definitively probing the new technologies and opening a new era for IACT.
+The Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) is leading the ASTRI (*Astrofisica con Specchi a Tecnologia Replicante Italiana*) project aimed at the design, deployment and implementation of a novel end-to-end prototype telescope that is proposed for the CTA Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs). This Cherenkov telescope, named ASTRI-Horn (in honor of Guido Horn d’Arturo an Italian astronomer who first proposed in the past century the technology of tessellated mirrors for astronomy), is adopting a wide (10°x10°) field *Schwarzschild-Couder dual-mirror *optical configuration and is equipped with a specifically designed, innovative Silicon photo-multiplier (SiPM) camera managed by very fast read-out electronics. The ASTRI-Horn prototype, located on Mount Etna (Italy) at the INAF “M.C. Fracastoro” observing station, has been conceived as an end-to-end project including the full data archiving and processing chain, from raw data up to final scientific products.

-“The result obtained by ASTRI is an important milestone for the IACT technologies. It is demonstrating that the dual mirror configuration, firstly proposed by the great German Astrophysicist Karl Schwarzschild more than a century ago, is performing well. It is now possible to achieve a very large field-of-view with a much more compact Cherenkov telescope design, easily observing very energetic cosmic gamma-rays up to a few hundreds of TeV” says Giovanni Pareschi, astronomer at the INAF-Milano and principal investigator of the ASTRI project.
+The observations of the Crab Nebula were carried out between December 2018 and January 2019, during the ASTRI-Horn telescope verification phase, for a total observation time of about 29 hours, divided in on- and off-axis source exposure. The camera system was still undergoing assessment, and its functionality was not fully exploited. Moreover, owing to recent eruptions of the Etna Volcano, the mirror reflection efficiency was partially reduced. In spite of such camera and mirrors limitations, observations yielded the detection of the Crab Nebula with a statistical significance of 5.4s above an energy threshold of about 3.5 TeV, definitively probing the new technologies and opening a new era for IACT.
+
+> “The result obtained by ASTRI is an important milestone for the IACT technologies. It is demonstrating that the dual mirror configuration, firstly proposed by the great German Astrophysicist Karl Schwarzschild more than a century ago, is performing well. It is now possible to achieve a very large field-of-view with a much more compact Cherenkov telescope design, easily observing very energetic cosmic gamma-rays up to a few hundreds of TeV” says Giovanni Pareschi, astronomer at the INAF-Milano and principal investigator of the ASTRI project.

 Three classes of  telescope are required to cover the full CTA energy range (20 GeV to 300 TeV): Medium-Sized Telescopes (12 m diameter dish) will cover CTA’s core energy range (100 GeV to 10 TeV) while the Large-Sized Telescopes (23 m) and Small-Sized Telescopes (4 m) or SSTs are planned to extend the energy range below 100 GeV and above a few TeV, respectively. The ASTRI-Horn telescope is one of three proposed SST designs being prototyped and tested for CTA’s southern hemisphere array.

-“CTA has been exploring the dual-mirror technology since the very beginning of the project, and some prototypes have been realized using such an approach: the ASTRI-Horn and the GCT for the SST and the SCT for the Medium-Sized Telescope,” says Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of the CTA Observatory (CTAO). “The result obtained by ASTRI-Horn telescope is very encouraging and confirms the potential of technological advancement for Cherenkov astronomy.”
+> “CTA has been exploring the dual-mirror technology since the very beginning of the project, and some prototypes have been realized using such an approach: the ASTRI-Horn and the GCT for the SST and the SCT for the Medium-Sized Telescope,” says Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of the CTA Observatory (CTAO). “The result obtained by ASTRI-Horn telescope is very encouraging and confirms the potential of technological advancement for Cherenkov astronomy.”

 The ASTRI project ([http://www.brera.inaf.it/astri/](http://www.brera.inaf.it/astri/)) is led by the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) with the support of MIUR (the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research) and with in collaboration with a number of Italian Universities (including, Perugia, Padova and Roma Tor Vergata) and the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), and the direct the participation of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and FAPESP in Brazil and North-West University in South Africa

 The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a global initiative to build the world’s largest and most sensitive high-energy gamma-ray observatory with 118 telescopes split between two sites: one in the northern hemisphere on the island of La Palma, Spain, and the other in the southern hemisphere near Paranal, Chile. More than 1,400 scientists and engineers from 31 countries across five continents and more than 200 research institutes are participating in the CTA project. CTA will be the foremost global observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy over the next decade and beyond and will be the first ground-based gamma-ray astronomy observatory open to the world-wide astronomical and particle physics communities. CTA will address some of the greatest mysteries in astrophysics, seeking the origin and role of relativistic cosmic particles, probing extreme environments and exploring physics frontiers.

-### Contacts:
+## Contacts:

 Giovanni Pareschi

@@ -10,14 +10,14 @@ draft: false

 On 24 June 2021, the Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR) approved the CTA Observatory’s (CTAO’s) Cost Book and Scientific & Technical Description, fundamental documents towards the establishment of the final legal entity of CTAO as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). The decision comes after the approval of the Cost Book by the [CTAO Council](https://www.cta-observatory.org/about/governance/) this week. The BGR, comprised of representatives of the future ERIC member countries, is one of the key committees created to prepare and evaluate documentation for the transition of CTAO’s legal status from the current gGmbH (under German law) to an ERIC (under European law).

-“The decision of the BGR endorses the support of the shareholder countries for the construction of the CTA Observatory,” explains Federico Ferrini, CTAO Managing Director. “We are very excited that the Cost Book and the Scientific & Technical Description evaluations were successfully completed and that the ERIC application will be finalised soon.”
+> “The decision of the BGR endorses the support of the shareholder countries for the construction of the CTA Observatory,” explains Federico Ferrini, CTAO Managing Director. “We are very excited that the Cost Book and the Scientific & Technical Description evaluations were successfully completed and that the ERIC application will be finalised soon.”

 The Cost Book approved by the BGR presents the expected construction costs for individual components and work items for building the CTA Observatory to which each country and institution will contribute.

-“In preparing the Cost Book, we have taken great care in maximizing the science capabilities while aligning the scope of the construction project with the funding reality and strategic interests of the future ERIC members,” says Wolfgang Wild, CTAO Project Manager.
+> “In preparing the Cost Book, we have taken great care in maximizing the science capabilities while aligning the scope of the construction project with the funding reality and strategic interests of the future ERIC members,” says Wolfgang Wild, CTAO Project Manager.

 The CTAO’s Scientific & Technical Description presents the key aspects of CTAO, such as the construction project’s development and intended lifecycle, and summarizes the scientific capabilities and technical goals to be accomplished during the construction.

 In particular, it includes the configuration of the telescope arrays at the two sites for the first construction phase, named “Alpha Configuration.” This configuration includes 4 Large-Sized Telescopes (LSTs) and 9 Medium-Sized Telescopes (MSTs) for the northern hemisphere array located on La Palma (Spain), and 14 MSTs and 37 Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs) for the southern hemisphere array situated in the Atacama Desert (Chile). The definition of these configurations is the result of a meticulous optimization process for each array’s scientific capabilities, which implies the specialization of the northern array in extragalactic sources (low and medium CTAO’s energy range) and that of the southern array in Galactic targets (medium and high CTAO’s energy range) for the first construction phase.

-“The Alpha Configuration ensures the outstanding performance of the Observatory and its transformational science,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist. “Both telescope arrays will achieve 5 to 10 times better sensitivity than any current instrument, which will constitute a giant scientific leap in gamma-ray astronomy.”
+> “The Alpha Configuration ensures the outstanding performance of the Observatory and its transformational science,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist. “Both telescope arrays will achieve 5 to 10 times better sensitivity than any current instrument, which will constitute a giant scientific leap in gamma-ray astronomy.”
@@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ draft: false

 On 31 May 2022, the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory’s (CTAO’s) Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR) submitted the formal request to the European Commission to establish the CTAO ERIC or European Research Infrastructure Consortium. The CTAO ERIC will be the final legal entity of the CTAO that will oversee the construction and operation of the Observatory. This request, known as the “Step 2” application, includes the final version of all the required documentation with the approval of the future CTAO ERIC member countries, as their formal commitment to build and support the Observatory throughout its lifetime. The BGR, comprised of representatives of the future ERIC member countries, is the key committee created to prepare and evaluate documentation for the evolution of CTAO’s legal status from the current gGmbH (under German law) to an ERIC (under European law).

-“With this submission, the preparatory phase to create the CTAO ERIC has concluded. It is now in the hands of the European Commission to ratify the creation of the new legal entity,” explains Prof. Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of the CTAO gGmbH. “The CTAO gGmbH was charged with two main objectives: preparing for construction and achieving the formation of the ERIC. This will be the final, conclusive milestone and, soon, we may declare our tasks achieved, creating the fundaments for the realization of the CTA project!”
+> “With this submission, the preparatory phase to create the CTAO ERIC has concluded. It is now in the hands of the European Commission to ratify the creation of the new legal entity,” explains Prof. Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of the CTAO gGmbH. “The CTAO gGmbH was charged with two main objectives: preparing for construction and achieving the formation of the ERIC. This will be the final, conclusive milestone and, soon, we may declare our tasks achieved, creating the fundaments for the realization of the CTA project!”

 As the final step towards the establishment of the ERIC, the Step 2 application’s Statutes describe the provisions governing the ERIC, the rights and obligations of the members, their contribution, tasks and activities, as well as the principles covering the different policies. The application includes the Cost Book and the Scientific & Technical Description of the CTAO, which present the expected construction costs of the Observatory and the construction project’s development and lifecycle, respectively. The submission of the Step 2 application also reinforces the financial and in-kind contribution commitment of the member countries that will form the CTAO ERIC.

-“Thanks to the commitment of all countries supporting the construction of the Observatory and the active collaboration of all members of the BGR, as well as the collaboration of the CTAO gGmbH, a long and complex process has been completed successfully on May 31,” says Prof. Aldo Covello, Chair of the BGR. ”We are now ready to start the construction of this important research infrastructure, as soon as the European Commission approves it.”
+> “Thanks to the commitment of all countries supporting the construction of the Observatory and the active collaboration of all members of the BGR, as well as the collaboration of the CTAO gGmbH, a long and complex process has been completed successfully on May 31,” says Prof. Aldo Covello, Chair of the BGR. ”We are now ready to start the construction of this important research infrastructure, as soon as the European Commission approves it.”

 In the next few months, the European Commission will revise the formal request and prepare its final decision. In this delivery period, the Commission can request additional information. The establishment of the CTAO ERIC is expected to take place in the first half of 2023, which will mark the official start of the Construction and Operation Phase of the CTAO, the first ground-based gamma-ray observatory.
@@ -10,9 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 *By Wolfgang Wild, CTAO Project Manager *

-(originally published in the [December 2018 Issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://mailchi.mp/41fe652a9123/cta-newsletter-dec2018))*
-
-*
+*(originally published in the [December 2018 Issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://mailchi.mp/41fe652a9123/cta-newsletter-dec2018))*

 Building the world’s largest observatory is no small task. It requires meticulous consideration of every aspect of building and maintaining the technology – from funding and foundations to software and safety – and the experience and resources to determine those requirements and plot the path forward. In the past six months, we have been making major strides toward putting all the pieces in place. Here is a summary of some of the main achievements and developments within the Project Office.

@@ -10,9 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 This article is part of the “[Building from Diversity](https://www.cta-observatory.org/outreach-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)” project.

-*Written by Dominik Elsässer, Researcher at the Technical University Dortmund (TU Dortmund; Germany)
-
-*
+*Written by Dominik Elsässer, Researcher at the Technical University Dortmund (TU Dortmund; Germany)*

 “The stars in the sky – what are they made of?“

@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/Poster_ilustracion_facebook_HL-01-1600x840.png
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-This article is part of the “[Building from Diversity](https://www.cta-observatory.org/outreach-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)” project. *Written by Simone Iovenitti, Post-doc Researcher (INAF-OAB; Italy)
-
-*
+This article is part of the “[Building from Diversity](https://www.cta-observatory.org/outreach-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)” project. *Written by Simone Iovenitti, Post-doc Researcher (INAF-OAB; Italy)*

 Nowadays, the strategy for measuring the distance of remote astronomical objects with respect to the planet Earth is based on the so-called “distance ladder” [1]. It is a sequence of different measurement methods, relying on various physics phenomena. The most interesting aspect is that every method works only in a specific range of distance, and this is why we need a sequence of several steps (exactly as in a ladder) to reach very faraway objects. Fortunately, every step overlaps with both the previous and the next one, so it is possible to obtain a resulting ladder which is well calibrated. Today, this approach allows us to measure the huge distances in the Universe, which is an issue that has challenged astronomers of all epochs. Several scientists gave their contribution in the realization of the “distance ladder.” In particular, a crucial result was achieved in 1908 by a brilliant woman astronomer: Henrietta Swan Leavitt. As we will learn through her story, her findings helped solve the fundamental problem of measuring the distance between distant objects in space. Similarly, the story of her life is still probably helping us today in solving the embarrassing problem of the cultural distance between the role of men and women in science.

@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/Poster_ilustracion_facebook_JB-01-1600x840.png
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-This article is part of the “[Building from Diversity](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)” project. *Written by Michael Burton, Director of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
-
-*
+This article is part of the “[Building from Diversity](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)” project. *Written by Michael Burton, Director of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium*

 The story of Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s discovery of pulsars is one of the best known in astronomy. The story of how, as a graduate student at the University of Cambridge, she detected “a bit of scruff” on the chart recorder of the radio telescope designed by her supervisor Anthony Hewish. A telescope that she’d built in 1967 as part of her PhD – the Interplanetary Scintillation Array at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory in Cambridge.

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/Poster_ilustracion_facebook_MP-01-1600x840.png
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-This article is part of the “[Building from Diversity](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)” project. *Written by **Isabel Márquez, Deputy Director of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA) and Scientific Director of the Severo Ochoa Project at IAA, and **Josefa Masegosa, Senior Staff Researcher at IAA (Spain)*
+This article is part of the “[Building from Diversity](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)” project. *Written by Isabel Márquez, Deputy Director of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA) and Scientific Director of the Severo Ochoa Project at IAA, and Josefa Masegosa, Senior Staff Researcher at IAA (Spain)*

 Born in Serbia in 1981, Mirjana Pović excelled in primary school, where she loved mathematics and biology. Very early on she was delighted by observing the stars in the night sky. Starting when she was nine, she grew and became an adolescent embedded in the Yugoslav wars and their consequences. She said that “when you grow up in chaos, with so many unanswered questions, you feel so constricted, so locked in, that reading books, walking in nature and looking up at the night sky is a way to escape so much madness.”

@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/Poster_ilustracion_facebook_VR-01-1600x840.png
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-This article is part of the “[Building from Diversity](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)” project. *Written by Anjana Kaushik Talluri, PhD student at the University of Minnesota
-
-*
+This article is part of the “[Building from Diversity](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)” project. *Written by Anjana Kaushik Talluri, PhD student at the University of Minnesota*

 A whopping 95% of the Universe is hidden! The visible, or baryonic, matter that we are familiar with accounts for a mere 5% of the Universe, while the rest comprises “dark matter” (27%) and “dark energy” (68%).

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/EnriquePerezMontero_rocco-768x461.jpg
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-This article is part of the [“Building from Diversity” project.](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/) *Written by **Emilio García, Head of the Communication and Scientific Culture Unit at the IAA-CSIC*
+This article is part of the [“Building from Diversity” project.](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/) *Written by Emilio García, Head of the Communication and Scientific Culture Unit at the IAA-CSIC*

 An oxymoron. A turn of phrase in which two contradictory concepts are used in a single expression. Cold fire, deafening silence, dark light or blind astronomer. Because how could one work in Astronomy without the ability to actually *see* the stars? How is it possible to do research in such a fundamentally visual science with a visual impairment? Enrique Pérez Montero is showing the world how.

@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@ cover: /uploads/featured-image-01-768x351.png
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-This article is part of the [“Building from Diversity” project.](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/) *Written by** **Cristina Fernández-Suárez, PhD Student at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) & Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT).*
+This article is part of the [“Building from Diversity” project.](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/) *Written by Cristina Fernández-Suárez, PhD Student at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) & Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT).*

-Can you imagine having a dream as a child that you are forbidden to pursue? That was the story of Katherine Johnson, an African American girl born in 1918 in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia. A girl who, since she was little, liked counting everything: the steps she took, the dishes she washed, the stars she saw [1]… Katherine demonstrated her talent and passion for mathematics from a very young age. However, she grew up in a time and place where there were laws of racial segregation, which prevented African Americans from studying beyond the eighth grade [2]. But this was not going to stop her. Her family decided to move to Institute, where the West Virginia Colored Institute for African Americans was located [3]. There, she graduated at just 14 years old and began her higher education at West Virginia State College, where she earned her degrees in mathematics and French at the age of 18. Regardless of her credentials, one of the only options available to Katherine as an African American woman was to teach [4]. Hence, once she finished her studies, she had no choice but to work under the racist and discriminatory restrictions of the time. As a teacher of mathematics, music and French, she earned less money than her white peers and had to hide her marriage, since married women were not allowed to teach [5].[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Sometime later, she learned that the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), predecessor of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was looking for African American women for calculation tasks in the Department of Guidance and Navigation, and decided to sign up [4]. At that time, African Americans were separated from white people: they had segregated cafeteria tables, bus seats, bathrooms and were prohibited from mixing whatsoever [5].
+Can you imagine having a dream as a child that you are forbidden to pursue? That was the story of Katherine Johnson, an African American girl born in 1918 in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia. A girl who, since she was little, liked counting everything: the steps she took, the dishes she washed, the stars she saw [1]… Katherine demonstrated her talent and passion for mathematics from a very young age. However, she grew up in a time and place where there were laws of racial segregation, which prevented African Americans from studying beyond the eighth grade [2]. But this was not going to stop her. Her family decided to move to Institute, where the West Virginia Colored Institute for African Americans was located [3]. There, she graduated at just 14 years old and began her higher education at West Virginia State College, where she earned her degrees in mathematics and French at the age of 18. Regardless of her credentials, one of the only options available to Katherine as an African American woman was to teach [4]. Hence, once she finished her studies, she had no choice but to work under the racist and discriminatory restrictions of the time. As a teacher of mathematics, music and French, she earned less money than her white peers and had to hide her marriage, since married women were not allowed to teach [5].
+
+Sometime later, she learned that the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), predecessor of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was looking for African American women for calculation tasks in the Department of Guidance and Navigation, and decided to sign up [4]. At that time, African Americans were separated from white people: they had segregated cafeteria tables, bus seats, bathrooms and were prohibited from mixing whatsoever [5].

 Her job was to perform calculations and checks for aeronautical engineers, a quiet job done by a quiet group of women. However, she was curious and had questions, so she asked to be able to attend meetings with the engineers so that she could join the discussions. Initially they refused, to which she challenged whether there was a law that prohibited it. There was not, so she began attending those meetings [4] and, over time, her persistence, math skills and quality work built her a reputation at NACA/NASA. She participated in NASA’s Mercury Project, performing by hand the calculations that allowed Alan B. Shepherd, the first American in space, to make his space journey in 1961 [3]. Later, in 1962, when computers began to be used for these types of calculations, Katherine assumed a supervisory role. The same year, her skills helped John Glenn become the first American to orbit the Earth [3, 6]. Moreover, her calculations were key to the success of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, which landed humankind on the Moon [3]. She continued working on other missions until her retirement in 1986, receiving numerous awards and honors for her exceptional work and contributions to the U.S. space programme.

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/MarieCurie_FeatureImage-01-1600x837.png
 draft: false
 ---

-This article is part of the [“Building from Diversity” project.](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/) *Written by **Laura Paganini, science communicator at the INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera*
+This article is part of the [“Building from Diversity” project.](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/) *Written by Laura Paganini, science communicator at the INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera*

 When you think about women that strongly impacted the history of science, Marie Curie will most likely come to your mind. Maria Salomea Skłodowska–Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, the only woman to do so twice and the only person to obtain it in two different scientific disciplines: physics and chemistry [1]

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ In Marie Curie’s own words *(b)*: “I am among those who think that science h

 —

-*Article reviewed by **Anna Wolter, researcher at the INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy).*
+*Article reviewed by Anna Wolter, researcher at the INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (Italy).*

 *References*

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 This article is part of the [“Building from Diversity” project.](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/outreach-and-education/astrodiversity/building-from-diversity/)

-*Written by **Nicole Araneda, PhD Student at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid*
+*Written by Nicole Araneda, PhD Student at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid*

 In the world of science, figures like Galileo, Newton and Einstein tend to dominate the spotlight, but many other notable figures have contributed significantly to our understanding of the cosmos. One of them is American scientist, Sandra Faber.

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ Sandra Faber’s legacy transcends her gender and inspires us all, regardless of

 —

-*Article reviewed by **Viviana Gammaldi, researcher at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain).*
+*Article reviewed by Viviana Gammaldi, researcher at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain).*

 *References*

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Presenter, Stefano Sandrelli (INAF), will begin the journey in the age of the

 And to be sure the ears and eyes are as stimulated as the mind, the audience will be treated to a series of entertainment interludes that will feature performances by theatrical group [Kepler 452](https://kepler452.it/) and one of Italy’s most popular music bands, [Lo Stato Sociale](http://lostatosociale.net/home/).

-### Event Details:
+## Event Details:

 [Teatro Duse](https://www.teatrodusebologna.it/), Via Cartoleria 42, 40124 Bologna

@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@ Originally published in the [October 2019 issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://m

 *Written by: Lara Nava*

-*
-
 *Very high-energy (VHE) gamma rays, like the ones that CTA will catch, are produced in many different astrophysical environments. They originate from very energetic particles and, as such, provide glimpses into extreme astrophysical phenomena. Among the most extreme sources in the Universe, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) lead the pack. They are produced following the formation of jets traveling with velocities close to the speed of light ejected by newly-born compact objects (such as neutron stars or black holes, see Figure 1). Thanks to observations from ground-based telescopes and space missions, we know that GRBs produce an emission over a wide range of frequencies, from the radio band up to gamma-ray energies. Most of this emission is thought to be synchrotron radiation from energetic electrons moving in spiral pattern around magnetic field lines. At very high energies (VHE, >100 GeV) synchrotron radiation is not expected to play a role, but other mechanisms have been theorised to produce a detectable amount of VHE radiation. The most important one is the Inverse Compton, where photons collide with the energetic electrons and gain energy in the process. This mechanism can be more or less relevant, depending on the conditions of the region where the radiation is produced, which in GRBs are still poorly understood.

 Curiously, even though GRBs are the most powerful sources in the Universe, all the efforts to detect VHE radiation arising from them have failed for many years. Considering that GRBs are cosmological sources located at an average redshift of z=2, the flux of VHE photons (if produced) will be strongly attenuated by the encounter with visible-IR light, making their detection on Earth very difficult. Thus, the question whether this radiation is produced or not, in what amount, how common it is, and which maximum energies can be attained remained unanswered for a long time. As a consequence of these uncertainties, the role of CTA on the study of GRBs was not easy to predict. On the one hand, CTA’s sensitivity down to 20 GeV assures that GRBs can be detected, since the existence of emission at these energies has already been proven by the satellites *Fermi* and AGILE. On the other hand, the detection rate and the energy up to which GRBs will be detected strongly depend on whether or not an emission component at VHE exists.
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 On Monday 29 April, the Compact High Energy Camera (CHEC) prototype camera, CHEC-S, was installed on the ASTRI-Horn telescope (left), a prototype Small-Sized Telescope (SST) for CTA. The following day, the camera was turned on and achieved first light, recording thousands of Cherenkov events in the first evening of observations. No re-alignment of the telescope optics was required following the mounting of CHEC. Images appear clear and in-focus with the PSF of the telescope well-matched to the camera pixel size. A selection of these events can be seen below.

-The observations took place at the astronomical site of Serra La Nave (Mount Etna) in Sicily managed by INAF-Catania and involved both CHEC and ASTRI team members from DESY, INAF, University of Leicester, Liverpool University, [Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik](https://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/mpi/en/hinton/projects/cta/chec/) (MPIK) and the University of Oxford. The team remained on site for two weeks to prove the viability of using CHEC with ASTRI – a goal that was readily met. Beyond capturing Cherenkov images from cosmic rays, the team briefly observed several gamma-ray sources, commissioned the internal camera calibration system, took data to verify the camera pointing system and completed work on reading out trigger patterns for each raw event.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
+The observations took place at the astronomical site of Serra La Nave (Mount Etna) in Sicily managed by INAF-Catania and involved both CHEC and ASTRI team members from DESY, INAF, University of Leicester, Liverpool University, [Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik](https://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/mpi/en/hinton/projects/cta/chec/) (MPIK) and the University of Oxford. The team remained on site for two weeks to prove the viability of using CHEC with ASTRI – a goal that was readily met. Beyond capturing Cherenkov images from cosmic rays, the team briefly observed several gamma-ray sources, commissioned the internal camera calibration system, took data to verify the camera pointing system and completed work on reading out trigger patterns for each raw event.

 This achievement comes not long after the ASTRI-Horn telescope became the first Cherenkov telescope in a dual-mirror configuration to detect the Crab Nebula at TeV energies using the ASTRI prototype Cherenkov camera. The CHEC is an alternative Cherenkov camera compatible with both SST dual-mirror telescopes, GCT and ASTRI. The latest prototype, CHEC-S (right) consists of 2048 silicon photo-multiplier pixels forming approximately a 9o x 9o field of view when installed on ASTRI-Horn.

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ The CHEC is unique as an SST dual-mirror camera in its ability to capture Cheren

 Two things are immediately clear from such images. First, looking at the right, there is an ambiguity in the fixed image – it is not easy to tell from which direction it originated. Think of a perfectly symmetric train – how can you tell which end is the front? The answer is that you need to see it move. The same is true here, and this ambiguity is removed by the additional timing information evident in the images to the left – we can now tell without question from which direction the Cherenkov light came. Second, each of these images lasts 128 nanoseconds. That allows Cherenkov light to propagate across the full camera without truncation, something that has not been possible with previous generations of Cherenkov cameras.

-“The integration of CHEC-S on ASTRI has been extremely smooth. We have proved that the teams can work together efficiently and that CHEC works well on an ASTRI-style dual-mirror telescope,” said Richard White, Group Leader at MPIK and coordinator of the CHEC project. “We see clean, crisp Cherenkov images swimming across the camera, and results look to be almost exactly as expected from Monte Carlo simulations. Both teams have worked hard to make this a reality, and I am extremely grateful for their efforts.”
+> “The integration of CHEC-S on ASTRI has been extremely smooth. We have proved that the teams can work together efficiently and that CHEC works well on an ASTRI-style dual-mirror telescope,” said Richard White, Group Leader at MPIK and coordinator of the CHEC project. “We see clean, crisp Cherenkov images swimming across the camera, and results look to be almost exactly as expected from Monte Carlo simulations. Both teams have worked hard to make this a reality, and I am extremely grateful for their efforts.”

 A second campaign is planned for mid-June, when the CHEC and ASTRI teams will attempt moon light observations in an important step towards verifying some of the most stringent CTA requirements. In the meantime, analysis is underway on the wealth of data collected so far. Beyond this, an iteration of CHEC is planned to incorporate the latest in SiPM technology.

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ Find more technical information on CHEC in:  White, R. et al. ([arXiv:1709.0579

 For more information on the ASTRI project, see: S. Scuderi et al. ([https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201920901001](https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201920901001))

-### Contacts
+## Contacts

 Richard White – CHEC Project Coordinator

@@ -14,23 +14,19 @@ Organized by the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), this event is you

 CTA, whose headquarters is located in Bologna, is holding its bi-annual Consortium meeting in Bologna during the week of 21 October so we’re lucky to have four CTA members to answer your questions (in Italian or English): Carla Aramo (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN), Vito Conforti (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, INAF), Rubén López-Coto (INFN) and Chiara Montanari (CTAO):

-### **Carla Aramo**
+## Carla Aramo

 I am in charge of the Naples group of CTA-INFN and work on the characterization of the photodetectors in the camera of the Medium-Sized Telescope prototype, pSCT, for CTA, which reveal the Cherenkov light emitted by the particles in the cascades that develop in the atmosphere. I also work in the characterization of the atmosphere with the use of the Lidar ARCADE, which I helped install on the CTA-North site in La Palma. I also take care of outreach and scientific communication, organizing many activities both for schools and for public events, such as the “European Researchers’ Night”.

-### **Vito Conforti
-
-**
+## Vito Conforti

 I’m a computer scientist. My adventure began at the age of 10 with my first Olivetti PC, without a hard disk and with a green monitor. At the age of 13 I attended the first Computer Science course where my passion for the subject was born. My adventure at INAF started with the goal of creating a generic Instrument Workstation supporting ground instrumentation and space telescopes. Over time I became responsible for the data acquisition system and software manager of the ASTRI-Horn telescope (Small-Sized Telescope proposed for CTA). I also participate in the implementation of the CTA Observatory telescope control system.

-### **Rubén López-Coto
-
-**
+## Rubén López-Coto

 I am a physicist, with a PhD in astroparticle physics. I have studied the most extreme gamma-ray Universe for more than nine years, investigating the physics behind the most exotic events in the Cosmos and trying to understand how particles can move almost at the speed of light and where they are produced. I also work in the software and hardware development of Cherenkov telescopes. All this allowed me to travel around the world to collaborate with groups from different countries and to live in very different cities. I currently work at INFN as Deputy Software Coordinator of the Large-Sized Telescope for CTA.

-### **Chiara Montanari**
+## Chiara Montanari

 The only label I can accept is “Life Explorer”, and the reason is evident: we all are exploring life! I am an engineer with 15 years polar mission experience. I participated in five missions in Antarctica, leading the missions at the most extreme international research bases on the planet. In 2015, I published a book named “Cronache dai ghiacci” about my experience in the Antarctic Plateau, where I proposed the extreme environment as a metaphor of the current world. I am now working for the CTA construction project as the Interface Manager for the CTAO in Bologna.

@@ -40,6 +36,6 @@ We look forward to seeing you in Bologna at Birreria Popolare on Tuesday, 22 Oct

 **Contact**: [CTAO Outreach and Education Coordinator, Alba Fernández-Barral](mailto:alba.fernandezbarral@cta-observatory.org)

-### More information:
+## More information:

 CTA is a large-scale, global project to build the world’s most powerful instrument for ground-based gamma-ray astronomy. It will be not only the largest and most sensitive high-energy gamma-ray observatory ever built, but also the first observatory open to the world-wide astronomy and physics communities as a facility devoted to high-energy astronomy. The observatory will be located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma (Spain), and near the Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert (Chile). More than 1,500 scientists and engineers from 31 countries are engaged in the scientific and technical development of CTA. The preparation of the design and the implementation of the observatory is managed by CTAO.
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will host its first [CTA Science Symposium](

 CTA will be the foremost global observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy over the next decade and beyond. As the construction phase of CTA’s two arrays (one in La Palma and one in Chile) nears, the excitement for CTA’s scientific potential continues to grow. The potential is extremely broad: from understanding the role of relativistic cosmic particles to the search for dark matter. CTA will explore the extreme Universe, probing environments from the immediate neighbourhood of black holes to cosmic voids on the largest scales. With its ability to cover an enormous range in photon energy from 20 GeV to 300 TeV, CTA will improve on all aspects of performance with respect to current instruments. And its wider field of view and improved sensitivity will enable CTA to survey the sky hundreds of times faster than previous TeV telescopes.

-“The CTA Science Symposium is really our opportunity to bring a wide-range of experts together to discuss the future of high-energy astrophysics and particle physics from the viewpoint of many different wavelengths,” said Stefan Funk, Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee. “We see this as our chance to engage the users and the future users of CTA data now in the hopes that we can serve a variety interests and scientific needs.”
+> “The CTA Science Symposium is really our opportunity to bring a wide-range of experts together to discuss the future of high-energy astrophysics and particle physics from the viewpoint of many different wavelengths,” said Stefan Funk, Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee. “We see this as our chance to engage the users and the future users of CTA data now in the hopes that we can serve a variety interests and scientific needs.”

 The event will be held in the historic centre of Bologna, Italy at the Teatro Duse. Registration and the call for contributed talks are now open. If you register before 5 April, the fee is 300 euro (200 for students). After 5 April, the fee will be raised to 350 and 250 euro respectively.  This covers all lunches, coffee breaks and dinner at the beautiful [Palazzo Re Enzo](http://www.palazzoreenzo.com/en/).

@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@ In early July, the European Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) made the d

 CTA was first included on the roadmap in 2008 and subsequently put under review for the 2018 update. In 2017, CTA responded to a questionnaire and provided supporting documentation to report on the project’s status and progress toward fulfilling key requirements and addressing the recommendations made by ESFRI in a 2015 assessment. After the evaluation of CTA submission by the ESFRI Working Group on Implementation and the Strategy Working Group for CTA’s research infrastructure, CTA was granted the status of ESFRI Landmark in the ESFRI Roadmap 2018 at its 65th Plenary Forum Meeting in Corfu, Greece.

-“We are delighted and honoured to be granted the Landmark status by ESFRI,” said CTAO Managing Director, Federico Ferrini. “This high level of support is just further confirmation for everyone involved in CTA that we are building a world-class facility that will revolutionize what we know about the Universe.”
+> “We are delighted and honoured to be granted the Landmark status by ESFRI,” said CTAO Managing Director, Federico Ferrini. “This high level of support is just further confirmation for everyone involved in CTA that we are building a world-class facility that will revolutionize what we know about the Universe.”

 According to the [ESFRI website](http://www.esfri.eu/about), ESFRI “is a strategic instrument to develop the scientific integration of Europe and to strengthen its international outreach. The competitive and open access to high quality Research Infrastructures supports and benchmarks the quality of the activities of European scientists, and attracts the best researchers from around the world.”

-“I am very pleased to see the recognition by the ESFRI evaluation committee of the progress achieved by CTAO. And with the confirmation of commitments by several members, we are progressing towards CTAO-ERIC, expected to be launched at the very beginning of 2020,” said Gabriel Chardin, Chair of the CTAO Council. “This will coincide with the start of construction of a gamma-ray observatory that will be a world reference at very-high energies for the next 30 years.”
+> “I am very pleased to see the recognition by the ESFRI evaluation committee of the progress achieved by CTAO. And with the confirmation of commitments by several members, we are progressing towards CTAO-ERIC, expected to be launched at the very beginning of 2020,” said Gabriel Chardin, Chair of the CTAO Council. “This will coincide with the start of construction of a gamma-ray observatory that will be a world reference at very-high energies for the next 30 years.”

 The ESFRI Roadmap 2018 will be officially presented to the public in a dedicated event, under the Austrian Presidency, on 11 September 2018 at Aula der Wissenschaften in Vienna.
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ In the two weeks leading up to the GCT prototype inauguration event on 1 Decembe

 The animation below is one of the events captured by the team. It shows the maximum amount of light captured in each of the camera’s 2048 pixels over 100 frames. CTA astronomers will use images like this to determine the incoming direction and energy of the particle that created the air shower.

-“With the tough weather conditions, we only had about an hour-long window to gather as much data as we could,” said GCT Camera Coordinator Dr. Richard White. “We look forward to clearer, darker skies so we can test the camera’s performance in more ideal conditions.” “This is a major milestone for the GCT and we hope for CTA.” said GCT Spokesperson Prof. Tim Greenshaw. “Our design for the CTA telescopes that will detect the highest energy light hitting the earth’s atmosphere from space has been proven to work; we are one step closer to developing a deeper understanding of where and how that light is produced.”
+> “With the tough weather conditions, we only had about an hour-long window to gather as much data as we could,” said GCT Camera Coordinator Dr. Richard White. “We look forward to clearer, darker skies so we can test the camera’s performance in more ideal conditions.” “This is a major milestone for the GCT and we hope for CTA.” said GCT Spokesperson Prof. Tim Greenshaw. “Our design for the CTA telescopes that will detect the highest energy light hitting the earth’s atmosphere from space has been proven to work; we are one step closer to developing a deeper understanding of where and how that light is produced.”

 Hélène Sol, Research Director at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and GCT Deputy Spokesperson added: “I would like to congratulate all the GCT team who have made this possible, especially the group who worked day and night over the last couple of weeks to get these pictures.”

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ During the nights of 25 and 26 May, the camera of the ASTRI telescope prototype

 Although the camera was not fully configured, the ASTRI team was still able to capture its first Cherenkov light and produce beautiful images of the showers generated by cosmic rays in the Earth’s atmosphere. The image below shows one of the events captured by the team. This information will allow scientists to reconstruct the direction of gamma-ray photons emitted from celestial sources (indicated by the yellow line on the image on the left). The camera is based on novel SiPM small pixel sensors (7 mm x 7 mm) and CITIROC ASICS peak-finder front-end electronics. The camera was specifically designed to fit on the dual mirror ASTRI telescopes for covering a large field of view of 10O x 10O.

-“The results gathered from the images are very much in line with the performance expectations established in the lab, proving the functionality of the camera for the ASTRI telescopes,” said Osvaldo Catalano, astronomer at the INAF-Palermo Institute and leader of the ASTRI camera development program. “The ASTRI team’s achievement is an important milestone and a big step toward the pre-production phase of ASTRI and CTA,” said Giovanni Pareschi, astronomer at the INAF-Milano and principal investigator of the ASTRI project.
+> “The results gathered from the images are very much in line with the performance expectations established in the lab, proving the functionality of the camera for the ASTRI telescopes,” said Osvaldo Catalano, astronomer at the INAF-Palermo Institute and leader of the ASTRI camera development program. “The ASTRI team’s achievement is an important milestone and a big step toward the pre-production phase of ASTRI and CTA,” said Giovanni Pareschi, astronomer at the INAF-Milano and principal investigator of the ASTRI project.

 Three classes of telescope types are required to cover the full CTA very-high energy range (20 GeV to 300 TeV): Medium-Sized Telescopes (12 m diameter dish) will cover CTA’s core energy range (100 GeV to 10 TeV) while the Large-Sized Telescopes (23 m) and Small-Sized Telescopes (4 m) or SSTs are planned to extend the energy range below 100 GeV and above a few TeV, respectively. The ASTRI telescope is one of three proposed SST designs being prototyped and tested for CTA’s southern hemisphere array. It uses an innovative dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder configuration with a 4.3 m diameter primary mirror and a 1.8 m monolithic secondary mirror.

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ The ASTRI prototype, the first Schwarzschild-Couder telescope to be built and te

 Pictured below, Polaris, the North Star, as observed by ASTRI with different offsets from the optical axis of the telescope. The recorded images have approximately the same angular size, each one from a different observational direction in the field of view (from 0 to 4.5 degrees from each side with respect to the central optical axis). These images show that the optical point-spread function of the telescope is approximately constant across the full field of view. This information will allow scientists to reconstruct the direction of gamma-ray photons emitted from celestial sources.

-“This is also the first time that a Cherenkov telescope with two focusing mirrors has been completely characterized from the opto-mechanical point of view,” said Giovanni Pareschi, astronomer at the INAF-Brera Astronomical Observatory and principal investigator of the ASTRI project. “This is an important result because it allows us to move immediately to the next step: to mount a Cherenkov camera by December 2016 with the aim to observe the first gamma-ray light with ASTRI.”
+> “This is also the first time that a Cherenkov telescope with two focusing mirrors has been completely characterized from the opto-mechanical point of view,” said Giovanni Pareschi, astronomer at the INAF-Brera Astronomical Observatory and principal investigator of the ASTRI project. “This is an important result because it allows us to move immediately to the next step: to mount a Cherenkov camera by December 2016 with the aim to observe the first gamma-ray light with ASTRI.”

 The ASTRI project is led by the [Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF)](http://www.inaf.it/en?set_language=en) with the collaboration of a number of Italian universities, the [Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN)](https://web2.ba.infn.it/index.php/en/), [Universidade de São Paulo](http://www.iag.usp.br/) in Brazil and [North-West University](http://www.nwu.ac.za/) in South Africa.

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ A crew in Krakow worked for two days to install the camera on the telescope and

 On the night of 31 August, another crew in Geneva, Switzerland, sent remote control commands to the telescope to start tracking two gamma-ray emitters (two black holes) with its camera. Within seconds, the coordinates of the first source were set and the telescope slewed into the observation position, allowing the telescope to track the source and the data to flow. Even with the moonlight and lights from the city, more than 5 million events and 330 GB of data were acquired with the camera in less than 1.5 hours of operation.

-“Additional tuning and hours of operation are needed before the SST-1M performance can be clearly assessed, but this is a major milestone for the project and its participants, who have worked hard through five years of design and laboratory testing to make this accomplishment a reality,” said Prof. Teresa Montaruli, project leader of the SST-1M.
+> “Additional tuning and hours of operation are needed before the SST-1M performance can be clearly assessed, but this is a major milestone for the project and its participants, who have worked hard through five years of design and laboratory testing to make this accomplishment a reality,” said Prof. Teresa Montaruli, project leader of the SST-1M.

 The SST-1M project team includes 12 institutes from 5 countries (Czech Republic, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland and Ukraine). The project is led by the University of Geneva (project leader: Prof. T. Montaruli, project manager: Dr. D. della Volpe, camera coordinator: M. Heller). The quality assurance engineer is M. Stodulska, IFJ-PAN. The Polish partners designed and built the telescope structure, its control and the fully-digitizing readout electronics of the camera (mainly developed by Eng. K. Zietara). The Czech parties are responsible for the optical system, while the Swiss partners designed and realized the camera mechanics and photosensor plane based on a new technology in high-energy gamm-ray astronomy, silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs).

@@ -8,20 +8,18 @@ cover: /uploads/cover_news-768x362.png
 draft: false
 ---

-*
-
 *The latest iteration of the Cherenkov Telescope Array’s (CTA’s) science case, *Science with the Cherenkov Telescope Array*, was made available today via the [CTA website library](https://www.ctao.org/for-scientists/library/) and [arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.07997) and will be published as a book by World Scientific. The work includes more than 200 pages that introduce and elaborate on CTA’s major science themes and place CTA in the context of other major observatories.

-“The release of this document represents a major milestone for CTA, and it details the breadth and the richness of the science that will be done with the observatory over the next decade,” says CTA Co-Spokesperson Prof. Rene Ong. “The document would not have been possible without the hard work of literally hundreds of CTA Consortium members over a period of many years.”
+> “The release of this document represents a major milestone for CTA, and it details the breadth and the richness of the science that will be done with the observatory over the next decade,” says CTA Co-Spokesperson Prof. Rene Ong. “The document would not have been possible without the hard work of literally hundreds of CTA Consortium members over a period of many years.”

 CTA will be the foremost global observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy over the next decade and beyond. The scientific potential of CTA is extremely broad: from understanding the role of relativistic cosmic particles to the search for dark matter. CTA will explore the extreme Universe, probing environments from the immediate neighbourhood of black holes to cosmic voids on the largest scales. With its ability to cover an enormous range in photon energy from 20 GeV to 300 TeV, CTA will improve on all aspects of performance with respect to current instruments. And its wider field of view and improved sensitivity will enable CTA to survey hundreds of times faster than previous TeV telescopes.

 CTA will seek to address a wide range of questions in astrophysics and fundamental physics that fall under three major study themes: understanding the origin and role of relativistic cosmic particles, probing extreme environments and exploring frontiers in physics (Chapter 1).

-“The Key Science Projects described in the document – surveys and deep observations of key objects – will provide legacy data sets of lasting value and will provide important input for the planning of CTA’s user programme,” said CTA Spokesperson Prof. Werner Hofmann.
+> “The Key Science Projects described in the document – surveys and deep observations of key objects – will provide legacy data sets of lasting value and will provide important input for the planning of CTA’s user programme,” said CTA Spokesperson Prof. Werner Hofmann.

 Some of the most promising discoveries will come from a survey of our Milky Way galaxy, which should discover more Galactic sources for improved population studies and for advancing our understanding of the origin of cosmic rays (Chapter 6); the search for the elusive dark matter with models not accessible by other experiments (Chapter 4); and the detection of transient phenomena like gamma-ray bursts and gravitational wave events associated with catastrophic events in the Universe (Chapter 9).

-“For me, the most exciting aspect of CTA is the potential for truly unexpected discoveries,” says CTA Project Scientist, Prof. Jim Hinton. “CTA pushes to shorter timescales, higher energies and more distant objects. Pushing back the frontiers in astronomy always leads to something truly new and exciting, and now we’re all just itching to get started.”
+> “For me, the most exciting aspect of CTA is the potential for truly unexpected discoveries,” says CTA Project Scientist, Prof. Jim Hinton. “CTA pushes to shorter timescales, higher energies and more distant objects. Pushing back the frontiers in astronomy always leads to something truly new and exciting, and now we’re all just itching to get started.”

 It has been a decade since science planning for CTA started, resulting in a series of publications in a special edition of [Astroparticle Physics](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09276505/43) in 2013. The current work began that same year with an organized effort by the CTA Consortium to develop CTA’s Key Science Projects (KSPs) in 2013. After three years of development and refinement that included internal and external reviews, the KSPs were incorporated into a single document: *Science with the Cherenkov Telescope Array*.
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/Web_Cover-768x402.png
 draft: false
 ---

-### Conéctate al evento a través de estos canales:
+## Conéctate al evento a través de estos canales:

 [Canal de YouTube de CTAO](https://youtu.be/30iP0bIE0CA)

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ No te olvides de suscribirte a nuestro canal de YouTube y sigue la serie de víd

 [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqd_CmPv1afbktxl7gq5ehCaec-O-NVUa](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqd_CmPv1afbktxl7gq5ehCaec-O-NVUa)

-### Watch via these feeds:
+## Watch via these feeds:

 [CTAO YouTube Channel](https://youtu.be/30iP0bIE0CA)

@@ -14,4 +14,4 @@ For the implementation of the Science Tools, two independent packages were devel

 To decide between the two proposed solutions, the CTAO worked with the CTAO Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), which is a group of independent experts formed to advise the CTAO Council and provide advice and recommendations based on the assessment of the scientific and technical activities carried out for the CTA project. The CTAO issued a Request for Information (RFI) to both teams for their written input. At a virtual meeting in May 2021, the groups presented their proposals and responded to questions from the STAC members together with the CTAO Managing Director Federico Ferrini, Project Manager Wolfgang Wild, and Computing Coordinator Stefan Schlenstedt. The STAC made its final deliberations in a closed session, and, in line with the STAC recommendation, the CTAO decided to adopt the Gammapy package as the Science Analysis Tool for the Observatory.

-“Once again we have been faced with making a difficult decision between more than one viable solution for the observatory,” says CTAO Project Manager Wolfgang Wild. “We are grateful for the immense amount of work both teams put into developing their products, but we are also excited that we are finally at the point in the project where we are finalizing major decisions that move us closer to constructing and operating the Observatory.”
+> “Once again we have been faced with making a difficult decision between more than one viable solution for the observatory,” says CTAO Project Manager Wolfgang Wild. “We are grateful for the immense amount of work both teams put into developing their products, but we are also excited that we are finally at the point in the project where we are finalizing major decisions that move us closer to constructing and operating the Observatory.”
@@ -16,21 +16,21 @@ The press event was held to coincide with the [CTAO ERIC Council](https://www.ct

 The Vice President conveyed the greetings of the President of the Cabildo de La Palma, Sergio Rodríguez, and emphasised the absolute support of this administration for all the technological and scientific advancements taking place on La Palma through the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM, in Spanish), managed by the IAC.

-“It is an honour for our island to welcome the delegations and organisations from the countries of the CTAO. This meeting and these telescopes serve as confirmation that La Palma remains, in its own right, one of the science capitals of the world and one of the clearest windows for looking at the sky,” the Vice President stated, highlighting that “the sky over La Palma possesses exceptional conditions, protected by law, which have turned the ORM into a sanctuary for the study of the Universe.” Felipe San Antonio reiterated that “the deep-rooted connection the people of La Palma have with astronomy marks our very identity; we know how to look to the sky, as well as to the future.”
+> “It is an honour for our island to welcome the delegations and organisations from the countries of the CTAO. This meeting and these telescopes serve as confirmation that La Palma remains, in its own right, one of the science capitals of the world and one of the clearest windows for looking at the sky,” the Vice President stated, highlighting that “the sky over La Palma possesses exceptional conditions, protected by law, which have turned the ORM into a sanctuary for the study of the Universe.” Felipe San Antonio reiterated that “the deep-rooted connection the people of La Palma have with astronomy marks our very identity; we know how to look to the sky, as well as to the future.”

 For his part, the Director of the IAC, Valentín Martínez Pillet, stressed that the inauguration of these magnificent telescopes has been made possible thanks to inter-institutional collaboration and public support: “Hosting this meeting this week is confirmation that La Palma is a global benchmark in astrophysics and that the relationship between society and public administrations is a true model of success.” Specifically, he pointed out that “within this network, this is manifested in the support the Spanish government has given to the construction of these telescopes using FEDER (European Regional Development Fund) funds; coupled with the support of the Canary Islands Government and the Cabildo de La Palma.”

-“It is an absolute pleasure to gather our international delegations at the CTAO’s northern hemisphere site to witness our rapid advancement firsthand,” stated Francisco Colomer, President of the CTAO ERIC Council and Programs Director for the Spanish Deputy Directorate General for International Consortia, Organisms and Research Infrastructures. “As a European organisation, the CTAO has a truly global reach and support, while simultaneously generating a profound national and local impact. For Spain, hosting CTAO-North means spearheading a next-generation scientific endeavour and represents a major strategic commitment to the future of European astrophysics.”
+> “It is an absolute pleasure to gather our international delegations at the CTAO’s northern hemisphere site to witness our rapid advancement firsthand,” stated Francisco Colomer, President of the CTAO ERIC Council and Programs Director for the Spanish Deputy Directorate General for International Consortia, Organisms and Research Infrastructures. “As a European organisation, the CTAO has a truly global reach and support, while simultaneously generating a profound national and local impact. For Spain, hosting CTAO-North means spearheading a next-generation scientific endeavour and represents a major strategic commitment to the future of European astrophysics.”

 The construction of the Observatory is progressing at an exceptional pace. As the CTAO moves closer to initial operations and its first scientific results, the Central Organisation is rapidly expanding its workforce on the island. Since 2025 alone, the team has welcomed five new members, including several native La Palma professionals, with further employment opportunities planned for 2026 and 2027.

-“With the rapid advancement of the CTAO-North array, we are getting closer to opening a completely new window to the extreme Universe, giving us the ability to answer some of the most exciting questions in astronomy, such as the nature of dark matter,” highlighted Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist. “Moreover, we are committed to ensuring our La Palma neighbours are part of this endeavour through outreach and education programmes, so they can participate in and feel proud of the unprecedented science that will be conducted on the island.”
+> “With the rapid advancement of the CTAO-North array, we are getting closer to opening a completely new window to the extreme Universe, giving us the ability to answer some of the most exciting questions in astronomy, such as the nature of dark matter,” highlighted Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist. “Moreover, we are committed to ensuring our La Palma neighbours are part of this endeavour through outreach and education programmes, so they can participate in and feel proud of the unprecedented science that will be conducted on the island.”

 As a testament to this commitment, this May alone the Observatory co-organised the [“Women of CTAO” event](https://www.ctao.org/news/ctao-and-cabildo-of-la-palma-organise-women-of-ctao-2026/) with the Cabildo de La Palma, held the international CTAO School, bringing doctoral students from across the globe to the island, and celebrated the successful internship of a local vocational training student.

 Alongside these community initiatives, the Observatory’s technological development continues to advance rapidly. A prime example is the work of the LST Collaboration, an international team of more than 500 members worldwide. The Collaboration is responsible for designing and building the LSTs, the largest of CTAO’s three classes of telescopes, and is now in the final stages of construction — a process that has also delivered a tangible socio-economic impact on La Palma, with over 30 local companies contracted during this phase. In October, the official inauguration of the four LSTs will take place at CTAO-North, a major announcement made during the press conference.

-“The upcoming inauguration is a historic milestone for the future of the Observatory, but especially for the LST Collaboration,” explained Juan Cortina, Chair of the Steering Committee of the LST Collaboration. “Our teams of scientists and engineers have worked tirelessly for years to reach this point. This celebration is the crowning achievement at the end of the construction phase, and we are thrilled to celebrate it together with partners from all over the world, including high-level institutional representatives and world-renowned scientists, such as Nobel Laureate Takaaki Kajita.”
+> “The upcoming inauguration is a historic milestone for the future of the Observatory, but especially for the LST Collaboration,” explained Juan Cortina, Chair of the Steering Committee of the LST Collaboration. “Our teams of scientists and engineers have worked tirelessly for years to reach this point. This celebration is the crowning achievement at the end of the construction phase, and we are thrilled to celebrate it together with partners from all over the world, including high-level institutional representatives and world-renowned scientists, such as Nobel Laureate Takaaki Kajita.”

 Importantly, the October inauguration is not the final step, but rather the gateway towards the realisation of the Observatory. Following this achievement, the LST Collaboration will continue working on technical tests required before the telescopes can be formally accepted and operated by the Central Organisation. Once accepted, they will be fully integrated within the CTAO-North array, which will also eventually feature [Medium-Sized Telescopes](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/telescopes/mst/) (MSTs).

@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ For convenience, the links to the most up-to-date content are provided below. Un

 Go to [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/ctao-universe/albums) for more images and to the [Media Library](https://www.ctao.org/news-resources/media-library/) for more video clips.

-### El CTAO avanza hacia los primeros resultados científicos en La Palma mientras la Colaboración LST anuncia la inauguración del subconjunto de los telescopios grandes
+## El CTAO avanza hacia los primeros resultados científicos en La Palma mientras la Colaboración LST anuncia la inauguración del subconjunto de los telescopios grandes

 **La Palma, España, 28 de mayo de 2026** — El [Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO)](https://www.ctao.org/), el futuro observatorio de astronomía de rayos gamma más grande y potente del mundo, continúa su avance constante hacia su fase de operaciones iniciales. En una rueda de prensa conjunta celebrada en Santa Cruz de La Palma, Islas Canarias (España), representantes de la [Organización Central del CTAO](https://www.ctao.org/es/organisation/team/) (CTAO ERIC), la [Colaboración LST del CTAO](https://www.ctao.org/es/partners/in-kind-contributors/), el Cabildo de La Palma y el Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) se reunieron para destacar el avance del proyecto hacia una ciencia pionera. Este progreso está marcado por la próxima inauguración de los [cuatro Large-Sized Telescopes](https://www.ctao.org/es/emission-to-discovery/telescopes/lst/) (LST, los telescopios grandes) el 15 de octubre de 2026 en el emplazamiento [CTAO-Norte](https://www.ctao.org/es/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-north/).

@@ -84,17 +84,17 @@ El vicepresidente trasladó el saludo del presidente del Cabildo de La Palma, Se

 Por su parte, el director del IAC, Valentín Martínez Pillet insistió en que la inauguración de estos magníficos telescopios es posible gracias a la colaboración interinstitucional y al apoyo social. “La celebración de esta reunión esta semana es la constatación de que La Palma es un referente mundial en Astrofísica y que la relación entre sociedad y administraciones es todo un modelo de éxito”, explicó Martínez Pillet. En concreto, expuso que “en esta red se manifiesta en el apoyo del Gobierno de España ha dado a la construcción de estos telescopios con fondos Feder; a lo que se suma el apoyo del Gobierno de Canarias y del Cabildo de La Palma”.

-“Es un absoluto placer reunir a nuestras delegaciones internacionales en el emplazamiento del hemisferio norte del CTAO para presenciar de primera mano nuestro rápido avance”, afirmó Francisco Colomer, Presidente del Consejo del CTAO ERIC y Director de Programas de la Subdirección General de Consorcios, Organismos e Infraestructuras de Investigación Internacionales de España. “Como organización europea, el CTAO tiene un alcance y un apoyo verdaderamente globales, al mismo tiempo que genera un profundo impacto nacional y local. Para España, albergar CTAO-Norte significa liderar un esfuerzo científico de próxima generación y representa un gran compromiso estratégico para el futuro de la astrofísica europea.”
+> “Es un absoluto placer reunir a nuestras delegaciones internacionales en el emplazamiento del hemisferio norte del CTAO para presenciar de primera mano nuestro rápido avance”, afirmó Francisco Colomer, Presidente del Consejo del CTAO ERIC y Director de Programas de la Subdirección General de Consorcios, Organismos e Infraestructuras de Investigación Internacionales de España. “Como organización europea, el CTAO tiene un alcance y un apoyo verdaderamente globales, al mismo tiempo que genera un profundo impacto nacional y local. Para España, albergar CTAO-Norte significa liderar un esfuerzo científico de próxima generación y representa un gran compromiso estratégico para el futuro de la astrofísica europea.”

 La construcción del Observatorio avanza a un ritmo excepcional. A medida que el CTAO se acerca a sus operaciones iniciales y a sus primeros resultados científicos, la Organización Central está ampliando rápidamente su plantilla en la isla. Desde 2025, el equipo ha dado la bienvenida a cinco nuevos miembros, incluyendo varios profesionales nativos de La Palma, con más oportunidades de empleo previstas para 2026 y 2027.

-“Con el rápido avance de CTAO-Norte, estamos cada vez más cerca de abrir una ventana completamente nueva al Universo extremo, brindándonos la capacidad de responder a algunas de las preguntas más emocionantes de la astronomía, como la naturaleza de la materia oscura”, destacó Roberta Zanin, Responsable Científica del CTAO. “Además, estamos comprometidos a garantizar que nuestros vecinos de La Palma formen parte de este progreso a través de programas de divulgación y educación, para que puedan participar y sentirse orgullosos de la ciencia sin precedentes que se llevará a cabo en la isla.”
+> “Con el rápido avance de CTAO-Norte, estamos cada vez más cerca de abrir una ventana completamente nueva al Universo extremo, brindándonos la capacidad de responder a algunas de las preguntas más emocionantes de la astronomía, como la naturaleza de la materia oscura”, destacó Roberta Zanin, Responsable Científica del CTAO. “Además, estamos comprometidos a garantizar que nuestros vecinos de La Palma formen parte de este progreso a través de programas de divulgación y educación, para que puedan participar y sentirse orgullosos de la ciencia sin precedentes que se llevará a cabo en la isla.”

 Como prueba de este compromiso, tan solo en este mes de mayo, el Observatorio coorganizó el [evento “Women of CTAO](https://www.ctao.org/news/ctao-and-cabildo-of-la-palma-organise-women-of-ctao-2026/)” con el Cabildo de La Palma, celebró la escuela internacional “CTAO School”, atrayendo a la isla a estudiantes de doctorado de todo el mundo, y celebró el éxito de las prácticas de una estudiante local de formación profesional.

 Paralelamente a estas iniciativas comunitarias, el desarrollo tecnológico del Observatorio sigue avanzando rápidamente. Un claro ejemplo es el trabajo de la Colaboración LST, un equipo internacional de más de 500 miembros de todo el mundo. La Colaboración es responsable de diseñar y construir los LST, el mayor de los tres tipos de telescopios del CTAO, que ahora se encuentran en las etapas finales de construcción — un proceso que también ha tenido un impacto socioeconómico tangible en La Palma, con la contratación de más de 30 empresas locales durante esta fase. En octubre tendrá lugar la inauguración oficial de los cuatro LST en CTAO-Norte, un importante anuncio realizado durante la conferencia de prensa.

-“La próxima inauguración es un hito histórico para el futuro del Observatorio, pero especialmente para la Colaboración LST”, explicó Juan Cortina, Presidente del Comité Directivo de la Colaboración LST. “Nuestros equipos de científicos e ingenieros han trabajado incansablemente durante años para llegar a este punto. Este logro culmina la fase de construcción y estamos encantados de celebrarlo junto a socios de todo el mundo, incluyendo representantes institucionales de alto nivel y científicos de renombre mundial, como el Premio Nobel Takaaki Kajita.”
+> “La próxima inauguración es un hito histórico para el futuro del Observatorio, pero especialmente para la Colaboración LST”, explicó Juan Cortina, Presidente del Comité Directivo de la Colaboración LST. “Nuestros equipos de científicos e ingenieros han trabajado incansablemente durante años para llegar a este punto. Este logro culmina la fase de construcción y estamos encantados de celebrarlo junto a socios de todo el mundo, incluyendo representantes institucionales de alto nivel y científicos de renombre mundial, como el Premio Nobel Takaaki Kajita.”

 Es importante destacar que la inauguración de octubre no es el paso final, sino más bien un paso clave hacia la materialización del Observatorio. Tras este logro, la Colaboración LST continuará trabajando en las pruebas técnicas necesarias para que los telescopios puedan ser aceptados y operados oficialmente por la Organización Central. Una vez aceptados, se integrarán completamente en la red de CTAO-Norte, que en un futuro también contará con [Medium-Sized Telescopes](https://www.ctao.org/es/emission-to-discovery/telescopes/mst/) (MST, telescopios de tamaño medio).

@@ -22,19 +22,19 @@ This year, the event will feature three women with ties to La Palma who work at

 The event will feature the institutional participation of Miriam Perestelo, Councilor for Economic Promotion of the Cabildo of La Palma and Managing Director of SODEPAL, as well as Raquel Rebollo, Councilor for Tourism of the Cabildo of La Palma.

-“Recognising and showcasing the fantastic women professionals in the field of astronomy and cutting-edge scientific research that we have here is a task we gladly undertake. It is a pleasure to say that the scientific vanguard is present in La Palma and has talented female voices with much to share and contribute to the economic development of this island,” explains Perestelo.
+> “Recognising and showcasing the fantastic women professionals in the field of astronomy and cutting-edge scientific research that we have here is a task we gladly undertake. It is a pleasure to say that the scientific vanguard is present in La Palma and has talented female voices with much to share and contribute to the economic development of this island,” explains Perestelo.

 Raquel Rebollo, Tourism Councilor, considers the event “a window of visibility for La Palma, boosting astrotourism through the life stories of the best ambassadors the sector, in general, and this niche market in particular, could have: its professionals, connecting their work experience with life on the island.”

 The conversation will be moderated by Arianne Vera and Joaquín Hernández, students of the Marketing and Advertising vocational training program at IES José María Pérez Pulido (Los Llanos de Aridane), bringing a fresh and youthful perspective to the scientific dialogue. To ensure accessibility, the event will be conducted entirely in Spanish and will include Spanish Sign Language (LSE) interpretation. After the event, attendees can enjoy a networking session in the same location to take the conversation “offstage.” This will be the perfect opportunity to chat directly with the speakers and share impressions in a relaxed atmosphere.

-“The ‘Women of CTAO’ event is one of the many initiatives planned to bring the latest developments at our observatory closer to the public, as well as to promote diversity in science,” says Alba Fernández-Barral, CTAO Chief Communications Officer. “Our goal is to provide role models and create real opportunities for next generations, which is why the participation and moderation by students from the IES José María Pérez Pulido is so important to us. We are thrilled to be holding the sixth edition here and are immensely grateful to the La Palma Island Council and SODEPAL for all their support.”
+> “The ‘Women of CTAO’ event is one of the many initiatives planned to bring the latest developments at our observatory closer to the public, as well as to promote diversity in science,” says Alba Fernández-Barral, CTAO Chief Communications Officer. “Our goal is to provide role models and create real opportunities for next generations, which is why the participation and moderation by students from the IES José María Pérez Pulido is so important to us. We are thrilled to be holding the sixth edition here and are immensely grateful to the La Palma Island Council and SODEPAL for all their support.”

 The CTAO will have two arrays of telescopes: one in La Palma (CTAO-North) and another in Chile (CTAO-South). As the Observatory moves into the scientific operations phase, the teams on the island are growing rapidly, with the addition of five professionals to the CTAO-North team since 2025, [one position currently vacant](https://www.ctao.org/opportunities/career/), and more positions to be added throughout 2026 and 2027.

 ![](/uploads/Screenshot-2026-05-06-at-10.47.58-1600x107.png)

-### El CTAO y el Cabildo de La Palma Ponen en Valor a las Profesionales Locales de Astronomía con el Evento “Women of CTAO: Nuestra Isla, Nuestra Ciencia”
+## El CTAO y el Cabildo de La Palma Ponen en Valor a las Profesionales Locales de Astronomía con el Evento “Women of CTAO: Nuestra Isla, Nuestra Ciencia”

 El próximo sábado 16 de mayo a las 11:00 h, el Teatro Chico (C. Díaz Pimienta 1, Santa Cruz de La Palma) acogerá la sexta edición de “Women of CTAO”, un evento de divulgación que pone el foco en las mujeres que están haciendo posible uno de los proyectos científicos más ambiciosos del planeta: [el CTAO, el mayor observatorio del mundo para la astronomía de rayos gamma.](https://www.ctao.org/es/)

@@ -48,13 +48,13 @@ Este año, el evento contará con la participación de tres mujeres vinculadas a

 El acto contará con la participación institucional de Miriam Perestelo, consejera de Promoción Económica del Cabildo de La Palma y consejera delegada de SODEPAL, así como de Raquel Rebollo, consejera de Turismo del Cabildo de La Palma.

-“El reconocimiento y la visibilidad de las fantásticas profesionales del ámbito de la astronomía y la más alta investigación científica con que contamos es una tarea que asumimos con mucho gusto. Es un placer contar que la vanguardia científica está presente en La Palma y tiene voces femeninas llenas de talento y de cosas que contar y aportar al desarrollo económico de esta isla”, explica Perestelo.
+> “El reconocimiento y la visibilidad de las fantásticas profesionales del ámbito de la astronomía y la más alta investigación científica con que contamos es una tarea que asumimos con mucho gusto. Es un placer contar que la vanguardia científica está presente en La Palma y tiene voces femeninas llenas de talento y de cosas que contar y aportar al desarrollo económico de esta isla”, explica Perestelo.

 Raquel Rebollo, consejera de Turismo, considera el evento como “una ventana de visibilidad hacia La Palma, impulsando el astroturismo a partir de las historias de vida de las mejores embajadoras que puede tener el sector, en general, y este nicho de mercado en particular, sus profesionales al poner en relación su experiencia laboral con la vida en la isla”.

 La conversación será moderada por Arianne Vera y Joaquín Hernández, alumnos del ciclo de FP de Marketing y Publicidad del IES José María Pérez Pulido (Los Llanos de Aridane), aportando una mirada fresca y joven al diálogo científico. Para garantizar la accesibilidad, el evento se desarrollará íntegramente en español y contará con interpretación a lengua de signos española (LSE). Tras el evento, los asistentes podrán disfrutar de un espacio de *networking* en el mismo teatro para llevar la conversación “fuera del escenario”. Será el momento ideal para charlar directamente con las ponentes y compartir impresiones en un ambiente distendido.

-“El evento “Women of CTAO” es una de las muchas acciones previstas para acercar las novedades de nuestro observatorio a la sociedad y promover la diversidad en la ciencia”, afirma Alba Fernández-Barral, Directora de Comunicación del CTAO. “Nuestro objetivo es ofrecer referentes a las nuevas generaciones y crear oportunidades reales, motivo por el cual la participación y moderación por parte de los estudiantes del IES José María Pérez Pulido es tan importante para nosotros. Nos hace mucha ilusión celebrar la sexta edición aquí y agradecemos inmensamente al Cabildo de La Palma y a Sodepal todo su apoyo”.
+> “El evento “Women of CTAO” es una de las muchas acciones previstas para acercar las novedades de nuestro observatorio a la sociedad y promover la diversidad en la ciencia”, afirma Alba Fernández-Barral, Directora de Comunicación del CTAO. “Nuestro objetivo es ofrecer referentes a las nuevas generaciones y crear oportunidades reales, motivo por el cual la participación y moderación por parte de los estudiantes del IES José María Pérez Pulido es tan importante para nosotros. Nos hace mucha ilusión celebrar la sexta edición aquí y agradecemos inmensamente al Cabildo de La Palma y a Sodepal todo su apoyo”.

 El CTAO contará con dos conjuntos de telescopios: uno en La Palma (CTAO-Norte) y otro en Chile (CTAO-Sur). A medida que el Observatorio avanza hacia la fase de operaciones científicas, los equipos en la isla están creciendo rápidamente, con la incorporación de cinco profesionales al equipo de CTAO-Norte desde 2025, un [puesto actualmente vacante](https://www.ctao.org/es/opportunities/career/) y más plazas que se sumarán a lo largo de 2026 y 2027.

@@ -24,21 +24,21 @@ You are currently viewing a placeholder content from **Default**. To access the

 The goal of the event is to communicate to the large audience of the Expo 2020 Dubai that will be in attendance and will join remotely about the uniqueness of the CTAO, which will be the first ground-based gamma-ray observatory and the world’s largest and most sensitive instrument for the detection of gamma rays. High-accomplished speakers in the field will participate in three discussion panels driven by questions: Science, Technology and Opportunities. The first is dedicated to the broad scientific potential of the observatory that spans from understanding the role of relativistic cosmic particles to the search for dark matter. The second, focused on the technology, will delve into the innovative three types of CTAO telescopes, which will cover an unprecedented energy range, as well as the calibration systems and the novelty analysis tools based on machine learning. Finally, the Opportunity panel will explore the opportunities of collaboration and data usage for new partners that are not members of CTAO at the present and will bring the Italian and international competence of all nations involved in this prestigious project to Dubai.

-“We are very excited to participate in the Expo 2020 Dubai and to bring CTAO, the future of high-energy astrophysics and particle physics, to a broad international audience”, says Federico Ferrini, CTAO Managing Director. “Global cooperation is fundamental: CTAO’s ongoing success would not be possible without worldwide support from a mounting number of agencies and organizations.”
+> “We are very excited to participate in the Expo 2020 Dubai and to bring CTAO, the future of high-energy astrophysics and particle physics, to a broad international audience”, says Federico Ferrini, CTAO Managing Director. “Global cooperation is fundamental: CTAO’s ongoing success would not be possible without worldwide support from a mounting number of agencies and organizations.”

 The theme of the Italian Pavilion is “Beauty connects people – celebrating beauty as the connecting element between creativity and knowledge.” The pavilion itself is constructed from the hulls of three ships: “Inspired by the connecting routes of the Mediterranean, it will take visitors on a journey through history to the future.” Throughout history, the splendor of the night sky has inspired artists, philosophers and scientists. Thus, following this theme, the “CTA Observatory: Connecting minds worldwide to unravel the mysteries of the Extreme Universe” event will tap into the excitement of exploration and the bond that we all share in our quest to push beyond the boundaries of our understanding of the Universe.

-“CTAO will be a very powerful observatory accessible by scientists of the international community. It will open a new window in the observations of the high-energy Universe”, says Marco Tavani, President of INAF. “With CTAO we will study in an unprecedented way the most extreme cosmic sources including black holes, neutron stars, supernova remnants, and other mysterious objects. We will unveil their secrets with the aim of learning about physical processes that can be useful to mankind.”
+> “CTAO will be a very powerful observatory accessible by scientists of the international community. It will open a new window in the observations of the high-energy Universe”, says Marco Tavani, President of INAF. “With CTAO we will study in an unprecedented way the most extreme cosmic sources including black holes, neutron stars, supernova remnants, and other mysterious objects. We will unveil their secrets with the aim of learning about physical processes that can be useful to mankind.”

 The event, which will be carried out in English, will be held in the Auditorium of the Italian Pavilion. Registration to attend is required and can be done through the Expo 2020 Dubai App and website, as well as through the Italian Pavilion App. The event will be also live streamed on the CTAO, INAF and Expo 2020 Dubai Facebook and YouTube channels.

 The Expo 2020 Dubai is an a World Expo. It was initially expected to be performed between October 2020 and March 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was delayed and will be open from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. This World Expo, whose topic is “Connecting Minds, Creating Future,” expects to gather more than 25 million visitors.

-#### Speakers
+## Speakers

 ![](/uploads/expo_speakers.png)

-#### Links to Live Streaming
+## Links to Live Streaming

 CTAO: [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ctaobservatory/), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0IHTTfgiiyCFLp-SH8egMw)

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ INAF: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/inaftv)

 Expo 2020 Dubai: [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ItalyExpo2020), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/italyexpo2020)

-#### Contacts
+## Contacts

 CTAO: [Alba Fernández-Barral](mailto:alba.fernandezbarral@cta-observatory.org), CTAO Outreach & Education Coordinator

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ During the two-week school, participants will have the opportunity to develop ha

 Additionally, students will also attend scicomm workshops to learn how to present their results to a general, non-expert audience and will visit several facilities located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the island of La Palma, site of the CTAO Northern Array.

-“Our goal is to create a comprehensive school, where participants can develop their skills in each phase of the scientific process, from understanding a source and making an observation proposal, to taking that data and analyzing it,” explains Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist and Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee. “All of this would not be possible without the support of our international partners, who are working very hard to make this a fulfilling and successful experience for the participants.”
+> “Our goal is to create a comprehensive school, where participants can develop their skills in each phase of the scientific process, from understanding a source and making an observation proposal, to taking that data and analyzing it,” explains Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist and Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee. “All of this would not be possible without the support of our international partners, who are working very hard to make this a fulfilling and successful experience for the participants.”

 To ensure an interactive educational experience, both in theoretical and hands-on sessions, the school will accept a maximum of 25 participants. As part of the selection process, applicants will be asked to submit a one-page statement about the research work they have carried out so far, as well as a one-page reference letter from advisors or supervisors.

@@ -28,6 +28,6 @@ The fee for the two-week school is 900 euro, which covers accommodation, meals,

 [Learn more about the CTAO School and apply on our website.](https://www.school.cta-observatory.org/)

-### Funding
+## Funding

 The CTAO School is organized by the CTAO gGmbH in cooperation with the LST Collaboration. The first week of the school in Bertinoro is funded by the Cherenkov Telescope Array Plus project (IR0000012; CUP C53C22000430006) within the Italian Resilience and Recovery Plan (PNRR), as an activity led by the University of Bologna. The second week is supported by funds from the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation and the Japanese Institute for Cosmic Ray Research.
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ During the symposium, participants will learn about the beginning of the constru

 The agenda covers a variety of science topics, such as the study of cosmic rays, compact objects, new science, fundamental physics and future instruments. Highlight talks will provide insights into hot topics within the multi-wavelength and multi-messenger panorama. Renowned speakers will join throughout the week to discuss the CTAO science case and fostering synergies, especially within multi-messenger astronomy.

-“We are very excited to host the CTAO Science Symposium again, a conference that aims to become a meeting point for researchers worldwide interested in very high-energy astrophysics,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientists and Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee. “It is the perfect opportunity to gather with the future users of CTAO data and work together on the synergies that will shape multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astronomy in the upcoming decades.”
+> “We are very excited to host the CTAO Science Symposium again, a conference that aims to become a meeting point for researchers worldwide interested in very high-energy astrophysics,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientists and Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee. “It is the perfect opportunity to gather with the future users of CTAO data and work together on the synergies that will shape multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astronomy in the upcoming decades.”

 The event will be held in the historic centre of Bologna, Italy at the Teatro Duse. Registration and abstract submission are now open. The regular fee is 350 euro, reduced to 250 euro for students, and includes all lunches, coffee breaks and the gala dinner. Significant time is allocated for contributed talks, with reserved time for early-career researchers. Moreover, the Symposium will have “Poster Spark” sessions, where the authors of the posters will have the opportunity to briefly present their contribution to the audience. The deadline for abstract submissions is January 14, 2024.

@@ -28,20 +28,18 @@ Tobias Dünow, State Secretary at the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture

 The new €14 million building will accommodate 60 people and will be the home of the [CTAO Science Data Management](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/data-and-computing/) Centre and also host DESY offices and a new canteen.

-“The opening of the SDMC represents a significant success and major milestone for the Observatory,“ explained Stuart McMuldroch during the inauguration. “The SDMC is a critical and essential part of our international effort to explore the high-energy Universe. It will provide essential data processing, software, and computing capabilities that significantly advance our mission. We are grateful to DESY and all those who made the SDMC a reality.”
+> “The opening of the SDMC represents a significant success and major milestone for the Observatory,“ explained Stuart McMuldroch during the inauguration. “The SDMC is a critical and essential part of our international effort to explore the high-energy Universe. It will provide essential data processing, software, and computing capabilities that significantly advance our mission. We are grateful to DESY and all those who made the SDMC a reality.”

 Aligning with the regional importance of DESY, this is the first time an international research project will be co-hosted on the DESY Zeuthen campus, fostering top international research in Brandenburg and attracting scientist worldwide to work on its premises.

-“We are very pleased that the CTAO is locating its SDMC on the DESY campus in Zeuthen, and we look forward to even closer co-operation with the Observatory, in particular the Headquarters of the CTAO in Bologna,” commented Christian Stegmann**, **during the moderation. “The decision underlines the positive development of DESY in Zeuthen into a centre for astroparticle physics.”
+> “We are very pleased that the CTAO is locating its SDMC on the DESY campus in Zeuthen, and we look forward to even closer co-operation with the Observatory, in particular the Headquarters of the CTAO in Bologna,” commented Christian Stegmann**, **during the moderation. “The decision underlines the positive development of DESY in Zeuthen into a centre for astroparticle physics.”

 The sources the CTAO will study, like supermassive black holes and supernova remnants, are the most energetic objects in the Universe. The CTAO will provide a very wide energy range, excellent angular and energy resolution and sensitivity in comparison to any existing gamma-ray detector. With its ability to detect energies between 20 GeV and 300 TeV and its unprecedented resolution, the CTAO will be able to observe further than ever before, providing a completely new view of the sky.

-“As one of Germany’s largest research centres, DESY carries out fundamental research that creates new knowledge and new conceptual approaches,” Beate Heinemann, DESY Director in charge of Particle Physics said. “DESY has a long tradition of performing research in international collaborations, not only to foster scientific progress but also to enable exchanges between people from many nations. I am delighted that DESY continues this tradition by hosting the SDMC of the CTAO. The large competence of DESY in data management and analysis will be pivotal to fully exploit the CTAO data, and to learn more about some of the most mysterious and violent objects in our Universe.”
+> “As one of Germany’s largest research centres, DESY carries out fundamental research that creates new knowledge and new conceptual approaches,” Beate Heinemann, DESY Director in charge of Particle Physics said. “DESY has a long tradition of performing research in international collaborations, not only to foster scientific progress but also to enable exchanges between people from many nations. I am delighted that DESY continues this tradition by hosting the SDMC of the CTAO. The large competence of DESY in data management and analysis will be pivotal to fully exploit the CTAO data, and to learn more about some of the most mysterious and violent objects in our Universe.”

 Otmar Wiestler adds from the perspective of the President of the Helmholtz Association: “The CTAO enables groundbreaking discoveries in astrophysics and opens new pathways for our understanding of the universe. At the Helmholtz Association, we are proud to make another important contribution to this remarkable international research project with the opening of the CTAO’s Science Data Management Centre (SDMC) at the German Electron Synchrotron DESY site in Zeuthen. The SDMC will be an excellent addition to the CTAO, serving as a central hub for processing and analyzing vast amounts of data, fostering long-term international collaboration, and thus making a significant contribution to the overall success of the project.”

-###
-
 For further information and interview inquiries (both in person and online), please contact:

 Dr. Alba Fernández-Barral
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ The CTAO and SKAO are both large international collaborations and have several m

 Both have also begun transitions on the governance front; the CTAO is becoming a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), while the SKA is becoming an intergovernmental organisation or IGO.

-“In this age of multi-messenger astronomy, building alliances with observatories across the spectrum is critical to achieving our common missions to expand our view and understanding of the Universe,” says Federico Ferrini, CTAO Managing Director. “The CTAO-SKAO partnership was an obvious fit due to our vast similarities, and we are looking forward to the collaboration.”
+> “In this age of multi-messenger astronomy, building alliances with observatories across the spectrum is critical to achieving our common missions to expand our view and understanding of the Universe,” says Federico Ferrini, CTAO Managing Director. “The CTAO-SKAO partnership was an obvious fit due to our vast similarities, and we are looking forward to the collaboration.”

-“Both the SKA and CTA are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible technically, scientifically and logistically, and some of the challenges that brings are common to both projects,” says Simon Berry, Director of Strategy for the SKA. “This MOU formalises our relationship, so we can keep learning from each other’s experiences and share expertise for the benefit of both observatories.”
+> “Both the SKA and CTA are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible technically, scientifically and logistically, and some of the challenges that brings are common to both projects,” says Simon Berry, Director of Strategy for the SKA. “This MOU formalises our relationship, so we can keep learning from each other’s experiences and share expertise for the benefit of both observatories.”

 While the respective telescopes will observe opposite ends of the electromagnetic spectrum, there are exciting areas of scientific synergy between them. Both radio and gamma rays are a probe of the violent and variable Universe, including the study of active galactic nuclei, transient events such as gamma-ray bursts and fast radio bursts, accretion into compact objects and gravitational wave counterparts.

@@ -12,13 +12,13 @@ The U.S. teams involved in the development of the CTAO have been awarded a $3.9

 The SSTs are the smallest of the CTAO’s [three telescope types](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/telescopes/) that the Observatory will use to cover its broad energy range, from 20 GeV to 300 TeV. They will outnumber the other telescopes, with 37 SSTs planned in the approved Alpha Configuration and spread across several square kilometres on the CTAO-South array. Their large collection area makes them essential for extending CTAO’s sensitivity to the highest TeV energies, enabling study of the most energetic cosmic accelerators in our Galaxy.

-“By detecting light trillions of times more energetic than what we can see with our eyes, the CTAO will discover energetic phenomena powered by black holes and exploding stars,” says Justin Vandenbroucke, Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and co-lead of the NSF project. “The SSTs of CTAO-South will have a particularly good view of the inner Galaxy, where these phenomena are abundant.”
+> “By detecting light trillions of times more energetic than what we can see with our eyes, the CTAO will discover energetic phenomena powered by black holes and exploding stars,” says Justin Vandenbroucke, Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and co-lead of the NSF project. “The SSTs of CTAO-South will have a particularly good view of the inner Galaxy, where these phenomena are abundant.”

 The SST’s design permits a compact camera based on silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) sensors. Each camera’s 32 SiPM tiles account for a total of 2,048 pixels, covering a large field of view of approximately 9 degrees. The camera records Cherenkov light in 128-frame movies, with each frame lasting one billionth of a second.

 With the new NSF funds, the CTAO-US teams will become significant contributors to the CTAO SST Collaboration, the [In-Kind Contributors](https://www.ctao.org/partners/in-kind-contributors/) responsible for building this class of telescopes. The development and installation of these ten cameras will enhance the Observatory’s capabilities at the highest energies and marks a significant step in the U.S. teams’ participation in the project.

-“We are excited to make a significant contribution to the CTAO by providing camera instrumentation for the SSTs in the southern array,” says Manel Errando, Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis and co-lead of the NSF project. “This effort not only brings the CTAO closer to the completion of construction but also secures a pathway for US-based scientists to participate fully and gain access to CTAO data.”
+> “We are excited to make a significant contribution to the CTAO by providing camera instrumentation for the SSTs in the southern array,” says Manel Errando, Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis and co-lead of the NSF project. “This effort not only brings the CTAO closer to the completion of construction but also secures a pathway for US-based scientists to participate fully and gain access to CTAO data.”

 The U.S. members have been deeply involved in the CTAO project since its inception more than a decade ago, contributing across governance, scientific, and technological domains. “The U.S. teams have been an important supporter of the CTAO throughout its history,” said CTAO Director General, Stuart McMuldroch. “We are grateful for their various contributions and look forward to continuing and expanding our work together in this new phase.”

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ draft: false

 The CTAO is in the process of a two-step application to transition from a gGmbH (under the German law) to a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC, under the European law). While the first step has been completed, discussions with the European Commission concerning the second step are still ongoing. The agreement between the BGR, comprised of representatives of the future legal entity’s member countries, and the CTAO gGmbH Council, allows the project to proceed in the meantime.

-“While we continue to work towards obtaining the ERIC status, the member countries and organisations within the BGR are prepared to advance the project to its next phase,” explains Aldo Covello, Chair of the BGR. Markus Schleier, Chair of the CTAO gGmbH Council, stated: “The pledge of the BGR and the agreement we have reached in the Council will not only ensure the stability of the project but will undoubtedly help the CTAO attract new talent and investment as it continues to grow.”
+> “While we continue to work towards obtaining the ERIC status, the member countries and organisations within the BGR are prepared to advance the project to its next phase,” explains Aldo Covello, Chair of the BGR. Markus Schleier, Chair of the CTAO gGmbH Council, stated: “The pledge of the BGR and the agreement we have reached in the Council will not only ensure the stability of the project but will undoubtedly help the CTAO attract new talent and investment as it continues to grow.”

 The current legal entity of the CTAO, the CTAO gGmbH, and its partners have carried out extensive design and pre-construction activities, including the advancement of telescopes, such as the LST-1, the prototype of the Large-Sized Telescope under commissioning on the CTAO-North site in La Palma, Spain. In 2024, the Observatory plans to open at least 30 new positions and start major infrastructure development including building roads, power systems, and foundations for its southern array site in the Atacama Desert (Chile). Together with the very important developments in the northern array site, this represents a major milestone for the project.

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/GP_Simulation-1-1600x940.jpg
 draft: false
 ---

-*Written by * *Jürgen Knödlseder**, CTA Consortium Board Chair*
+*Written by Jürgen Knödlseder, CTA Consortium Board Chair*

 Astronomical surveys of our Milky Way present a fundamental means to discover and understand the objects that populate our local neighbourhood in the Universe. Surveys of the Milky Way have been conducted at nearly all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, revealing the stars and the matter between them that form our Galaxy. At the highest photon energies that will be explored by CTA, our knowledge about the Milky Way is still incomplete, and to fill this gap, CTA will conduct a complete and deep survey of the Galactic Plane during its first decade of operations. The plan is to dedicate more than 1,600 hours of observing time to scrutinizing our Galaxy, which will provide an unprecedented legacy dataset that will form the basis for countless follow-up studies.

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ On Wednesday, 5 October, the heads of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

 SKAO, ESO and CTAO will open new windows to the Universe across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio and optical waves to high-energy gamma rays, respectively. Building and managing the largest observatories on the planet involves great technological and scientific challenges that increasingly require international collaboration.

-“It will be more and more common to combine many ranges of wavelengths to obtain a complete picture of an object or process in the Universe: multi-wavelength astronomy is the future, and it is what will allow us to fully understand these phenomena,” explained Wolfgang Wild during the round table.
+> “It will be more and more common to combine many ranges of wavelengths to obtain a complete picture of an object or process in the Universe: multi-wavelength astronomy is the future, and it is what will allow us to fully understand these phenomena,” explained Wolfgang Wild during the round table.

 Among the technological challenges, Wild and Barcons highlighted technical challenges, such as “moving a hundred-ton telescope in twenty seconds to any part of the sky” in the case of CTAO, or “getting 798 segments of one and a half meters to work as a single mirror” in the case of the ESO’s ELT (Extremely Large Telescope), the world’s largest optical telescope that is currently being built in Chile. Diamond, for his part, emphasized the challenges that a Big Data project like SKAO must face, such as the storage, processing and conversion of the immense volume of data that the Radio Observatory will generate.

@@ -14,15 +14,15 @@ ESCAPE, which began in 2019, has brought together a [cluster of ESFRI (European

 During the implementation period of the ESCAPE project, the CTAO worked with [partners from the astronomy, astroparticle, particle  and nuclear physics communities](https://projectescape.eu/partners) on the development of software for Open Data management, in a cross-border and multi-disciplinary open environment, according to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles.

-“As an open observatory, the CTAO has the responsibility to provide high-quality data as a service to the community and to work closely with other observatories,” says Prof. Federico Ferrini, CTAO Managing Director, who participated in the discussion panel of the event with representatives from other ESFRI projects and landmarks. “Thus, the ESCAPE project is well-aligned with the CTAO’s overarching goal of providing scientists worldwide easy access to the CTAO data products and high-quality science software to analyse the data.”
+> “As an open observatory, the CTAO has the responsibility to provide high-quality data as a service to the community and to work closely with other observatories,” says Prof. Federico Ferrini, CTAO Managing Director, who participated in the discussion panel of the event with representatives from other ESFRI projects and landmarks. “Thus, the ESCAPE project is well-aligned with the CTAO’s overarching goal of providing scientists worldwide easy access to the CTAO data products and high-quality science software to analyse the data.”

 The CTAO’s participation in the ESCAPE Project has helped the Observatory gain experience and knowledge in key aspects of cutting-edge data management systems, such as data lake technologies and software repositories, as well as understanding how to build a science platform and developing links to the Virtual Observatory. The CTAO has also been able to test several of its use cases on ESCAPE systems, whilst also implementing example analysis workflows. The outcome of CTAO’s work within the ESCAPE project was presented during the conference by Matthias Füßling, CTAO SUSS (Science User Support System) Coordinator, and Gareth Hughes, CTAO Science Platform Developer.

-“Beyond providing an excellent framework to test technologies, workflows and use cases in the real world, which is invaluable for the CTAO, ESCAPE also presents the perfect opportunity to collaborate with other ESFRIs that share some of our challenges,” says Dr. Matthias Füßling. “Thus, the CTAO looks forward to continuing the ESCAPE partnership to enhance technologies and solutions, increase interoperability, improve software and user experience, and to find new ways to collaborate in order to make that happen.”
+> “Beyond providing an excellent framework to test technologies, workflows and use cases in the real world, which is invaluable for the CTAO, ESCAPE also presents the perfect opportunity to collaborate with other ESFRIs that share some of our challenges,” says Dr. Matthias Füßling. “Thus, the CTAO looks forward to continuing the ESCAPE partnership to enhance technologies and solutions, increase interoperability, improve software and user experience, and to find new ways to collaborate in order to make that happen.”

 The new Open Collaboration Agreement, publicly announced during the “ESCAPE for the Future” event and signed by the Directors of all the research infrastructure partners, will take effect in January 2023 and will also help continue the synergies and joint work of all five domain-based Science Clusters involved in the implementation of EOSC. This agreement, also open to further research infrastructures to join, is expected to maintain the collaborative and human experience represented by the Science Cluster and strengthen the role and impact of astronomy and nuclear/particle physics in the field of open science and, more broadly, in the European Research Area.

-“Scientific research is progressing towards the new paradigm of Open Science for more open, transparent, collaborative and inclusive scientific practices to enhance the impact of science in our society, fostered by the expansion of information and communication technologies. This is the fundamental motivation of the ESCAPE scientific community and it is also the challenge shared by pan-European Research Infrastructures (RIs) that are members of the ESCAPE science cluster,” explains Dr. Giovanni Lamanna, Coordinator of the ESCAPE project.
+> “Scientific research is progressing towards the new paradigm of Open Science for more open, transparent, collaborative and inclusive scientific practices to enhance the impact of science in our society, fostered by the expansion of information and communication technologies. This is the fundamental motivation of the ESCAPE scientific community and it is also the challenge shared by pan-European Research Infrastructures (RIs) that are members of the ESCAPE science cluster,” explains Dr. Giovanni Lamanna, Coordinator of the ESCAPE project.

 [Read the ESCAPE announcement.](https://projectescape.eu/news/escape-future-event-recommits-escape-partners-collaboration-open-science)

@@ -12,15 +12,15 @@ In January, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) publicly [raised the alarm](

 ESO’s technical report focuses on those site characteristics that are most critical for the performance of the observatories and that could be impacted by the INNA project, concluding that the construction and operation of this project will cause artificial light contamination (“light pollution”) and an increase in ground motions or vibrations, atmospheric turbulence and dust contamination of optical surfaces.

-“ESO has done an outstanding job in conducting this thorough technical analysis, providing valuable insights into the potential impacts of the planned INNA project,” says Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO ERIC Director General. “The findings are very concerning, and we support their efforts to achieve a relocation of the planned facility.”
+> “ESO has done an outstanding job in conducting this thorough technical analysis, providing valuable insights into the potential impacts of the planned INNA project,” says Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO ERIC Director General. “The findings are very concerning, and we support their efforts to achieve a relocation of the planned facility.”

 According to ESO’s analysis, the industrial complex would increase light pollution above the Very Large Telescope (VLT), which is about 11km from the planned INNA location, by at least 35% above the current artificial-light baseline levels. Another of the Paranal facilities, ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), would see the light pollution above it increase by a minimum of 5%. This increase already represents a level of interference incompatible with the conditions required for world-class astronomical observations. The impact on the skies above the CTAO-South, located just 5km from INNA, would be the most significant, with light pollution going up by at least 55%.

-“Any loss in the quality of the Chilean night skies over Paranal — no matter how small — should not be tolerated, as any science lost will be gone forever and can never be recovered,” states Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist.
+> “Any loss in the quality of the Chilean night skies over Paranal — no matter how small — should not be tolerated, as any science lost will be gone forever and can never be recovered,” states Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist.

 For its technical analysis, a team of experts led by ESO Director of Operations Andreas Kaufer joined forces with Martin Aubé, a world-leading expert on sky brightness at astronomical sites, to run simulations using the most advanced light-pollution models. As input, the simulations used publicly available information provided by AES Andes when submitting the project for environmental assessment, which states the complex will be illuminated by over 1,000 light sources.

-“The light-pollution figures we are reporting assume that the project will install the most modern available luminaries in a way that minimises light pollution. However, we are concerned that the inventory of light sources planned by AES is not complete and fit for purpose. In that case our already alarming results would underestimate the potential impact of the INNA project on the Paranal sky brightness,” explains Kaufer.
+> “The light-pollution figures we are reporting assume that the project will install the most modern available luminaries in a way that minimises light pollution. However, we are concerned that the inventory of light sources planned by AES is not complete and fit for purpose. In that case our already alarming results would underestimate the potential impact of the INNA project on the Paranal sky brightness,” explains Kaufer.

 In addition to the dark and clear skies, Paranal Observatory is the world’s top site for astronomy thanks to its exceptionally steady and stable atmosphere – it has what astronomers call excellent seeing conditions or very low “twinkling” of astronomical objects caused by turbulence in Earth’s atmosphere. With INNA, the best seeing conditions could deteriorate by up to 40%, in particular due to the air turbulence caused by the project’s wind turbines.

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ Another worry is the impact of the vibrations caused by INNA on the VLT Interfer

 Furthermore, INNA’s infrastructure is likely to encourage the development of an industrial hub in the area, which could turn Paranal into an unusable site for top-level astronomical observations.

-“ESO and its Member States are fully supportive of energy decarbonisation. For us, Chile should not have to make a choice between hosting the most powerful astronomical observatories and developing green-energy projects. Both are declared strategic priorities by the country and are fully compatible — if the different facilities are located at sufficient distances from one another,” says ESO Director General Xavier Barcons.
+> “ESO and its Member States are fully supportive of energy decarbonisation. For us, Chile should not have to make a choice between hosting the most powerful astronomical observatories and developing green-energy projects. Both are declared strategic priorities by the country and are fully compatible — if the different facilities are located at sufficient distances from one another,” says ESO Director General Xavier Barcons.

 The full technical report will be submitted to the Chilean authorities later this month as part of the Citizen Participation Process (PAC) in INNA’s environmental impact assessment and made public at that time. In addition to their press release, ESO is making an executive summary of the report public in advance.

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 First quarter 2019, sees the exciting launch of one out of the five successfully retained INFRA-EOSC-04-2018 Cluster projects, which the European Commission supports with €16 million to boost the implementation of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).

-**About EOSC:**
+## About EOSC:

 European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) is a cloud for research data in Europe allowing for universal access to data; a single online platform where all European researchers will be able to:

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ EOSC will help increase recognition of data intensive research and data science.

 Multi-messenger astronomy and accelerator-driven particle physics are two pillars of the ESCAPE project. Through the combination of the experimental investigations of the two extremes, from the largest-scale structures in the observable Universe to the most fundamental particles, the astronomy-related projects and the accelerator-based particle physics facilities will open together new paths towards the understanding of the Universe. A deluge of data is expected in the next years by the next generation facilities prioritised in the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) – the major facilities identified in the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures – and other world-class projects. This €16 million funding boost will help Europe’s world-leading research infrastructures work together to find common solutions to their data challenges, their data interoperability, their data access and to accentuate the openness of Fundamental Science research to the full international community, from professionals to the public.

-“It is the first time that many of the greatest European scientific facilities in physics and astronomy have combined forces to make their data and software interoperable and open, committing to make the European Science Cloud a reality. This is an important milestone for European scientific research,” said Dr. Giovanni Lamanna, Director of the IN2P3 laboratory LAPP (Laboratoire d’Annecy de Physique des Particules) and Principal Investigator of the ESCAPE project.
+> “It is the first time that many of the greatest European scientific facilities in physics and astronomy have combined forces to make their data and software interoperable and open, committing to make the European Science Cloud a reality. This is an important milestone for European scientific research,” said Dr. Giovanni Lamanna, Director of the IN2P3 laboratory LAPP (Laboratoire d’Annecy de Physique des Particules) and Principal Investigator of the ESCAPE project.

 **People:** European astronomers and particle physicists are celebrating the €16 million boost for Open Science today, through ESCAPE. ESCAPE is not just about providing tools for the expert European science community. Members of the public will be able to access world-class data and participate in science discovery, through citizen science mass participation experiments.

@@ -40,9 +40,11 @@ The funding was made through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Progr

 **Organisations:** ESCAPE’s domain expert and skilled consortia of facilities is broad, and knowledgeable. It includes ESFRI projects/landmarks such as the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the European Solar Telescope (EST), the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe (FAIR), the High Luminosity-Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), the cubic-kilometre-sized Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Two pan-European International Organizations, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the European Southern Observatory (ESO), are also members of the ESCAPE cluster. The European Virtual Observatory (EURO-VO) is also actively engaged in this endeavour. ESCAPE also brings on board other world-class established astronomical observatories, such as those operated by ESO (e.g. APEX ALMA, the Paranal and La Silla observatories), research infrastructures such as the European Gravitational-Wave Observatory (EGO-Virgo) and the Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIV-ERIC).

-**The complete list of ESCAPE partners**
+## The complete list of ESCAPE partners

-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), ASTRON, CWI and NIKHEF institutes of the Stichting Nederlandse Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Instituten (NWO-I), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), European Southern Observatory (ESO), The Square Kilometre Array Organization (SKA), Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe (FAIR GMBH), Koninklijke Sterrenwacht van Belgie (ORB), Università degli Studi di Roma Torvergata (UNITOV), Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), Istituto Nazionale d’Astrofisica (INAF), Instituto de Fisica de Altas Energias (IFAE), Stiftung Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften EV (MPG), Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK), Stiftung Kiepenheuer-Institut für Sonnenphysik (KIS), Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (UHEI), GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung Gmbh (GSI), The University of Edinburgh (UEDIN), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry, a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (JIV-ERIC), European Gravitational Observatory / Osservatorio Gravitazionale Europeo (EGO), The Open University (OU), Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Esteban Terradas (INTA), HITS GGMBH (HITS), Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory GGMBH (CTAO GGMBH), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RUG), Surfsara BV, TRUST-IT Services (TRUST-IT), OROBIX Srl (OROBIX).[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Contact Person: [Dr Giovanni Lamanna](http://lappweb.in2p3.fr/~lamanna/giovannilamanna.html), Director of the [LAPP](https://lapp.in2p3.fr/) Laboratory, CNRS-IN2P3/USMB, ESCAPE Coordinator.
+Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), ASTRON, CWI and NIKHEF institutes of the Stichting Nederlandse Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Instituten (NWO-I), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), European Southern Observatory (ESO), The Square Kilometre Array Organization (SKA), Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe (FAIR GMBH), Koninklijke Sterrenwacht van Belgie (ORB), Università degli Studi di Roma Torvergata (UNITOV), Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), Istituto Nazionale d’Astrofisica (INAF), Instituto de Fisica de Altas Energias (IFAE), Stiftung Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften EV (MPG), Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK), Stiftung Kiepenheuer-Institut für Sonnenphysik (KIS), Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (UHEI), GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung Gmbh (GSI), The University of Edinburgh (UEDIN), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry, a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (JIV-ERIC), European Gravitational Observatory / Osservatorio Gravitazionale Europeo (EGO), The Open University (OU), Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial Esteban Terradas (INTA), HITS GGMBH (HITS), Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory GGMBH (CTAO GGMBH), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RUG), Surfsara BV, TRUST-IT Services (TRUST-IT), OROBIX Srl (OROBIX).
+
+Contact Person: [Dr Giovanni Lamanna](http://lappweb.in2p3.fr/~lamanna/giovannilamanna.html), Director of the [LAPP](https://lapp.in2p3.fr/) Laboratory, CNRS-IN2P3/USMB, ESCAPE Coordinator.

 Email: giovanni.lamanna@lapp.in2p3.fr

@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ On 1 March 2018, Prof. Federico Ferrini became CTA’s new Managing Director, su

 Beyond his deep experience in the field of astrophysics, Ferrini brings extensive knowledge in the management of large international scientific projects. After dedicating more than 30 years to astrophysics research and teaching at the University of Pisa, which included directing the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group, Ferrini was named Director of the European Gravitational Observatory (EGO) in 2011. As director, he fostered the collaboration and technical advancement of the VIRGO interferometric antenna – one of the three largest gravitational detectors in the world. Some of his other professional positions have included Scientific Attaché at the Permanent Mission of Italy in Geneva and Chair of both the CERN Pension Fund Governing Board and Investment Committee.

-“At this critical point of the CTA project, we look forward to Federico bringing his long-standing experience on the VIRGO project to build on the progress made by Ueli in the construction of what will be the world’s preeminent observatory for studying the high-energy Universe,” said Gabriel Chardin, Chair of the CTA Council.
+> “At this critical point of the CTA project, we look forward to Federico bringing his long-standing experience on the VIRGO project to build on the progress made by Ueli in the construction of what will be the world’s preeminent observatory for studying the high-energy Universe,” said Gabriel Chardin, Chair of the CTA Council.

 During his three-year tenure, Ferrini intends to apply his leadership and enthusiasm to the CTA construction project with the goal of bringing its vast scientific potential closer to reality.

-“It is an honour to be selected to help lead CTA as it prepares for construction and begins building telescopes on site,” said Ferrini. “CTA is a major pillar for the future of astro-particle physics, and I look forward to collaborating with the highly-motivated people who have contributed to bringing CTA to this exciting point in its development. My predecessor, Ueli, is one of those people — he has done outstanding work forging a path to achieving CTA’s ambitious objectives, and I plan to continue following that path.”
+> “It is an honour to be selected to help lead CTA as it prepares for construction and begins building telescopes on site,” said Ferrini. “CTA is a major pillar for the future of astro-particle physics, and I look forward to collaborating with the highly-motivated people who have contributed to bringing CTA to this exciting point in its development. My predecessor, Ueli, is one of those people — he has done outstanding work forging a path to achieving CTA’s ambitious objectives, and I plan to continue following that path.”
@@ -18,21 +18,23 @@ The southern site of CTA is 11 kilometres southeast of the location of the [Very

 Current gamma-ray telescope arrays only consist of a handful of individual telescopes, but CTA — with its larger collecting area and wider sky coverage — will be the largest and most sensitive array of gamma-ray telescopes in the world, with unprecedented accuracy and 10 times more sensitive than existing instruments.

-Although the Earth’s atmosphere prevents gamma rays from reaching the surface, CTA’s mirrors and high-speed cameras will capture the short-lived flashes of eerie blue Cherenkov radiation produced when gamma rays interact with the atmosphere. By detecting this Cherenkov light, scientists will be able to trace the gamma ray back to its cosmic source.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
+Although the Earth’s atmosphere prevents gamma rays from reaching the surface, CTA’s mirrors and high-speed cameras will capture the short-lived flashes of eerie blue Cherenkov radiation produced when gamma rays interact with the atmosphere. By detecting this Cherenkov light, scientists will be able to trace the gamma ray back to its cosmic source.

 On 19 December 2018, Ferrini met with ESO’s Director General, Xavier Barcons, at the ESO offices in Santiago, Chile. In the presence of ESO’s Director for Operations, Andreas Kaufer, and other ESO personnel, they signed the agreement for the construction and operation of CTA’s southern array within ESO’s Paranal site in northern Chile.

 Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations of Chile Carolina Valdivia Torres and ESO’s Director General also signed [an agreement](https://minrel.gob.cl/chile-suscribe-convenio-para-instalacion-del-conjunto-de-telescopios-de/minrel/2018-12-19/170922.html) that enables ESO to host CTA-South at the Paranal Observatory site, as an ESO Programme.

-“Operating CTA at Paranal will open a new window on the Universe for astronomers in the ESO Member States, Chile, and worldwide,” commented Barcons. “ESO’s rich experience of maintaining and operating fleets of telescopes in remote areas will be invaluable for the CTA project.”
+> “Operating CTA at Paranal will open a new window on the Universe for astronomers in the ESO Member States, Chile, and worldwide,” commented Barcons. “ESO’s rich experience of maintaining and operating fleets of telescopes in remote areas will be invaluable for the CTA project.”

-“Thanks to the agreements signed today, CTAO will not only benefit from Chile’s spectacular night sky but also from ESO’s facilities and deep experience, which will be an invaluable contribution to the realisation of this ambitious system of telescopes” said Ferrini. “Furthermore, the synergies between ESO and CTAO will mark this new, fast-growing era of multi-messenger astrophysics for decades to come as we explore potential collaborations with other large infrastructures such as ALMA, SKA and gravitational wave interferometers.”
+> “Thanks to the agreements signed today, CTAO will not only benefit from Chile’s spectacular night sky but also from ESO’s facilities and deep experience, which will be an invaluable contribution to the realisation of this ambitious system of telescopes” said Ferrini. “Furthermore, the synergies between ESO and CTAO will mark this new, fast-growing era of multi-messenger astrophysics for decades to come as we explore potential collaborations with other large infrastructures such as ALMA, SKA and gravitational wave interferometers.”

 On 17 December 2018, CTAO’s Managing Director, Federico Ferrini, met CONICYT’s Executive Director, Christian Nicolai Orellana to sign a scientific collaboration agreement, which aims to foster astronomical research in Chile, capitalising on the opening of a new observational window as enabled by CTA-South.

-“The installation of this new observatory will bring the study of the most extreme phenomena in the Universe to Chile,” explained Orellana. “The project will be complemented with the installation of another array of telescopes in the northern hemisphere, which will foster scientific collaboration between both sides of the globe. In this way, Chile will be hosting the greatest concentration of technology observing phenomena from Earth. Thus, reaffirming Chile and its spectacular sky, the natural astronomical laboratory par excellence, as a world leader in astronomy.”
+> “The installation of this new observatory will bring the study of the most extreme phenomena in the Universe to Chile,” explained Orellana. “The project will be complemented with the installation of another array of telescopes in the northern hemisphere, which will foster scientific collaboration between both sides of the globe. In this way, Chile will be hosting the greatest concentration of technology observing phenomena from Earth. Thus, reaffirming Chile and its spectacular sky, the natural astronomical laboratory par excellence, as a world leader in astronomy.”

-“The scientific collaboration agreement with CONICYT was an important first step in strengthening the confidence of the Chilean Government in scientific collaboration and to achieve the installation of CTA telescopes in Chile, with ESO’s involvement,” commented Ferrini. “We are looking forward to collaborating with CONICYT to develop a brilliant community of Chilean scientists and engineers that will become an important part of both Chile’s future and the future activities of CTA.”[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The scientific scope of CTA is extremely broad: from understanding the role of relativistic cosmic particles to the search for dark matter. CTA will explore the extreme Universe, probing environments from the immediate neighbourhood of black holes to cosmic voids on the largest scales. It may even lead to brand new physics as it studies the nature of matter and forces beyond the [Standard Model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Model).
+> “The scientific collaboration agreement with CONICYT was an important first step in strengthening the confidence of the Chilean Government in scientific collaboration and to achieve the installation of CTA telescopes in Chile, with ESO’s involvement,” commented Ferrini. “We are looking forward to collaborating with CONICYT to develop a brilliant community of Chilean scientists and engineers that will become an important part of both Chile’s future and the future activities of CTA.”
+
+The scientific scope of CTA is extremely broad: from understanding the role of relativistic cosmic particles to the search for dark matter. CTA will explore the extreme Universe, probing environments from the immediate neighbourhood of black holes to cosmic voids on the largest scales. It may even lead to brand new physics as it studies the nature of matter and forces beyond the [Standard Model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Model).

 More than 1400 scientists and engineers from 31 countries across five continents are engaged in the scientific and technical development of CTA. The shareholders of the current legal entity — CTAO gGmbH — are the representatives of ministries and funding agencies from Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom [1]. They are currently preparing for the establishment of a European Research Infrastructure Consortium — the CTAO ERIC — which will then construct the immense observatory. The ERIC will be composed of CTAO’s Member States and associated countries.

@@ -12,15 +12,15 @@ In recognition of the United Nations’ [International Day of Women and Girls in

 ## Meet the speakers:

-## **Prof. Patrizia Caraveo**
+## Prof. Patrizia Caraveo

 Prof. Caraveo earned her degree in physics in 1977 at the University of Milan. She has the rank of Research Director (since 2002) at the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) in Milano and is a contract professor at Pavia University. She has taken part in several international space missions dedicated to high-energy astrophysics, starting from the European mission COS-B. Currently, she is involved in the exploitation of ESA’s Integral, of NASA’s Swift, of the Italian Agile and of the NASA Fermi missions, all fully operational in orbit. She also represents INAF within the CTA Consortium Board and has served on the CTAO Council. She is a recognized leader in the study of neutron stars behavior at different wavelengths. Her work lead to the discovery (and to the understanding) of Geminga, the first radio-quiet pulsar. Owing to such results, she won the Premio Nazionale Presidente della Repubblica in 2009. Moreover, she shared with her Swift, Fermi and Agile colleagues the Bruno Rossi prize of the American Astronomical Society in 2007, 2011 and 2012. In 2014, she received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Women in Aerospace European Society and was included by Thomson Reuters in the list of Highly Cited Researchers for Space Science. In 2017 she was awarded the title of Commendatore dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.

-## **Dr. Emma de Oña Wilhelmi**
+## Dr. Emma de Oña Wilhelmi

 Emma is a doctor in astrophysics with almost 20 years of experience in the field. Her research activity focuses on the understanding of the non-thermal processes and very high-energy emission of sources located in our own Galaxy, such as Supernova Remnants (SNRs), Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe) and binary systems. She has been an active member and held leadership positions with several former and present gamma-ray instruments, such as HEGRA, H.E.S.S., MAGIC and CTA. Among others, she has been Convener of the Galactic Working Group in MAGIC and CTA, Convener of SNRs, PWNe and pulsars Working Group in H.E.S.S. and she is the current Science Coordinator for CTA. Her activities in the gamma-ray regime are complemented with multi-wavelength developments in X-rays and in radio, and was PWNe Coordinator for the X-rays satellite XIPE. In 2012, she obtained a Ramon y Cajal Fellowship (Spanish tenure-track) at the Institute of Space Sciences (CSIC-IEEC) in Barcelona, whom she represents for CTA-Spain and the Large-Sized Telescope consortium. She currently holds a Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researcher at DESY in Zeuthen, Germany.

-## **Chiara Montanari**
+## Chiara Montanari

 Chiara is an engineer with 15 years polar mission experience that defines herself as a “Life Explorer.” As a five-time expedition leader to Antarctica, she has traveled to the most extreme stations on the planet. In addition to her polar missions, she also has worked in the United Kingdom with the broadcast industry, information and communications technology, as well as the energy efficiency and educations sectors and has been conducting research in organisational theories at Politecnico di Milano and the International Research Centre on Epistemology and Anthropology of Complexity (Bergamo). In 2014, Chiara was awarded by the city of Milan with “Ambrogino d’oro” (civic medal) for her engagement in boosting technological transfer, entrepreneurship and innovation. In 2015, she published the book “CRONACHE DAI GHIACCI, 90 GIORNI IN ANTARCTICA.” Chiara is now putting her skills to work for the CTA construction project as the new Interface Manager for the CTAO Project Office. [Read more.](http://www.chiaramontanari.net/en/about-me/)

@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ On 5 February 2022, the open-source [Gammapy](https://gammapy.org/) software pac

 In the past years, researchers and large-scale infrastructures from all science fields, including astrophysics, have been promoting open-source software and driving towards the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principle to allow users worldwide free access to source codes and to support open science globally. To recognize projects and research teams that contribute to this major common good and serve as examples for the next generations, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation in France, [in collaboration with other prestigious partners from France](https://osec2022.eu/partners/), presented the first Open Science Awards for Open-Source Research Software. Among the 129 candidate projects, Gammapy, an open-source Python package used for the gamma-ray astronomy data analysis on which the official Science Tools for CTAO will be based, received the Jury Prize in this first edition of the awards.

-“This prize is a wonderful recognition of the quality of the work done over the years by all Gammapy developers, as well as of the fruitful connection with users and the community working behind the scenes on a common data format shared by many gamma-ray experiments,” says Bruno Khélifi, Gammapy Project Manager at APC/CNRS. “We are happy to be selected for the award among so many other great open-source projects. It is a recognition of both our work and the work of the scientific open-source software community in general,” adds Axel Donath, Gammapy Lead Developer at Cfa/Harvard. “Gammapy could not be successful without the other open-source projects we build on, collaborate with and share the common vision of a more transparent and reproducible science for the future.”
+> “This prize is a wonderful recognition of the quality of the work done over the years by all Gammapy developers, as well as of the fruitful connection with users and the community working behind the scenes on a common data format shared by many gamma-ray experiments,” says Bruno Khélifi, Gammapy Project Manager at APC/CNRS. “We are happy to be selected for the award among so many other great open-source projects. It is a recognition of both our work and the work of the scientific open-source software community in general,” adds Axel Donath, Gammapy Lead Developer at Cfa/Harvard. “Gammapy could not be successful without the other open-source projects we build on, collaborate with and share the common vision of a more transparent and reproducible science for the future.”

 The prizes, [awarded by a jury composed of ten renowned experts in the field](https://www.ouvrirlascience.fr/open-science-free-software-award-ceremony/), were divided into four categories: Scientific and Technical, considering the quality of the software; Community, based on the contribution to an active environment; Documentation, attending to the efforts to provide appropriate documentation to the users; and the Jury Prize, awarded to Gammapy, which rewards projects that stands out in all aforementioned categories.

-“We are very glad that all these years of hard work carried out by the Gammapy team are recognized through this award,” says Matthias Füssling, CTAO SUSS (Science User Support System) Coordinator. “From CTAO, we will continue to work together and support the development and improvement of Gammapy as a key element for the CTAO’s operation and data analysis.”
+> “We are very glad that all these years of hard work carried out by the Gammapy team are recognized through this award,” says Matthias Füssling, CTAO SUSS (Science User Support System) Coordinator. “From CTAO, we will continue to work together and support the development and improvement of Gammapy as a key element for the CTAO’s operation and data analysis.”

 In June 2021, [Gammapy was selected as the CTAO Science Tools](https://www.cta-observatory.org/ctao-adopts-the-gammapy-software-package-for-science-analysis/), a software package for the scientific analysis of the CTAO data. It is one of the core products that the CTAO will provide to the worldwide science community during the lifetime of the Observatory, as the interface to that community and a set of the highest quality software tools with documentation and tutorials that will allow any user to analyse CTAO data. Moreover, Gammapy plays an integral role in the science operation workflows of the CTAO itself, as part of the pipelines for science verification.

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ The ceremony began at ESO’s Paranal Observatory with opening remarks from Tho

 During his remarks, McMuldroch expressed his excitement for this moment, a culmination of years of dedication and international collaboration. “Thanks to the commitment of our partners from around the world and the support of ESO as our hosts here in Chile, we are now turning a vision into reality as construction begins on what will be the most advanced gamma-ray observatory on Earth.”

-“We are happy to welcome this innovative facility to ESO’s family. It’s our pleasure to see the start of construction of the southern site of this powerful observatory here at Paranal in Chile’s Atacama Desert — a place with the most pristine skies on Earth. This groundbreaking is a huge milestone for both CTAO and ESO, but also for Chile as this new facility will strengthen the country’s position as a global hub for astronomy,” said Barcons in his speech.
+> “We are happy to welcome this innovative facility to ESO’s family. It’s our pleasure to see the start of construction of the southern site of this powerful observatory here at Paranal in Chile’s Atacama Desert — a place with the most pristine skies on Earth. This groundbreaking is a huge milestone for both CTAO and ESO, but also for Chile as this new facility will strengthen the country’s position as a global hub for astronomy,” said Barcons in his speech.

 Following the ceremony, participants moved to the CTAO-South site, located 10 kilometres southeast of Paranal in the Atacama Desert, for a symbolic onsite celebration. There, Volker Heinz, CTAO Construction Programme Manager, welcomed the attendees to the site and then the representatives buried a time capsule containing items from Chile and partner countries around the world, symbolising how the work undertaken in Chile will contribute to scientific progress on a global scale. The capsule also included scientific items representing the ultimate goal of the telescopes now under construction: to advance our understanding of the Universe and expand human knowledge.  A commemorative plaque, set upon nearby stones, now marks the location of the buried capsule, beside the future telescope area.

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ The [CTAO ERIC members](https://www.ctao.org/organisation/governance/) include

 The European Southern Observatory (ESO) enables scientists worldwide to discover the secrets of the Universe for the benefit of all. We design, build and operate world-class observatories on the ground — which astronomers use to tackle exciting questions and spread the fascination of astronomy — and promote international collaboration for astronomy. Established as an intergovernmental organisation in 1962, today ESO is supported by 16 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO’s headquarters and its visitor centre and planetarium, the ESO Supernova, are located close to Munich in Germany, while the Chilean Atacama Desert, a marvellous place with unique conditions to observe the sky, hosts our telescopes. ESO operates three observing sites: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its Very Large Telescope Interferometer, as well as survey telescopes such as VISTA. Also at Paranal, ESO will host and operate the south array of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory, the world’s largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. Together with international partners, ESO operates ALMA on Chajnantor, a facility that observes the skies in the millimetre and submillimetre range. At Cerro Armazones, near Paranal, we are building “the world’s biggest eye on the sky” — ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope. From our offices in Santiago, Chile we support our operations in the country and engage with Chilean partners and society.

-### Dr. Alba Fernández-Barral, CTAO Chief Communications** **Officer
+## Dr. Alba Fernández-Barral, CTAO Chief Communications Officer

 Email: [alba.fernandezbarral@cta-observatory.org](mailto:alba.fernandezbarral@cta-observatory.org)

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Cell: +39-051-6357-270

 (English, Spanish and Italian)

-### Bárbara Ferreira**, **ESO Media Manager
+## Bárbara Ferreira, ESO Media Manager

 Garching bei München, Germany

@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ Tel: +49 89 3200 6670

 Cell: +49 151 241 664 00

-### Francisco Rodríguez**, **ESO Head of Communication Chile
+## Francisco Rodríguez, ESO Head of Communication Chile

 Santiago, Chile

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ On 13 June 2016, the governing body of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

 The Council, composed of shareholders from nine countries (Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) in consultation with associate members (Netherlands, South Africa and Sweden), made the decision after careful consideration of the proposals against criteria that included infrastructure, services and access requirements.

-“We are grateful for all of the proposals put forward by the applicants. While each of the candidate sites were suitable options, the Council is confident that Bologna and Zeuthen will be well-equipped to support CTA’s long-term operations,” said Ulrich Straumann, Managing Director of the CTAO gGmbH.
+> “We are grateful for all of the proposals put forward by the applicants. While each of the candidate sites were suitable options, the Council is confident that Bologna and Zeuthen will be well-equipped to support CTA’s long-term operations,” said Ulrich Straumann, Managing Director of the CTAO gGmbH.

 The CTA Headquarters will be the central office responsible for the overall administration of Observatory operations. Approximately two dozen personnel will provide technical coordination and support, and the main administrative services for the governing bodies and users of the Observatory. The headquarters will be located within the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) premises in a new building shared with the Bologna University Department of Physics and Astronomy. This location gives CTA a home in a word-class scientific environment with state‐of‐the-art facilities, in one of Italy’s most attractive and historic cultural centres.

@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ L’evento “DM dall’Universo” si terrà in concomitanza con il [CTAO Scien

 [Visita il nostro sito web](https://www.ctao-symposium.org/dm-dall-universo) per ulteriori informazioni e per accedere al sistema di prenotazione dei biglietti. Vi aspettiamo tutti al Teatro Duse il prossimo 16 aprile!

-**Informazioni di Biglietteria:**
+## Informazioni di Biglietteria:
+
 TEATRO DUSE

 Via Cartoleria 42 Bologna
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ Via Cartoleria 42 Bologna

 Orari di apertura: dal martedì al sabato dalle ore 15 alle 19 e da un’ora prima dell’inizio degli spettacoli

-### Evento:
+## Evento:

 [Teatro Duse](https://www.teatrodusebologna.it/), Via Cartoleria 42, 40124 Bologna

@@ -14,10 +14,10 @@ To provide access to the whole sky, the CTA Observatory will have two sites, wit

 CTA’s northern hemisphere site will be located on the existing site of the IAC’s Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on the island of La Palma, the fifth largest island in the Canary Islands. At 2,200 m altitude and nestled on a plateau below the rim of an extinct volcanic crater, the site currently hosts the two Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes (MAGIC) telescopes. This location offers excellent conditions for astronomical observations.

-“This is a big step, which allows CTAO to start work on the ground,” said CTAO gGmbH Managing Director Ulrich Straumann. Rafael Rebolo, Director of the IAC, was very positive about the future: “We are looking forward to a great partnership with CTA and expect exciting discoveries with these telescopes.”
+> “This is a big step, which allows CTAO to start work on the ground,” said CTAO gGmbH Managing Director Ulrich Straumann. Rafael Rebolo, Director of the IAC, was very positive about the future: “We are looking forward to a great partnership with CTA and expect exciting discoveries with these telescopes.”

 The agreement allows the construction of the CTA northern array to proceed at the Roque de los Muchachos site and ensures access to the infrastructure and common services needed for the operation of the Observatory, including the digital connection of the CTA network with the rest of the world. In return, Spain will receive 10 percent of the observation time at the northern site, with part of this transferable to the southern hemisphere. Beyond provision of the northern site, Spain plans to make major contributions to the construction of CTA.

-“The full sky coverage and excellent conditions provided by the IAC site, together with the ESO site in Chile, are crucial for achieving CTAs ambitious science goals,” said CTA Spokesperson Werner Hofmann.
+> “The full sky coverage and excellent conditions provided by the IAC site, together with the ESO site in Chile, are crucial for achieving CTAs ambitious science goals,” said CTA Spokesperson Werner Hofmann.

 Negotiations with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) for the southern hemisphere site near ESO’s existing Paranal Observatory in Chile are expected to conclude before the end of 2016. If all goes as planned, construction will begin in 2017, with first telescopes on site in 2018.
@@ -22,38 +22,38 @@ And passionate about science communication, Dr. Colomer actively participates in

 In this interview, Dr. Colomer delves into the importance of the [CTAO ERIC establishment](https://www.ctao.org/news/the-ctao-becomes-an-eric/), the next steps for the [newly formed Council](https://www.ctao.org/news/the-ctao-eric-council-is-officially-established-and-elects-francisco-colomer-as-its-chair/), and provides his vision for the future of the Observatory.

-### The CTAO became an ERIC on January 7, a fundamental milestone for the Observatory to ensure its expected 30 years of operations. What are the main changes brought by the new legal entity?
+## The CTAO became an ERIC on January 7, a fundamental milestone for the Observatory to ensure its expected 30 years of operations. What are the main changes brought by the new legal entity?

 The establishment of the CTAO as an ERIC comes after many years of work of many enthusiastic people, who recognised the scientific value and opportunity of investing in this rising observatory. The ERIC label adds commitment and credibility to the project, also at the highest level by engaging the ministries and the European Commission, which is essential for its long-term success.

-### Based on your experience, what are the biggest opportunities of operating as an ERIC?
+## Based on your experience, what are the biggest opportunities of operating as an ERIC?

 There are now 30 operational ERICs in all fields of science, three in astronomy: JIVE, LOFAR, and now the CTAO. Being a legal entity under the ERIC regulation gives stability but also great flexibility, allowing us to define policies and procedures that are well suited to the Observatory’s mission.

-### How do you see the evolution of international collaboration under this new context?
+## How do you see the evolution of international collaboration under this new context?

 With the ERIC, Europe has a great tool to attract the establishment of global research infrastructures. The CTAO ERIC is a good example since partners around the world support the construction and operation of this astronomical observatory with headquarters in Italy, data management centre in Germany, and telescope sites in Spain (Canary Islands) and Chile. There are, however, still some challenges to smoothly incorporate non-EU partners, which have been identified and are being addressed by the European Commission. Hopefully, soon, it will become a much easier process, not just for our benefit but for the European and international research communities.

-### Following the creation of the CTAO ERIC, we now celebrate the establishment of its Council. Can you explain what this achievement means for the Observatory and, personally, for you to be Chair?
+## Following the creation of the CTAO ERIC, we now celebrate the establishment of its Council. Can you explain what this achievement means for the Observatory and, personally, for you to be Chair?

 The Council of the CTAO ERIC is the body where the investors of the research infrastructure meet, and make the most important decisions on strategies but also operations. There are two delegates per ERIC member, but also representatives from strategic partners, observers, and third-party organisations. This ensures that all opinions are heard, and all interests are considered. Being the first chair is an honor but also a great responsibility — I aim to build trust, so consensus is achieved on the essential issues.

-### What are the key first steps the CTAO ERIC Council will focus on in the coming months?
+## What are the key first steps the CTAO ERIC Council will focus on in the coming months?

 In the coming months, we expect to move all assets and activities from the CTAO gGmbH (former legal entity of the Observatory) to the CTAO ERIC, so the whole project runs under one umbrella. The team at the CTAO Central Organisation will also transition and continue to grow as the construction of some of the telescopes will advance at a rapid pace. While this is ongoing, we also need to start planning for operations and early science. There is a lot to do!

-### The CTAO ERIC was initially formed with the commitment of 11 countries and one intergovernmental organisation, but there is an increasing international interest in the CTAO. Can we already anticipate participation of new countries at governmental level?
+## The CTAO ERIC was initially formed with the commitment of 11 countries and one intergovernmental organisation, but there is an increasing international interest in the CTAO. Can we already anticipate participation of new countries at governmental level?

 The support of the founding countries and ESO is a demonstration of the interest in the CTAO, which extends to other partners around the world. We are already in talks with additional countries so we are certain that our membership will continue to grow. There are many ways to engage in the project, to serve different communities and their circumstances, ensuring that we are as inclusive as possible.

-### As the CTAO is now entering fully into the construction phase, what are the key priorities from a strategic perspective?
+## As the CTAO is now entering fully into the construction phase, what are the key priorities from a strategic perspective?

 Our priority is to ensure the maximum quality in the construction of the telescopes and data centres, while respecting the timing and availability of resources in an always complex and quickly changing scenario. Not less important, to attract more partners and funding needed for the CTAO ERIC to be a sustainable organisation for many years to come.

-### Looking toward the future, what long-term impact do you hope the CTAO will have on astrophysics and beyond?
+## Looking toward the future, what long-term impact do you hope the CTAO will have on astrophysics and beyond?

 We are building the most advanced and powerful instrument to study gamma rays in the Universe. I hope its discoveries will expand and change our understanding of the most energetic processes in astrophysics.

-### Finally, what message would you share with the global technical and scientific communities that are eagerly awaiting to explore the extreme Universe with the CTAO?
+## Finally, what message would you share with the global technical and scientific communities that are eagerly awaiting to explore the extreme Universe with the CTAO?

 Scientists are eager to receive data from the CTAO ERIC which will certainly bring new discoveries. We share this enthusiasm and will work hard to complete the construction of the facilities and reach early science as soon as possible. There are great challenges in this project, which we can only overcome with the involvement of the best technical and scientific experts, and the CTAO is fortunate to have such a strong professional community. Soon, the global scientific community will have an unprecedented tool to explore the extreme Universe, opening new frontiers of the Cosmos. We stand at the threshold of a new era in astrophysics.
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ cover: /uploads/Stuart-McMuldroch-Direttore-Generale-CTAO-e-Anna-Maria-Bernini-M
 draft: false
 ---

-Today, in the Sala dei Giganti* *of the University of Padua, Italy, partners and collaborators of the CTAO gathered to celebrate the launch of activities of the CTAO ERIC. The ceremony, organised by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) and the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), brought together representatives from the CTAO Founding Members, including the Italian Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, alongside authorities and the wider scientific community.
+Today, in the Sala dei Giganti of the University of Padua, Italy, partners and collaborators of the CTAO gathered to celebrate the launch of activities of the CTAO ERIC. The ceremony, organised by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) and the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), brought together representatives from the CTAO Founding Members, including the Italian Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, alongside authorities and the wider scientific community.

 Earlier this year, the European Commission formally [established the CTAO as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC)](https://www.ctao.org/news/the-ctao-becomes-an-eric/), marking the official start of its construction phase — a key milestone that has seen remarkable progress over the past few months. The transition to this final legal form was formally completed on 30 September with the [signing of the asset transfer agreement](https://www.ctao.org/news/ctao-finalises-asset-transfer-from-ggmbh-to-eric/) from the previous entity to the CTAO ERIC. Today’s event in Padua celebrates this achievement and the beginning of a new chapter for the Observatory on its path to becoming the world’s largest and most advanced gamma-ray observatory.

-“The CTAO has become an ERIC, a European organisation with reach and support that extends beyond the continent. With this step, we have been able to start large-scale construction activities at our South site and increase our support for the North site activities. This has only been possible with the support of an ever-growing list of members from around the world to whom we are grateful,” explains Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO Director General. “It is a pleasure to be here today to celebrate this international progress that will lead to significant scientific discoveries.”
+> “The CTAO has become an ERIC, a European organisation with reach and support that extends beyond the continent. With this step, we have been able to start large-scale construction activities at our South site and increase our support for the North site activities. This has only been possible with the support of an ever-growing list of members from around the world to whom we are grateful,” explains Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO Director General. “It is a pleasure to be here today to celebrate this international progress that will lead to significant scientific discoveries.”

 Since the establishment of the CTAO ERIC, construction activities have advanced rapidly. At the [CTAO-North](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-north/) site, located at the IAC’s Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma, Spain, four [Large-Sized Telescopes (LSTs)](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/telescopes/lst/) now stand at various stages of construction, with completion expected next year. At the [CTAO-South](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-south/) site, in ESO’s Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert in Chile, a major contract was recently signed to build the telescope foundations and a 17-kilometre access road, paving the way for the installation of the first [Medium-Sized Telescopes (MSTs)](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/telescopes/mst/) and [Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs)](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/telescopes/sst/) as early as next year. Additionally, [computing systems](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/data-and-computing/) have been expanded and integrated to ensure the large-scale operations and data flow expected once the Observatory becomes fully operational.

@@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ The establishment of the ERIC has also enabled a major recruitment and capacity-

 During the event, Anna Maria Bernini highlighted the key role that Italy, hosting country of the Observatory, has played in the project.

-“With the launch of activities at the CTAO, we celebrate a moment of great pride for research and for Italy,” stated Anna Maria Bernini, Italian Minister of University and Research. “The CTAO demonstrates Italy’s ability to play a central role in the construction of the most advanced research infrastructures. Our country is not only among the founding members of the CTAO ERIC, but has led the negotiations for its establishment and continues to provide decisive contributions in terms of expertise and technology.”
+> “With the launch of activities at the CTAO, we celebrate a moment of great pride for research and for Italy,” stated Anna Maria Bernini, Italian Minister of University and Research. “The CTAO demonstrates Italy’s ability to play a central role in the construction of the most advanced research infrastructures. Our country is not only among the founding members of the CTAO ERIC, but has led the negotiations for its establishment and continues to provide decisive contributions in terms of expertise and technology.”

 The CTAO ERIC members include Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland. Further countries — Australia, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, and the United States — are currently engaged in the process of joining the CTAO ERIC under the status of Strategic Partner or Third Party.
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 On September 16 and 17, the kick-off meeting for the Astrophysics Centre for Multimessenger studies in Europe (ACME) was held in Paris, France. [ACME is a EU-funded project](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101131928) coordinated by the [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique](https://www.cnrs.fr/fr) (CNRS) that aims to realize an ambitious coordinated European-wide optimization of the accessibility and cohesion between multiple leading astroparticle and astronomy research infrastructures, offering access to instruments, data and expertise focused on the new science of multi-messenger astrophysics.

-“The CTAO will participate in the project leading the development of the Center of Expertise on gamma-ray astronomy,” explains Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientists and CTAO contact for the project. “The centre will coordinate different nodes distributed around Europe where gamma-ray astronomers will provide support to the whole astronomical community in terms of both data analysis and proposal preparation, as well as by offering specialized knowledge and resources for gamma-ray research within the broader context of multi-messenger astrophysics.”
+> “The CTAO will participate in the project leading the development of the Center of Expertise on gamma-ray astronomy,” explains Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientists and CTAO contact for the project. “The centre will coordinate different nodes distributed around Europe where gamma-ray astronomers will provide support to the whole astronomical community in terms of both data analysis and proposal preparation, as well as by offering specialized knowledge and resources for gamma-ray research within the broader context of multi-messenger astrophysics.”

 With 40 world-class collaborating institutions from 14 countries, ACME objectives are to implement the [Astroparticle Physics European Consortium’s (APPEC)](https://www.appec.org/roadmap/) and the Planning and Advisory Network for European Astronomy’s ([ASTRONET](https://www.astronet-eu.org/?page_id=521)) roadmaps’ recommendations and act as a pathfinder to broaden and improve access to the respective research infrastructures services and data.

@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ Topics covered during the parallel and plenary sessions of the meeting included

 During the meeting, the CTA Consortium Board, which is the governing body of the CTA Consortium, re-elected Rene Ong (USA) as the Co-Spokesperson of the CTA Consortium for a further period of three years. The Board also elected Emma de Oña Wilhelmi (Spain) as new Deputy Science Coordinator and Abelardo Moralejo (Spain) as Analysis and Simulation Working Group Co-Coordinator, and it appointed Vitor de Souza (Brazil) as Deputy Chair of the Speaker’s and Publication Office. Additionally, the Board voted to admit new institutes from Croatia, Italy, Spain and the USA as members to the Consortium.

-Following the meeting, some of the attendees participated in an organised visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory and the site of CTA’s northern hemisphere array. For many, it was the first occasion to visit the site and to witness the construction of the Large-Sized Telescope prototype. The photo below shows Consortium members inspecting the light weight carbon fibre elements of the telescope’s optical support structure that will hold the mirrors of the 23 metre diameter telescope.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3852″ onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]We would like to thank our generous island hosts from the [Cabildo de La Palma](https://cta-observatory.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=210fce6b4b86d5c2d532c5a60&id=c7ac3af4ab&e=09478e40ce) and the [City of Santa Cruz de La Palma](https://cta-observatory.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=210fce6b4b86d5c2d532c5a60&id=dff7db7cc1&e=09478e40ce) and the organizing committee from the [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC)](https://cta-observatory.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=210fce6b4b86d5c2d532c5a60&id=dc4d65b0ff&e=09478e40ce) for hosting a very successful event! The next CTA Consortium meeting will be in May 2018 in Orsay, near Paris.
+Following the meeting, some of the attendees participated in an organised visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory and the site of CTA’s northern hemisphere array. For many, it was the first occasion to visit the site and to witness the construction of the Large-Sized Telescope prototype. The photo below shows Consortium members inspecting the light weight carbon fibre elements of the telescope’s optical support structure that will hold the mirrors of the 23 metre diameter telescope.
+
+We would like to thank our generous island hosts from the [Cabildo de La Palma](https://cta-observatory.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=210fce6b4b86d5c2d532c5a60&id=c7ac3af4ab&e=09478e40ce) and the [City of Santa Cruz de La Palma](https://cta-observatory.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=210fce6b4b86d5c2d532c5a60&id=dff7db7cc1&e=09478e40ce) and the organizing committee from the [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC)](https://cta-observatory.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=210fce6b4b86d5c2d532c5a60&id=dc4d65b0ff&e=09478e40ce) for hosting a very successful event! The next CTA Consortium meeting will be in May 2018 in Orsay, near Paris.

 To see more photos and updates from the event, search #CTALaPalma2017 on [Facebook](https://cta-observatory.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=210fce6b4b86d5c2d532c5a60&id=39898171fe&e=09478e40ce) and [Twitter](https://cta-observatory.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=210fce6b4b86d5c2d532c5a60&id=013632d4f2&e=09478e40ce). Read more about the event on the [IAC website](https://cta-observatory.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=210fce6b4b86d5c2d532c5a60&id=2cacf0331f&e=09478e40ce) (en español).
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ On the evening of the 25 March, the Barcelona Raman LIDAR Pathfinder installed o

 In spite of windy conditions, the LIDAR team, after a laborious laser alignment, was able to operate the instrument smoothly and, as scheduled, produce data. Built in Barcelona and installed at the CTA-North site inside the LST-1 construction area in mid-February 2021, the LIDAR will play a fundamental role in characterizing the atmospheric properties and calibrating the data acquired by the CTA telescopes. It will be tested for about a year, then returned back to Barcelona for updates and improvements based on the data collected. A final instrument based on the pathfinder will be installed at CTA-North. A similar instrument, built by the University of Montpellier, France, will be installed at the CTA-South site. Now that the team has achieved first light, regular data collection for commissioning of the instrument will follow.

-“This is a major milestone for our project and an important step toward demonstrating that the LIDAR will be incremental to reducing the systematic uncertainties of CTA at an unprecedented level in our field,” said the project’s principal investigators Manel Martinez and Markus Gaug.
+> “This is a major milestone for our project and an important step toward demonstrating that the LIDAR will be incremental to reducing the systematic uncertainties of CTA at an unprecedented level in our field,” said the project’s principal investigators Manel Martinez and Markus Gaug.

 A LIDAR is a remote sensing instrument used to measure the vertical profiles of aerosol and water vapor within the atmosphere. It works similarly to a RADAR (LIDAR stands for Light Detection And Ranging) but at much shorter visible or ultraviolet wavelengths rather than radio. It features a powerful laser and a telescope: the laser shoots a series of meter-long pulses into the atmosphere, each with the power of several megawatts, while the telescope collects the radiation backscattered by various atmospheric components.

@@ -22,23 +22,23 @@ The more distant the source, the more difficult it is to observe at very high en

 The LST Collaboration will continue to observe this source with the LST-1 to expand the dataset and, thus, obtain a more precise analysis that allows scientists to improve their understanding of the EBL, study the magnetic fields within this type of source or delve into fundamental intergalactic physics.

-### About the LST
+## About the LST

 The Large-Sized Telescope (LST) is one of three types of telescope that will be built to cover CTAO’s full energy range (20 GeV to 300 TeV). The approved Alpha Configuration of the CTAO includes four LSTs arranged at the centre of the northern hemisphere array. An enhancement plan of such layout includes also two LSTs in the southern array, which are funded. These telescopes are optimized to cover the low-energy sensitivity between 20 and 150 GeV. Each LST is a giant 23 metre diameter telescope with a mirror area of about 400 square metres and a fine pixelized camera made of 1855 light sensors capable of detecting individual photons with high efficiency. Although the LST stands 45 metres tall and weighs around 100 tonnes, it is extremely nimble, with the ability to reposition within 20 seconds to capture brief, low-energy gamma-ray signals. Both the fast repositioning speed and the low energy threshold provided by the LSTs are critical for CTAO’s studies of transient gamma-ray sources in our own Galaxy and for the study of active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts at high redshift. The prototype of the LST, the LST-1, is located at CTAO-North and is currently under commissioning. It is expected to become the first CTAO telescope once its commissioning is complete and it has been officially accepted.

-### About the LST Collaboration
+## About the LST Collaboration

 The LST Collaboration is made up of over 400 scientists and engineers from 67 different institutions across twelve countries. The telescope operations and maintenance as well as the data-taking, analysis, and technical and scientific publications are only made possible with the collaborative effort of the entire LST Collaboration members from the following list of institutes:

-### Brazil
+## Brazil

 Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

-### Bulgaria
+## Bulgaria

 Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

-### Croatia
+## Croatia

 Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Department of Physics

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ University of Rijeka, Department of Physics

 University of Split, FESB

-### Czech Republic
+## Czech Republic

 Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences

@@ -56,13 +56,13 @@ FZU – Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences

 Palacky University Olomouc, Faculty of Science

-### France
+## France

 Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM

 LAPP, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS-IN2P3

-### Germany
+## Germany

 Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University

@@ -74,11 +74,11 @@ Max-Planck-Institut für Physik

 Universität Hamburg, Institut für Experimentalphysik

-### India (dormant)
+## India (dormant)

 Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics

-### Italy
+## Italy

 Dipartimento di Fisica e Chimica ‘E. Segrè’ Università degli Studi di Palermo

@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ INFN Sezione di Trieste and Università degli Studi di Udine

 University of Torino and INFN Sezione di Torino

-### Japan
+## Japan

 Chiba University

@@ -154,11 +154,11 @@ School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University

 Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University

-### Poland
+## Poland

 Faculty of Physics and Applied Informatics, University of Lodz

-### Spain
+## Spain

 CIEMAT

@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ Port d’Informació Científica

 University of Alcalá UAH

-### Switzerland
+## Switzerland

 Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva

@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ Laboratory for High Energy Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale

 University of Geneva – Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire

-### About the CTAO
+## About the CTAO

 The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will be the first open ground-based gamma-ray observatory and the world’s largest and most sensitive instrument for the exploration of the high-energy Universe. The CTAO’s unparalleled accuracy and broad energy range (20 GeV- 300 TeV) will provide novel insights into the most extreme and powerful events in the Cosmos, addressing questions in and beyond astrophysics falling under three major themes: Understanding the origin and role of relativistic cosmic particles, probing extreme environments (such as black holes and neutron stars) and exploring frontiers in physics (such as the nature of dark matter). To do so, the CTAO will use three types of telescopes: the Large-Sized Telescopes (LST), the Medium-Sized Telescopes (MST) and the Small-Sized Telescopes (SST). More than 60 telescopes will be distributed between two telescope array sites: CTAO-North in the northern hemisphere at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias’s (IAC’s) Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma (Spain), and CTAO-South in the southern hemisphere near the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO’s) Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert (Chile). The headquarters of the CTAO is hosted by the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) in Bologna (Italy), and the Science Data Management Centre (SDMC) is hosted by the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Zeuthen (Germany). The CTAO will also be the first observatory of its kind to be open to the worldwide scientific communities as a resource for data from unique, high-energy astronomical observations.

@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ The CTAO Central Organisation works in close cooperation with partners from arou

 The CTAO was promoted to a “Landmark” on the [European Forum on Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) Roadmap](https://www.cta-observatory.org/cta-promoted-to-landmark-status-on-2018-esfri-roadmap/) [2018](https://www.cta-observatory.org/cta-promoted-to-landmark-status-on-2018-esfri-roadmap/) , and was ranked as the main priority among the new ground-based infrastructures in the [ASTRONET Roadmap 2022-2035](https://www.cta-observatory.org/strategic-plan-for-european-astronomy-ranks-ctao-as-priority/).

-### Contact
+## Contact

 Prof. Masahiro Teshima

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ draft: false

 >>[LST-1 Photo Album](https://www.flickr.com/photos/cta_observatory/albums/72157671493684827/with/30134151267/)

-### **The First Telescope on a ****Cherenkov Telescope Array Site Makes its Debut **
+## The First Telescope on a Cherenkov Telescope Array Site Makes its Debut

 **La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain –** On Wednesday, 10 October 2018, more than 200 guests from around the world gathered on the northern array site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to celebrate the inauguration of the prototype [Large-Sized Telescope](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/telescopes/lst/) (LST). The telescope, named LST-1, is intended to become the first of four LSTs on the CTA-North site, which is located on the existing site of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias’ (IAC’s) [Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos](http://www.iac.es/eno.php?op1=2&lang=en) located in the municipality of [Villa de Garafia](http://www.garafia.es/) on the island of La Palma. The plan for the site also includes 15 Medium-Sized Telescopes (MSTs).

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ The LSTs will expand the science reach to cosmological distances and fainter sou

 Go to the LST-1 Inauguration webpage (https://www.cta-observatory.org/lst-1_inauguration) on the CTA website for more information in other languages and links to supporting materials, images and video.

-**Notes for Editors:**
+## Notes for Editors:

 CTA (www.cta-observatory.org) is a global initiative to build the world’s largest and most sensitive high-energy gamma-ray observatory with about 120 telescopes split between two sites: one in the northern hemisphere at the Roque de los Muchachos astronomical observatory in the municipality of Villa de Garafia on the island of La Palma, Spain, and the other in the southern hemisphere near the existing European Southern Observatory site at Paranal, Chile. More than 1,400 scientists and engineers from 31 countries are engaged in the scientific and technical development of CTA. The planning for the construction of the Observatory is managed by the CTAO gGmbH, which is governed by Shareholders and Associate Members from a growing number of countries.

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ CTA will be the foremost global observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astro

 CTA was recently promoted to a landmark on the 2018 roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). This project is receiving funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programs under agreement No 676134. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme ([FP7/2007-2013] [FP7/2007-2011]) under Grant Agreement 262053.

-**LST Project Team Contacts:**
+## LST Project Team Contacts:

 Prof. Dr. Masahiro Teshima, LST Work Package Leader

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ Barbara Wankerl, MPP Press Officer

 barbara.wankerl@mpp.mpg.de

-**General CTA Contacts:**
+## General CTA Contacts:

 Prof. Federico Ferrini, CTAO gGmbH Managing Director

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ On March 6, the LST Collaboration published its first scientific paper in the As

 In 2021, several new ultra-high-energy (UHE) gamma-ray sources, capable of emitting gamma rays above petaelectronvolts (PeV; thousands of trillions the energy of visible light), were discovered in the Milky Way by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). This represented a step forward in the search for PeVatrons, enigmatic sources in our Galaxy that can accelerate cosmic rays up to PeV energies and give rise to gamma rays at the highest energies. Under this new context, the LST Collaboration used the LST-1 to observe the source LHAASO J2108+5157, one of the PeVatrons seen by LHAASO without a known TeV counterpart, from June to September 2021 for a total of 49 nights.

-“When the LHAASO Collaboration discovered that our Galaxy hosted multiple PeVatrons, it came as a huge surprise – we immediately decided to explore these sources and observed one of them with the LST-1 to find a counterpart at lower energies,” explains Jakub Jurysek, researcher at the institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Science (FZU) and University of Geneva, and principal investigator of this study. “We could not confirm a detection, but we could set strong limits on the emission of the source and, thus, improve the understanding of this object’s nature compared to the scenario originally assumed by the scientific community.”
+> “When the LHAASO Collaboration discovered that our Galaxy hosted multiple PeVatrons, it came as a huge surprise – we immediately decided to explore these sources and observed one of them with the LST-1 to find a counterpart at lower energies,” explains Jakub Jurysek, researcher at the institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Science (FZU) and University of Geneva, and principal investigator of this study. “We could not confirm a detection, but we could set strong limits on the emission of the source and, thus, improve the understanding of this object’s nature compared to the scenario originally assumed by the scientific community.”

 ![](/uploads/SED_LST1_LHAASOJ21085157.png)

@@ -10,14 +10,14 @@ draft: false

 On 14 July, the performance paper of the LST-1, the prototype of the Large-Sized Telescope (LST) currently under commissioning at CTAO-North on La Palma (Spain), was accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (ApJ). The study, carried out by the LST Collaboration, describes the telescope’s capabilities, including key parameters such as its sensitivity and its angular and energy resolution, and validates the simulations required for data analysis. This paper is fundamental to the upcoming science publications as it sets a performance baseline for the instrument and ensures its reliability.

-“In simple words, a performance paper is a handbook for how the telescope works: it shows its capabilities and limitations,” explains Abelardo Moralejo, LST-1 Analysis Software Coordinator and author of the paper. “It allows us to evaluate potential systematic errors of the instrumentation that could affect the interpretation of data. Thus, a deep understanding of the telescope’s performance, towards which this paper is an important step, ensures that the scientific results with the LST-1 are reliable and reproducible.”
+> “In simple words, a performance paper is a handbook for how the telescope works: it shows its capabilities and limitations,” explains Abelardo Moralejo, LST-1 Analysis Software Coordinator and author of the paper. “It allows us to evaluate potential systematic errors of the instrumentation that could affect the interpretation of data. Thus, a deep understanding of the telescope’s performance, towards which this paper is an important step, ensures that the scientific results with the LST-1 are reliable and reproducible.”

 In order to evaluate the LST-1’s performance, the LST Collaboration made use of a comprehensive data set from observations of the Crab Nebula spanning from November 2020 to March 2022. The Crab Nebula is the standard candle in very high-energy astronomy, a source whose luminosity is well-known and steady at those energies. Such observations allowed the team to also verify that the simulations needed during the scientific data analysis were correct.

-“Analyzing data from the Crab Nebula provides valuable insights into its emission behaviour and evolution with energy and time. By comparing the results to what we expect from the source as a standard candle, we can determine the instrument’s sensitivity and precision, and correct our simulations, if necessary,” says Rubén López-Coto, LST-1 Analysis Software Deputy Coordinator and author of the paper. “The study shows that the telescope not only performs exceptionally well overall, as expected, but it also narrows the gap with other instruments at lower energy levels, thanks to its proven low-energy threshold.”
+> “Analyzing data from the Crab Nebula provides valuable insights into its emission behaviour and evolution with energy and time. By comparing the results to what we expect from the source as a standard candle, we can determine the instrument’s sensitivity and precision, and correct our simulations, if necessary,” says Rubén López-Coto, LST-1 Analysis Software Deputy Coordinator and author of the paper. “The study shows that the telescope not only performs exceptionally well overall, as expected, but it also narrows the gap with other instruments at lower energy levels, thanks to its proven low-energy threshold.”

 The low-energy threshold is a fundamental parameter of the LSTs, as these telescopes are responsible to cover the sensitivity of the CTAO at the lowest energies by capturing gamma rays down to 20 GeV. The performance study is complemented by observations of the Crab pulsar, the neutron star at the centre of the Crab Nebula.

-“Pulsars are very challenging sources to detect due to their weak signal,” says Masahiro Teshima, Principal Investigator of the LST Collaboration. “The LST-1 can detect the two pulses of the Crab pulsar in record time. This is not only an extraordinary result, but it also demonstrates the LST-1’s capabilities in detecting faint sources at low energies, as described in the paper.”
+> “Pulsars are very challenging sources to detect due to their weak signal,” says Masahiro Teshima, Principal Investigator of the LST Collaboration. “The LST-1 can detect the two pulses of the Crab pulsar in record time. This is not only an extraordinary result, but it also demonstrates the LST-1’s capabilities in detecting faint sources at low energies, as described in the paper.”

 This is the first performance paper of a telescope prototype on a CTAO site. While the LST-1’s observing capabilities as a single telescope are already remarkable, these results will only improve once more telescopes are built and begin to operate together, thus expanding our current understanding of the gamma-ray Universe.
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ The prototype, named LST-1, is expected to become the first telescope of the CTA

 Thirty-seven institutes from ten countries (Brazil, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain and Sweden) worked on the different subsystems that form the LST-1 and make it run. Construction on-site started with the foundation in January 2017 and continued throughout the year with the installation of the rail and bogie, necessary for the azimuth movement of the telescope, as well as the dish that holds the mirror. In 2018, the final structure came together with the installation of the mirrors, which form a reflective surface of 400 square meters, and the camera structure installation. The final component to be installed, the camera, is the “brain” of the telescope responsible for detecting the incoming light.

-“It has been amazing. We have managed to deploy a really state-of-the-art 23 m Cherenkov telescope in only 15 months. This was only possible because the collaboration has pulled together, with a real team spirit. We hope this new telescope will be equally successful in exploring the extreme events in the very high-energy gamma-ray sky,” said Juan Cortina, physicist at CIEMAT (Madrid) and LST Co-Work Package Leader.
+> “It has been amazing. We have managed to deploy a really state-of-the-art 23 m Cherenkov telescope in only 15 months. This was only possible because the collaboration has pulled together, with a real team spirit. We hope this new telescope will be equally successful in exploring the extreme events in the very high-energy gamma-ray sky,” said Juan Cortina, physicist at CIEMAT (Madrid) and LST Co-Work Package Leader.

-“I think we have the right to be very proud about this telescope, it really turned out well. At the same time, there’s still a lot of work ahead: now it’s time to learn how it works and what we can do better,” added Daniel Mazin, physicist at MPI for Physics (Munich) and University of Tokyo and Work Package Manager of the LST.
+> “I think we have the right to be very proud about this telescope, it really turned out well. At the same time, there’s still a lot of work ahead: now it’s time to learn how it works and what we can do better,” added Daniel Mazin, physicist at MPI for Physics (Munich) and University of Tokyo and Work Package Manager of the LST.

 Now, the prototype needs to undergo a rigorous design review, which is expected to last around a year. This commissioning phase will allow scientists to verify that the design parameters of the structure and camera fulfill CTA requirements to achieve science goals, operational needs, safety standards, etc.

@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@ cover: /uploads/multiWcrab_lg2048_menu-768x500.jpeg
 draft: false
 ---

-#### **22 June 2020**
+**22 June 2020**

 Between January and February 2020, the prototype Large-Sized Telescope (LST), the LST-1, observed the Crab Pulsar, the neutron star at the centre of the Crab Nebula. The telescope, which is being commissioned on the CTA-North site on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, was conducting engineering runs to verify the telescope performance and adjust operating parameters.

 Pulsars are very rapidly rotating and strongly magnetized neutron stars that emit light in the form of two beams, which can be observed from Earth only when passing our line of sight. While detecting the strong and steady emission or outbursts of gamma-ray sources with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) has become routine, pulsars are much more challenging to detect due to their weak signals and the typical dominance of the foreground gamma-ray signal from the surrounding nebulae. Despite hundreds of observations hours by IACTs around the globe, only four pulsars emitting signals in the very high-energy gamma-ray regime have been discovered, so far. Now that the LST-1 has shown that it can detect the Crab pulsar, it joins the field of telescopes capable of detecting gamma-ray pulsars, validating the timestamping system and the low-energy performance of the telescope.

-“This milestone shows us that the LST-1 is already performing at an extraordinary level, detecting a challenging source in record time,” says Masahiro Teshima, Director of Max-Planck-Institute for physics in Munich and Principal Investigator of LST. “Pulsars are one of the key scientific targets of the LSTs, and it’s exciting to imagine what we’ll be able to achieve when the telescope is fully commissioned and operational.”
+> “This milestone shows us that the LST-1 is already performing at an extraordinary level, detecting a challenging source in record time,” says Masahiro Teshima, Director of Max-Planck-Institute for physics in Munich and Principal Investigator of LST. “Pulsars are one of the key scientific targets of the LSTs, and it’s exciting to imagine what we’ll be able to achieve when the telescope is fully commissioned and operational.”

 The data set collected includes 11.4 hours from eight observation nights. Figure 2 shows the resulting phasogram, plotting the gamma-ray events as a function of the pulsar rotation phase. In the phase regions marked as P1 and P2, more gamma rays are expected as the Crab pulsar emits towards the Earth. The emission detected in all phases (marked green in Figure 2) is a mixture of different background contributions, including the irreducible steady emission from the Crab Nebula. The signal detected with the LST-1 (marked red in Figure 2) is undeniably significant for phase P2, while the signal during P1 is still marginal. The animation in Figure 3 highlights the pulse behaviour of the source during the different phases.

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ The data set collected includes 11.4 hours from eight observation nights. Figure

 Figure 3: Animation of Crab pulsar’s emission as seen by the LST-1 along its different phases. Credit: Rubén López-Coto; Pulsar gif: Michael R. Gallis

-### About the LST
+## About the LST

 The [Large-Sized Telescope](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/telescopes/lst/) (LST) is one of three types of telescope to be built to cover CTA’s full energy range (20 GeV to 300 TeV). LSTs arranged at the centre of both the northern and southern hemisphere arrays will cover the low-energy sensitivity between 20 and 150 GeV. Each LST is a giant 23 metre diameter telescope with a mirror area of about 400 square metres and a fine pixelized camera made of 1855 light sensors capable of detecting individual photons with high efficiency. Although the LST stands 45 metres tall and weighs around 100 tonnes, it is extremely nimble, with the ability to re-position within 20 seconds to capture brief, low-energy gamma-ray signals. Both the fast re-positioning speed and the low energy threshold provided by the LSTs are critical for CTA’s studies of transient gamma-ray sources in our own Galaxy and for the study of active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts at high redshift.

@@ -34,11 +34,11 @@ The LST collaboration, consists of more than 200 scientists from 11 countries: B

 The LST-1 recently passed the Critical Design Review (CDR) by the CTA Observatory (CTAO), the first CTA element to pass such a review. The telescope is foreseen to become the first CTAO telescope once the CDR is closed out and it is formally accepted by the CTAO, which is expected in 2021.

-### About CTA
+## About CTA

 The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a global initiative to build the world’s largest and most sensitive high-energy gamma-ray observatory with tens of  telescopes planned on two sites: one in the northern hemisphere on the island of La Palma, Spain, and the other in the southern hemisphere near Paranal, Chile. CTA will be the foremost global observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy over the next decade and beyond and will be the first ground-based gamma-ray astronomy observatory open to the world-wide astronomical and particle physics communities. CTA will address some of the greatest mysteries in astrophysics, detecting gamma rays with an unprecedented sensitivity and expanding the cosmic source catalogue tenfold. CTA is a unique, ambitious large-scale infrastructure that will expand observations up to a region of the spectrum that has never been seen, opening an entirely new window to our Universe. The CTAO gGmbH serves to prepare the design and implementation of the CTA Observatory. The CTAO works in close cooperation with the CTA Consortium composed of 1500+ members from 31 countries, which is responsible for directing the science goals of the Observatory and is involved in the design and supply of instrumentation. The CTAO is governed by a council of shareholders from 11 countries and one intergovernmental organization, as well as associate members from two countries.

-### Contacts:
+## Contacts:

 Masahiro Teshima

@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ The review identified both major and minor issues to be addressed by the CTAO an

 .

-### El LST-1 Supera su Revisión Crítica de Diseño
+## El LST-1 Supera su Revisión Crítica de Diseño

 Esta semana, durante la reunión general bianual del consorcio del Large-Sized Telescope (LST) que se llevó a cabo online, el CTA Observatory (CTAO) anunció que el prototipo del LST, el LST-1, había superado su Revisión Crítica de Diseño (CDR, en inglés). Este es el primer elemento de CTA que supera dicha revisión y un paso adelante importante para cerrar finalmente la CDR y comenzar el proceso de aceptación y entrega del primer LST al observatorio, lo cual está previsto para 2021 tras establecerse el CTA ERIC.

-La Oficina del Proyecto CTAO llevó a cabo la CDR del LST-1, cuyo punto de partida fue la presentación de la documentación para la revisión por parte del equipo LST en agosto del 2019 y que culminó con la reunión de revisión en octubre del mismo año en Múnich. Se realizará una CDR para todos los subsistemas de CTA con el objetivo de verificar que el diseño detallado se haya completado con éxito y que satisface todos los requisitos requeridos.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
+La Oficina del Proyecto CTAO llevó a cabo la CDR del LST-1, cuyo punto de partida fue la presentación de la documentación para la revisión por parte del equipo LST en agosto del 2019 y que culminó con la reunión de revisión en octubre del mismo año en Múnich. Se realizará una CDR para todos los subsistemas de CTA con el objetivo de verificar que el diseño detallado se haya completado con éxito y que satisface todos los requisitos requeridos.

 El equipo del LST presentó más de 700 documentos al comité de revisión, que estaba compuesto por nueve expertos externos y 17 expertos de los equipos de ingeniería de sistemas y software de CTAO. La CDR se realizó dentro de una atmósfera muy colaborativa, y el comité felicitó al equipo del LST por la gran cantidad de trabajo realizado en la preparación de la revisión, así como por su rápida respuesta a las aproximadamente 950 preguntas, comentarios y discrepancias que el comité envió antes de la reunión.

@@ -10,19 +10,19 @@ draft: false

 *The Swiss press is invited to attend an event on 4 June 2019 at 18:00 at the Palazzo Congressi in Lugano, Switzerland highlighting the Swiss contribution to the exploration of the high-energy Universe.*

-### About CTA
+## About CTA

 During the week of 3 June, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will hold its CTA Consortium meeting at the Lugano Convention Centre. More than 1,400 scientists and engineers from [31 countries](https://www.cta-observatory.org/about/cta-consortium/) across five continents and more than 200 research institutes are participating in the CTA project.  Hosted by CTA Consortium members the [University of Geneva](https://www.unige.ch/),  [ETH Zurich](https://www.ethz.ch/en.html) and the [University of Zurich](https://www.uzh.ch/en.html), as well as the [Swiss National Computing Centre (CSCS)](https://www.cscs.ch/), the event is expected to attract hundreds of scientists from around the world. CTA is a global initiative to build the world’s largest and most sensitive high-energy gamma-ray observatory with 118 telescopes split between two sites: one in the northern hemisphere on the island of La Palma, Spain, and the other in the southern hemisphere near Paranal, Chile. CTA will be the foremost global observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy over the next decade and beyond and will be the first ground-based gamma-ray astronomy observatory open to the world-wide astronomical and particle physics communities. CTA will probe cosmic particle accelerators reaching energies inaccessible to man-made accelerators. It will seek to understand the impact of high-energy particles to the evolution of cosmic systems and to gain insight into the most extreme and unusual phenomena in the Universe: remnants of supernova explosions, rapidly spinning neutron stars, black holes and normal stars in binary systems or large clusters, gamma-ray bursts, star-forming galaxies, supermassive black holes and whole clusters of galaxies. CTA will also search for annihilating dark matter particles and deviations from Einstein’s theory of special relativity.

-### CTA and Switzerland
+## CTA and Switzerland

 After more than a decade of design studies of the Cherenkov Telescope Array led by a Consortium of scientists, the CTAO gGmbH was established in 2014 to direct the design and implementation of CTA with the University of Zurich, representing Switzerland, as a founding member. Today, the CTAO is composed of [shareholders](https://www.cta-observatory.org/about/governance/) from 11 countries, one intergovernmental organisation (the European Southern Observatory), as well as associate members. Activities related to the study of the high-energy Universe started in the 1990s at the University of Geneva and at ETH Zurich. Swiss scientists have been actively pursuing the development of CTA since 2007, in particular in the construction of novel solid-state Cherenkov cameras (pioneered by ETH Zurich and developed at UniGe), a [Small-Sized Telescope](https://www.cta-observatory.org/project/technology/sst/) protoype (UniGe), mirror actuators (pioneered at ETH Zurich and continued at UZH), camera housing and electronics (UZH), and in data processing activities (UniGe and ETH Zurich) and the study of the high-energy Universe (UniGe, ETH Zurich, UZH), permitting Swiss scientists to participate in the core of CTA science and contribute to the success of CTA as an open observatory. From 2016 to 2017 the CTAO was managed by Prof. U. Straumann (UZH) and became a landmark on the roadmap of the ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures). CTA was also identified on the Swiss roadmap for research infrastructure in 2015 and 2019, and the Swiss parliament opened a credit line for CTA in 2016. Lugano was chosen as the site of the next CTA consortium meeting to showcase Switzerland’s world-class capabilities in the handling of large amounts of scientific computation and data.

-### About the Event
+## About the Event

 This event will feature presentations from the chairs and members of the Astroparticle Physics European Consortium (APPEC), the Swiss Institute of Particle Physics (CHIPP), the State Secretariat for Education Research and Innovation (SERI), Polythechnical schools and from CTA.

-### Please RSVP and ****direct all questions to:
+## Please RSVP and direct all questions to:

 Roland Walter

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Igor Oya, ACADA Coordinator, explained the rationale behind the separate testing

 Results from the campaign yielded positive outcomes that confirm the software’s ability to execute critical tasks. On the first day of observations, the team successfully detected the Crab Nebula, which is the “standard candle” for instruments in gamma-ray astronomy.

-“This is a very important step for everyone involved in the CTAO,” says Daniel Mazin, LST-1 Programme Manager. “It is a big step that the ACADA software development is meeting the real-life, the telescope here in La Palma, so we can see how the different software parts work together to operate this telescope and take scientific data.”
+> “This is a very important step for everyone involved in the CTAO,” says Daniel Mazin, LST-1 Programme Manager. “It is a big step that the ACADA software development is meeting the real-life, the telescope here in La Palma, so we can see how the different software parts work together to operate this telescope and take scientific data.”

 While celebrating these accomplishments, the teams also identified areas for optimization and potential enhancements. “We will revisit and rectify minor issues and explore improvements,” says Bernhard López, ACADA Deputy Coordinator. “Next year, we will develop and test updated versions of ACADA, collaborating with different teams to create a robust system capable of managing not only one telescope, but a full array of telescopes simultaneously.”

@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ On 1 July 2019, Volker Heinz joined the CTAO as the CTA-South Site Manager. As a

 After graduating from the University of Applied Sciences in Koblenz as a Mechanical Engineer in 1993, Volker worked in industry for eight years, mainly in the area of commissioning and field service for complex mechanical presses for automotive applications and steam turbines. In 2001, Volker joined ESO as the team lead of the mechanical group on Paranal in Chile, performing assembly, integration and verification work and organizing the telescope and facility maintenance. Following assignments for ALMA in Garching, Germany and as engineering team lead for the APEX project, Volker was in charge of the ALMA antenna station subproject, where he was responsible for 192 antenna foundations at the 5,000-meter altitude site in Chile. From there, he moved to the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) as its project manager for technical infrastructure, where he managed transport and handling, mirror coating, power backup and distribution, cryogenics infrastructure and mirror in-situ cleaning.

-## **Conoce al Administrador de la sede CTA-Sur, Volker Heinz**
+## Conoce al Administrador de la sede CTA-Sur, Volker Heinz

 El 1 de julio del 2019, Volker Heinz se unió a CTAO como Administrador de la sede CTA-Sur. Como miembro del proyecto de construcción CTA en Chile, y en un futuro de su operación, Volker tiene un papel clave creando el equipo para la sede CTA-Sur y liderando y coordinando la construcción y operación del observatorio en dicho emplazamiento. Trabajará en estrecha relación con la Oficina del Proyecto CTAO, con la Oficina de Coordinación de Proyectos de ESO y con colaboradores externos involucrados en CTA, siendo el responsable de una amplia gama de asuntos relacionados con la construcción, logística y operación.
- 
+
 Tras graduarse como Ingeniero Mecánico en la Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas de Coblenza (Alemania) en 1993, Volker trabajó en la industria durante ocho años, especialmente en el área de puesta en marcha y servicio externo para complejas presas mecánicas para aplicaciones automotrices y turbinas de vapor. En 2001, Volker se unió a ESO como líder del grupo de mecánica en Paranal (Chile), realizando trabajos de ensamblaje, integración y verificación y organizando el mantenimiento del telescopio y las instalaciones. Siguiendo con sus designaciones para ALMA en Garching (Alemania) y como líder del grupo de ingenieros en el proyecto APEX, Volker estuvo al cargo del subproyecto de la estación de antenas ALMA, donde fue responsable de los cimientos de 192 antenas a 5000 metros de altitud en Chile. Desde allí, se trasladó al Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) como Director de Proyecto para la infraestructura técnica, donde dirigió su transporte y tratamiento, revestimiento de espejos, distribución y reserva de energía, infraestructura criogénica y limpieza de los espejos in-situ.
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ In a significant step towards fostering local and regional cooperation, CTAO Dir

 The CTAO Headquarters, hosted by the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), is located in Bologna within the Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy, in a building shared with the Bologna University Department of Physics and Astronomy. The Headquarters is the central office responsible for the overall management of Observatory operations, where the Director’s, Project, Project Science and Administration Offices are located.

-“As a world-class international organisation, the CTAO is committed not only to achieve groundbreaking scientific discoveries, but also to creating positive societal impacts in the countries where we operate,” said McMuldroch. “We value this opportunity to engage with the Emilia-Romagna Region, and look forward to fostering synergies with the regional government.”
+> “As a world-class international organisation, the CTAO is committed not only to achieve groundbreaking scientific discoveries, but also to creating positive societal impacts in the countries where we operate,” said McMuldroch. “We value this opportunity to engage with the Emilia-Romagna Region, and look forward to fostering synergies with the regional government.”

-“The presence of the CTAO in Bologna strengthens the role of Emilia-Romagna as a center of scientific and technological excellence at an international level. This will also encourage the growth of local skills and collaboration with universities and other research institutes,” added Colla.
+> “The presence of the CTAO in Bologna strengthens the role of Emilia-Romagna as a center of scientific and technological excellence at an international level. This will also encourage the growth of local skills and collaboration with universities and other research institutes,” added Colla.

 The meeting reinforced the spirit of collaboration and laid a strong foundation for future joint actions that support scientific and technological development while benefiting local and regional communities.
@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ draft: false

 Originally published in the [December 2020 issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://mailchi.mp/892f3f0c743d/cta-newsletter-december2020-english)

-*Written by: Giovanni Piano
-*Microquasars are Galactic binary systems composed of a star and a compact object (a black hole or a neutron star) that eats up matter from its companion, usually via an accretion disk, giving rise to relativistic jets, i.e. beams of particles moving almost at the speed of light. These jets, which can be either intermittent or persistent structures depending on the specific state of the system, emanate from the vicinity of the compact object and can expand light years away from the binary system.
+*Written by: Giovanni Piano*
+
+Microquasars are Galactic binary systems composed of a star and a compact object (a black hole or a neutron star) that eats up matter from its companion, usually via an accretion disk, giving rise to relativistic jets, i.e. beams of particles moving almost at the speed of light. These jets, which can be either intermittent or persistent structures depending on the specific state of the system, emanate from the vicinity of the compact object and can expand light years away from the binary system.

 The word “microquasar” was used for the first time in 1992 to describe the Galactic binary system 1E1740.7–2942, characterized by radio-emitting double-sided jets [1]. The jets resembled the relativistic collimated outflows launched by quasars (active galaxies with supermassive black holes at the centre that devour its surrounding material), although, in the latter case, the powerful jets reach distances of up to millions of light years. Thus, we can say that microquasars, as their name suggests, are the little siblings of the quasars, sharing multiple similarities. One of the advantages of studying microquasars is that, given their smaller size, processes inside the system and jets happen on a shorter timescale, allowing scientists to analyze rapid variabilities in their emission.

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ In September 2018, the [Medium-Sized Telescope](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to

 The next night, the MST directed its powerful eye towards the sky and successfully recorded its first Cherenkov light from air showers. The test campaign proceeded, verifying the interfaces and integration procedure of the telescope and camera, mirror alignment procedures, and the routine and remote operation of the telescope and camera. In addition, an unexpected visit of the massive storm Xavier to the region helped to confirm the telescope’s and camera’s durability in extreme environmental conditions.

-“Everything performed as expected and the system integration went even smoother than anticipated, due to the very professional preparation of the technical teams from MST-STR and FlashCam – we couldn’t be happier,” said German Hermann (MPIK), project leader of FlashCam. “A big thank you to both the FlashCam and MST-STR teams for the very efficient cooperation,” added Markus Garczarczyk (DESY), project leader of MST-STR.
+> “Everything performed as expected and the system integration went even smoother than anticipated, due to the very professional preparation of the technical teams from MST-STR and FlashCam – we couldn’t be happier,” said German Hermann (MPIK), project leader of FlashCam. “A big thank you to both the FlashCam and MST-STR teams for the very efficient cooperation,” added Markus Garczarczyk (DESY), project leader of MST-STR.

 After six successful weeks, the camera was unmounted and returned to Heidelberg for further lab testing, while the MST structure will be operated and tested for another year in Berlin to verify its performance in preparation for the pre-production readiness review.

@@ -22,15 +22,15 @@ Recognizing the current CTA construction cost estimate, as laid down in the upda

 On 16 and 17 July, the CTAO Project Office held the first CTAO-internal “CTA-North Operations Workshop” to collect information and begin discussing the CTA-North operations concept, focusing on the broad outlines of processes, functions, interactions, strategies and models related to operations on the North site. This meeting resulted in a collection of topics and issues, including decisions to be made, and will be followed by more in-depth meetings defining the CTA-North operations concept.

-### CTA-North Site Update
+## CTA-North Site Update

 The CTA-North Site Manager, Paolo Calisse, has been busy with setting up the CTAO office in La Palma. The office space has been rented and the refurbishment is being finalized with a local technical architect with the goal to realize a cost-effective solution. Moreover, preparations for the first stage of infrastructure design and construction of the CTA-North site are well under way ([see separate article](https://www.ctao.org/news/preparations-begin-for-cta-north-site-construction/)). An agreement between the Large-Sized Telescope (LST) team and the CTAO has been created to provide the framework for CTAO staff to support the LST-1 commissioning and to get better acquainted with the telescope. Paolo attended his first commissioning shift in August.

-### CTA-South Site Update
+## CTA-South Site Update

 On 1 July 2019, the CTA-South Site Manager Volker Heinz started his activities, while still transitioning from his previous assignment with ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The first step to prepare the site is to develop the overall layout of the site’s supporting facilities (buildings, power substation, warehouse, etc.) and the required infrastructure, as well as to conduct an analysis of the current telescope positions by marking them in the field and re-evaluating their construction feasibility. The first preparatory procurements (vehicle, generator set, refurbishment of office containers) have been performed or are in preparation. In addition, the power connection to the public electricity grid is being investigated to find the correct strategy and technical solution. It is CTAO’s intention to begin building the CTA-South access road, data and power connections to the array as soon as the funding becomes available.

-### Project Reviews
+## Project Reviews

 In the next few months and until the end of 2019, the following project reviews will be held:

@@ -42,6 +42,6 @@ CTA-North Definition Review: 17-19 December, Bologna

 These reviews are organized by the Project Office Systems Engineering Group in collaboration with the relevant teams.

-### SST Harmonization Update
+## SST Harmonization Update

 The Small-Sized Telescope  (SST) harmonization process is still underway. [Read my separate article on this topic.](https://www.ctao.org/news/small-sized-telescope-harmonization-process-and-status/)
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ On 15 and 16 July 2015, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Resource Board decid

 The Board, composed of representatives of ministries and funding agencies from Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Namibia, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, decided after months of negotiations and careful consideration of extensive studies of the environmental conditions, simulations of the science performance and assessments of construction and operation costs to start contract negotiations with ESO and Spain. The Namibian and Mexican sites will be kept as viable alternatives.

-“All sites considered in this final round were of high quality, and the enthusiasm and strong support of CTA by the site proponents made this a very difficult decision for the Resource Board,” said CTA Spokesperson Werner Hofmann. “This decision is an important step towards realization of CTA,” said Chair of the CTA Resource Board Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph. Vice-Chair Giampaolo Vettolani added, “We hope our supporters and scientists from Namibia and Mexico will continue to contribute scientifically and technically to CTA, driven by the common interest to build the best possible instrument for the entire community.”
+> “All sites considered in this final round were of high quality, and the enthusiasm and strong support of CTA by the site proponents made this a very difficult decision for the Resource Board,” said CTA Spokesperson Werner Hofmann. “This decision is an important step towards realization of CTA,” said Chair of the CTA Resource Board Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph. Vice-Chair Giampaolo Vettolani added, “We hope our supporters and scientists from Namibia and Mexico will continue to contribute scientifically and technically to CTA, driven by the common interest to build the best possible instrument for the entire community.”

 In order to optimize the coverage of the night sky, the CTA Observatory will consist of about 100 telescopes on the [southern site](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-south/) and about 20 telescopes on the [northern site](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-north/).

-“This is a significant step towards realizing CTA as the most advanced instrument on the planet for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy and towards making CTA’s full power available to the science community early in the next decade,” said CTA Co-Spokesperson Rene Ong.
+> “This is a significant step towards realizing CTA as the most advanced instrument on the planet for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy and towards making CTA’s full power available to the science community early in the next decade,” said CTA Co-Spokesperson Rene Ong.

 The southern site is less than 10 km southeast of ESO’s existing Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert, which is considered one of the driest and most isolated regions on earth – an astronomical paradise. In addition to the ideal conditions for year-round observation, collaboration with ESO offers CTA the opportunity to take advantage of existing infrastructure (roads, accommodation, water, electricity, etc.) and access to established facilities and processes for the construction and operation of the observatory.

@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@ draft: false

 Originally published in the [March 2020 issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://mailchi.mp/ff946ec16843/cta-newsletter-august2020-english).

-*Written by: Heide Costantini and Ekrem Oğuzhan Angüner 
-*
+*Written by: Heide Costantini and Ekrem Oğuzhan Angüner*

 Cosmic rays are charged particles, mainly protons and helium nuclei, that arrive isotropically (i.e. exhibiting the same behaviour in all directions) from space and continuously bombard Earth’s atmosphere. They were discovered by Victor Hess in 1912, when he measured an increasing radiation level in the atmosphere with altitude, using his balloon to reach a height of 5.3 km. He rightly postulated the extraterrestrial origin of cosmic rays and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1936 for his discovery.

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Originally published in the [July 2022 issue of the CTAO Newsletter](https://mai

 Anyone who has ever worked with Bernhard knows that he is calm, yet passionate about his work. Not to mention, “Citizen of the world” is an expression that suits him perfectly: he has lived and worked in Germany, Chile, the U.S.A. and Italy. His extensive experience in different fields and for world-class observatories, makes Bernhard an excellent addition to the CTAO team. In this interview, Bernhard shares more about himself and his work…

-#### **Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role.**
+## Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role.

 I like to start by saying that I am an engineer. I highlight it because I am passionate about building things, tangible things that can move. Hence my passion for participating in the construction of observatories. In fact, I began to participate in the construction of observatories more than 25 years ago, when I was a student. Although I was born in Germany, at the age of 17 I went to study at a university in Chile, where I was able to participate in the characterization of the Gemini South site and work in a cosmic-ray laboratory in Antarctica. And this is when I fell in love with astronomical observatories.

@@ -20,13 +20,13 @@ After a few years of working for ESO in Chile with optical instruments, I moved

 Thus, I worked in projects under construction and even under commissioning, but I was missing being able to work on projects in the design and early planning phase in preparation for construction and operation. And that’s where the CTAO came in. The CTAO was clearly among the world-class projects that could give me a new challenge, and in which I felt I could help in the early definitions. In addition to this professional inquisitiveness, I also wanted to show my family another country, teach my children that we live in a diverse, international world. And so, I arrived at the CTAO’s Science Data Management Centre (SDMC) in Germany to work as ACADA Deputy Coordinator, as well as Quality Manager.

-#### **What does an ACADA Deputy Coordinator and Quality Manager do and why is it important to the future of CTAO?**
+## What does an ACADA Deputy Coordinator and Quality Manager do and why is it important to the future of CTAO?

 As ACADA (Array Control And Data Acquisition system) Deputy Coordinator, my goal is to support and help the development of this key system. For me, CTAO is more of a software observatory than a hardware observatory, so there is a strong focus on developing all the fundamental software tools for the operation of the Observatory in a timely manner. And the truth is that I have been very lucky to join a really good team, very structured and where everything was clear, so it was quite simple to integrate.

 On the other hand, as a Quality Manager, my focus is the establishment of processes, initially focused on construction, so that we all work approximately in the same way or reconcile appropriately the different forms of development in a fair and transparent manner for all parties. The definition of such processes needs to also consider the operation phase: unlike isolated telescopes, observatories have periods of years of coexistence between construction and operation. Thus, telescopes are being added at the same time as early science is being done. For this reason, we already must think about how to make this coexistence possible. In short, make use of a work methodology that allows us to converge and optimize the development of the Observatory.

-#### **What are you working on now?**
+## What are you working on now?

 Regarding ACADA, our main goal now is launching “release 1,” a very important milestone. This first release of ACADA is limited to the Large-Sized Telescope prototype, the LST-1, so we can test the software and build solid foundations for future releases with which the array of telescopes will be operated. Part of my job is the coordination between the Computing groups of CTAO and LST-1 and efficiently planning the integration of this software in the common interfaces.

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 For a research infrastructure to be able to make groundbreaking scientific discoveries, it is essential to build efficient, well-established organizational structures and processes, as well as a strong team capable of carrying them out. Stephan Haid is responsible for coordinating these tasks and overcoming the associated challenges within the CTAO’s Administration Department. We sat down with Stephan to ask him more about his current position and recent activities…

-#### **Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role.**
+## Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role.

 I have a background in business administration, and, after university, I spent a year doing development work in Ghana, supporting the growth of small-scale industries. I really enjoyed it, but I had the opportunity to start a “trainee programme” at DESY (Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron) in Hamburg and decided to go back to Germany. For me, this represented the beginning of my relationship with the scientific world.

@@ -18,13 +18,13 @@ At DESY, I started working in the project management of some administrative proj

 At that time, I was involved in the administrative and financial support of DESY’s investments in international research collaborations, and, thanks to that, I was able to learn more about the CTAO. I found CTAO to be an extremely interesting project, not only from the scientific and technical perspective, but also from the organizational point of view – and I still find it super captivating!  To build up the organization with all its structures, processes, teams, IT systems, and in four locations (Spain, Chile, Italy and Germany), seemed challenging and fascinating. So, when the position of the CTAO Director of Administration was advertised, I applied. And, luckily, I got it.

-#### **What does a Director of Administration do do and why is it important to the future of CTAO?**
+## What does a Director of Administration do do and why is it important to the future of CTAO?

 As the CTAO Director of Administration, I am responsible for the Administration Department that supports key aspects for the basic development of the Observatory such as human resources, legal services, procurement, finances, among others. Fortunately, I have a team that is extremely capable and collaborative, and, together, we provide administrative services and organizational tasks to employees, as well as external partners.

 In the final steps of the current preparatory phase, a great challenge is to set up the administrative part of the organization, design the processes and implement the right systems, that will facilitate the construction and operation of the Observatory, once the final legal entity of the ERIC is in place.

-#### **What are you working on now?**
+## What are you working on now?

 As we approach the establishment of the CTAO ERIC, and besides the regular preparation for the upcoming meetings of our Governing Bodies, such as the Council or the AFC (Administrative & Finance Committee), I am currently very focused on supporting the Board of Governmental Representatives with the preparation of the proposal for the administration rules and policies that will apply to the ERIC.

@@ -14,15 +14,15 @@ Originally published in the [December 2020 issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://

 In this issue, we asked the CTA Observatory (CTAO) Computing team’s Information and Computing Technology (ICT) Infrastructure lead, Nadine Neyroud, about the work she is doing to prepare the CTAO’s off-site data management and storage system.

-#### **Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role?**
+## Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role?

 I am in charge of CTAO’s off-site ICT infrastructure work package. I graduated as a computing engineer when computing science was in its infancy, and I have spent more than 15 years in the computing industry, with leading technical responsibilities in well-known American companies and an international managed storage services start-up. In 2002, I joined the Le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Laboratoire d’Annecy de Physique des Particules (LAPP) laboratory in France as an Information and Technology (IT) manager to create the MUST data centre. MUST is combining a shared infrastructure for the local university scientists and is part of a European Grid Initiative (EGI) node of the CTA simulation processing network, as well as one of the Worldwide Large Hadron Collider Computing Grid (WLCG) nodes to process data from the world’s largest particle accelerator at CERN in Geneva. I have been working in parallel with the CTA project on computing topics for more than eight years, with a specific focus on ICT infrastructure for the CTAO for the past four years.

-#### **What is the ICT Infrastructure and why is it important for the future users of CTAO data?**
+## What is the ICT Infrastructure and why is it important for the future users of CTAO data?

 For the CTAO, the ultimate objective is to produce and distribute quality science data products. To achieve this, it takes a long chain of instruments, sites construction and software development, but nothing could be transferred from the array sites, archived, processed and disseminated to scientists without the off-site ICT infrastructure. The number of telescopes, the resulting large data volume (up to six petabytes of event data per year) and Observatory responsibilities are CTAO’s challenging parameters. My role is to design and organize the Science Data Management System implementation, which is distributed across multiple academic data centres, which are called the “Computing and Storage Service Providers,” planning the most performant, reliable, available and cost-effective solutions based on appropriate data flow and use of IT technologies.

-#### **What are you working on now?**
+## What are you working on now?

 The off-site ICT infrastructure computing model is defined, and a distributed organisation solution has been retained with multiple academic data centres to provide computing and storages services that will be operated from the CTAO’s Science Data Management Centre (SDMC) located in Zeuthen, Germany. With the CTAO Computing team and, more specifically, those in charge of the software products that will be hosted on off-site ICT infrastructures, we are working on a more detailed model and plan for the next phases of development related to deployment, integration and validation through, for example, the organisation of Technical Data Challenges with key stakeholders (i.e., scientists, software development teams and data centre technical teams).

@@ -12,17 +12,17 @@ Originally published in the [December 2021 issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://

 In this issue, we asked the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) Infrastructure Design Coordinator, David Bristow, about the work he is doing to prepare the upcoming CTAO’s facilities and infrastructure.

-#### **Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role.**
+## Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role.

 I am originally from the United Kingdom, where I trained as an Architect for seven years. My professional career primarily covers industrial building design and construction, with experience also in the design of education, large scale mixed retail development projects, housing, defence, transport and storage buildings. In 2016, I joined the CTAO Project Office in Heidelberg (Germany) to design and implement the Civil Infrastructure for the Observatory.

-#### **What does an Infrastructure Coordinator and why is it important for the future of CTAO?**
+## What does an Infrastructure Coordinator and why is it important for the future of CTAO?

 The role of the Infrastructure Design Coordinator is to ensure the design of the Civil Infrastructure for the observatory is coordinated to meet the needs of the end users’ requirements. This includes coordinating the design for the building, roads, telescope foundations and network infrastructure.

 For large-scale projects like CTAO, it is important to ensure that the design of the Civil infrastructure is coordinated and functions to meet the needs of the Observatory for the next 30 years.

-#### **What are you working on now?**
+## What are you working on now?

 We are currently working on the concept design and planning for the Civil Infrastructure of the CTAO-South Array Site. The first concept design proposals for the Technical and Operations Buildings have been presented to the CTAO Project Office for discussion and the second iteration of the designs will be presented before the end of the year for further discussions. In addition, the first designs of the ‘site support’ are being planned and discussed, which includes all the major Civil infrastructure which will be required to allow the Observatory to function on a ‘day to day’ basis. This includes resolving many complex planning issues related to how the users will live and work at the sites.

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ draft: false

 Building an observatory is no small feat, especially when it comes to ensuring that what is built achieves the science goals of the scientists it is going to serve. As the CTAO’s Project Scientist, Roberta Zanin is responsible for providing a link between the CTAO’s engineers and the science community to make sure that everything from the telescope specifications to the data products are designed and built to achieve the ultimate mission of the CTAO: to make unprecedented discoveries about the gamma-ray Universe. We sat down with Roberta to learn more about her and her work toward making the CTAO a world-class observatory…

-#### **Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role.**
+## Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role.

 I decided to study Physics when I was 13 years old. At that age, I discovered what an internal combustion engine was at school and found it fascinating — I think I always had a very experimental approach to all aspects of my life! However, it was clear to me that I did not want to be an engineer, but a physicist. What I was looking for was to study and understand the basic principles of science.

@@ -19,13 +19,13 @@ Over the years, I participated and worked in the different instruments that comp

 My involvement with the CTAO started as a member of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Consortium (CTAC), where I served as Coordinator of the Galactic Working Group and worked in the development of software for data analysis and operation. When the position of Project Scientist was opened in 2019 at the CTAO gGmbH, I knew I wanted to apply: after almost 15 years dedicated to ground-based gamma-ray astronomy, being able to work directly in the definition of the first ground-based IACT observatory’s science was really exciting.

-#### **What does a Project Scientist do do and why is it important to the future of CTAO?**
+## What does a Project Scientist do do and why is it important to the future of CTAO?

 The Project Scientist is responsible for all science-related aspects of the Observatory, which involves working on different fronts. From one side, I have to ensure that all science requirements are met during the construction phase: if, for example, the engineers need to revise the design of an instrument, I work with them to guarantee that the change’s impact on the science performance of the Observatory is acceptable. From another side, I am the Observatory’s interface with the scientific community. Thus, I collect science users’ feedback and proposals, and work together with them to define the science cases and priorities for the CTAO.

 Moreover, as Project Scientist, I had to recently evaluate the scientific implications of the Observatory’s reduced configuration. The CTAO benefits from a modular configuration and, while the ultimate goal is to have more than 100 telescopes between two sites, the approved configuration to be built based on current available funds, includes 64 telescopes. The definition of such configuration, named Alpha Configuration, and the geographical position of all elements (telescopes, calibration systems and atmospheric characterization devices) was the result of a meticulous optimization process for each array’s scientific capabilities, carried out in collaboration with the CTAC members.

-#### **What are you working on now?**
+## What are you working on now?

 Now that the scope of the CTAO construction project (its Alpha Configuration) has been defined, I am advancing in the definition of the Scientific Operations Concept, and this is really important: at the end, we are building this Observatory to optimize the scientific outcomes and discoveries and for that, we need to have clear processes and workflows behind observation planning, data collection, reduction and dissemination, so that observations are carried out as expected and data is properly made available to the worldwide scientific community.

@@ -14,14 +14,14 @@ Originally published in the [December 2020 issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://

 Meet George Pruteanu, the CTA Observatory’s (CTAO) RAM (reliability, availability, maintainability) Engineer. We asked him a few questions to learn a bit about him and the work he is doing to ensure the long-term performance of CTA.

-#### Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role?
+## Tell us about yourself and how you came into your present role?

 I am originally from Romania, where I earned a B.Sc. in Electromechanical Engineering, with a major in automation industry, and gained several years’ experience in mechatronics design, engineering test responsibilities and lead a computer numerical control maintenance team. After immigrating to Canada, I worked for 15 years in the RAM field within the aerospace industry and more than two years in the transportation industry. In 2016, I joined the CTAO Project Office to implement a RAM process for the observatory.

-#### What is RAM and why is it important to the CTA project?
+## What is RAM and why is it important to the CTA project?

 For large-scale projects like CTA, it is relatively difficult to optimize the future maintenance and operational costs unless a RAM process is systematically implemented. In simple terms, the ‘reliability’ is a measurement of how often the system will fail, the ‘maintainability’ is how quick the system can be restored to its initial performance and ‘availability’ is the probability that the system will function when requested. Having control over these three characteristics, which are in a tight mathematical relationship and influencing each other, will give us a high confidence in the performance of our product over its lifecycle. In addition, an ‘Integrated Logistics Support’ process will be implemented to support the quick restoring of the system in case of malfunction, assuring particular availability requirements.

-#### What are you working on now and what are its short- and long-term effects on the project?
+## What are you working on now and what are its short- and long-term effects on the project?

 RAM activities have a higher probability of success if a solid process is implemented within the initial stages of the project and continued over its lifecycle. Sometimes, the prioritization of these activities tends to be bypassed or postponed due to the demands of the project in other areas. My job is to keep these activities top of mind through the development stages, construction and service of this project. That’s why my work, now, focuses on education, support and guiding the contributors of CTA technology through the analyses required by the Project Office. In the long term, the results of these activities will be rolled up and applied to the system level, which will continue to improve the confidence of the Observatory’s performance throughout its operational lifetime. With our progress and the support from senior management received for the RAM Process, thus far, I am very confident that we are on the right track.
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ draft: false

 Originally published in the [May 2021 issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://mailchi.mp/892f3f0c743d/cta-newsletter-december2020-english). *Written by: Paolo Goldoni*

-*
 *Only by knowing the distance of the objects we observe can we begin to understand their physical nature. In 1923, Edwin Hubble demonstrated that some of the so-called “nebulae” he saw were, actually, galaxies located millions of light years away. He did so by observing a particular type of variable star in the “nebulae,” the Cepheids, discovered by Henrietta Leavitt a few years before, whose period of variation is linked to their luminosity. The period of the Cepheids in the nebulae that Hubble observed implied such a luminosity that they were undoubtedly extragalactic. In doing so, he also established a correlation between the distance and the redshift of the optical spectra of the galaxies he observed. Since then, the redshift is the quantity most used to measure the distance of extragalactic objects.

 The redshift is an increase of the light’s wavelength (decrease of energy) that occurs when a light source moves away from the observer. It is typically measured in optical and near-infrared by the spectral lines of the source (Figure 1). In extragalactic astronomy, the redshift (also called cosmological redshift) is due to the expansion of the Universe that increases the distance between the galaxies and the Earth.
@@ -19,7 +18,7 @@ The redshift is an increase of the light’s wavelength (decrease of energy) tha

 *Figure 1. Absorption spectral lines in the optical spectrum of a supercluster of distant galaxies (upper panel) compared to a close-by object, the Sun (bottom panel). Arrows indicate the redshift, i.e. the increase of the wavelengths (lower energy). Credit: Georg Wiora*

-### Blazars and their Distance in Very High-Energy Astronomy
+## Blazars and their Distance in Very High-Energy Astronomy

 As for all astronomical instruments, the distance of the observed object is very important to CTA, too. This is particularly true for blazars, the most numerous class of extragalactic sources in the very high-energy (VHE) domain (above tens of GeV). Blazars are a class of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) – compact regions at the centre of galaxies with strong and variable emission across the electromagnetic spectrum. Their emission is caused by accretion on the central supermassive black hole. During the accretion process, a jet of relativistic particles is emitted from the vicinity of the black hole, whose radiation spans from radio to gamma rays. In blazars, the jet is pointed towards the observer.

@@ -12,31 +12,31 @@ draft: false

 Armado, AZ — On 1 June 2020, scientists from the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Consortium announced at the 236th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) that they have detected gamma rays from the Crab Nebula using a prototype telescope proposed for CTA, the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT), proving the viability of the novel telescope design for use in gamma-ray astrophysics.

-“The Crab Nebula is the brightest steady source of TeV, or very-high-energy, gamma rays in the sky, so detecting it is an excellent way of proving the pSCT technology,” said Justin Vandenbroucke, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin. “Very-high-energy gamma rays are the highest energy photons in the universe and can unveil the physics of extreme objects including black holes and possibly dark matter.”
+> “The Crab Nebula is the brightest steady source of TeV, or very-high-energy, gamma rays in the sky, so detecting it is an excellent way of proving the pSCT technology,” said Justin Vandenbroucke, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin. “Very-high-energy gamma rays are the highest energy photons in the universe and can unveil the physics of extreme objects including black holes and possibly dark matter.”

 Detecting the Crab Nebula with the pSCT is more than just proof-positive for the telescope itself. It lays the groundwork for the future of gamma-ray astrophysics. “We’ve established this new technology, which will measure gamma rays with extraordinary precision, enabling future discoveries,” said Vandenbroucke. “Gamma-ray astronomy is already at the heart of the new multi-messenger astrophysics, and the SCT technology will make it an even more important player.”

 The use of secondary mirrors in gamma-ray telescopes is a leap forward in innovation for the relatively young field of very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy, which has moved rapidly to the forefront of astrophysics. “Just over three decades ago, TeV gamma rays were first detected in the universe, from the Crab Nebula, on the same mountain where the pSCT sits today,” said Vandenbroucke. “That was a real breakthrough, opening a cosmic window with light that is a trillion times more energetic than we can see with our eyes. Today, we’re using two mirror surfaces instead of one, and state-of-the-art sensors and electronics to study these gamma rays with exquisite resolution.”

-“The initial pSCT Crab Nebula detection was made possible by leveraging key simultaneous observations with the co-located [VERITAS](https://veritas.sao.arizona.edu/) (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) observatory.  We have successfully evolved the way gamma-ray astronomy has been done during the past 50 years, enabling studies to be performed in much less time,” said Wystan Benbow, Director, VERITAS. “Several future programs will particularly benefit, including surveys of the gamma-ray sky, studies of large objects like supernova remnants, and searches for multi-messenger counterparts to astrophysical neutrinos and gravitational wave events.”
+> “The initial pSCT Crab Nebula detection was made possible by leveraging key simultaneous observations with the co-located [VERITAS](https://veritas.sao.arizona.edu/) (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) observatory.  We have successfully evolved the way gamma-ray astronomy has been done during the past 50 years, enabling studies to be performed in much less time,” said Wystan Benbow, Director, VERITAS. “Several future programs will particularly benefit, including surveys of the gamma-ray sky, studies of large objects like supernova remnants, and searches for multi-messenger counterparts to astrophysical neutrinos and gravitational wave events.”

 Located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Amado, Arizona—the largest field site of the [Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian](http://cfa.harvard.edu)—the pSCT was inaugurated in January 2019 and saw first light the same week. After a year of commissioning work, scientists began observing the Crab Nebula in January 2020, but the project has been underway for more than a decade.

-“We first proposed the idea of applying this optical system to TeV gamma-ray astronomy nearly 15 years ago, and my colleagues and I built a team in the US and internationally to prove that this technology could work,” said Prof. Vladimir Vassiliev, Principal Investigator, pSCT. “What was once a theoretical limit to this technology is now well within our grasp, and continued improvements to the technology and the electronics will further increase our capability to detect gamma rays at resolutions and rates we once only ever dreamed of.”
+> “We first proposed the idea of applying this optical system to TeV gamma-ray astronomy nearly 15 years ago, and my colleagues and I built a team in the US and internationally to prove that this technology could work,” said Prof. Vladimir Vassiliev, Principal Investigator, pSCT. “What was once a theoretical limit to this technology is now well within our grasp, and continued improvements to the technology and the electronics will further increase our capability to detect gamma rays at resolutions and rates we once only ever dreamed of.”

 The pSCT was made possible by the contributions of thirty institutions and five critical industry partners across the United States, Italy, Germany, Japan, and Mexico, and by funding through the U.S National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Program.

-“That a prototype of a future facility can yield such a tantalizing result promises great things from the full capability, and exemplifies NSF’s interest in creating new possibilities that can enable a project to attract wide-spread support,” said Nigel Sharp, Program Manager, National Science Foundation.
+> “That a prototype of a future facility can yield such a tantalizing result promises great things from the full capability, and exemplifies NSF’s interest in creating new possibilities that can enable a project to attract wide-spread support,” said Nigel Sharp, Program Manager, National Science Foundation.

 The SCT is being proposed to cover the core of CTA’s energy range (around 80 GeV – 50 TeV). The SCT’s two-mirror optical system is designed to better focus the light for greater imaging detail and improved detection of faint sources. A total of 40 telescopes (25 in the southern hemisphere and 15 in the northern hemisphere) are planned to cover this energy range. “CTA has been exploring the dual-mirror technology since the very beginning of the project with the Small-Sized Telescope prototypes and the SCT for the Medium-Sized Telescope,” says Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of the CTA Observatory. “The results obtained by the pSCT team re-confirm the advantages of advancing the technology for Cherenkov astronomy and the great potential it will bring to CTA.”

-“The pSCT, and its innovations, are pathfinding for the future CTA, which will detect gamma-ray sources at around 100 times faster than VERITAS, which is the current state of the art,” said Benbow. “We have demonstrated that this new technology for gamma-ray astronomy unequivocally works. The promise is there for this groundbreaking new observatory, and it opens a tremendous amount of discovery potential.”
+> “The pSCT, and its innovations, are pathfinding for the future CTA, which will detect gamma-ray sources at around 100 times faster than VERITAS, which is the current state of the art,” said Benbow. “We have demonstrated that this new technology for gamma-ray astronomy unequivocally works. The promise is there for this groundbreaking new observatory, and it opens a tremendous amount of discovery potential.”

-### About the pSCT
+## About the pSCT

 The SCT optical design was first conceptualized by U.S. members of CTA in 2006, and the construction of the pSCT was funded in 2012. Preparation of the pSCT site at the base of Mt. Hopkins in Amado, AZ, began in late 2014, and the steel structure was assembled on site in 2016. The installation of the pSCT’s 9.7-m primary mirror surface — consisting of 48 aspheric mirror panels — occurred in early 2018, and was followed by the camera installation in May 2018 and the 5.4-m secondary mirror surface installation — consisting of 24 aspheric mirror panels — in August 2018. Scientists opened the telescope’s optical surfaces and observed [first light](https://www.cta-observatory.org/sct-first-light/) in January 2019. It began scientific operations in January 2020.  The SCT is based on a 114 year-old two-mirror optical system first proposed by Karl Schwarzschild in 1905, but only recently became possible to construct due to the essential research and development progress made at the Brera Astronomical Observatory, the Media Lario Technologies Incorporated and the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, all located in Italy. pSCT operations are funded by the National Science Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution.

-### Project contacts:
+## Project contacts:

 Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ Vladimir Vassiliev

 [vvv@astro.ucla.edu](mailto:vvv@astro.ucla.edu)

-### Media contacts:
+## Media contacts:

 Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

@@ -10,33 +10,33 @@ draft: false

 AMADO, Ariz. — On 17 January 2019, a prototype telescope proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT) is being unveiled in a special inauguration event at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, [Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory](http://cfa.harvard.edu/flwo) (FLWO) in Amado, Arizona. A dual-mirrored Medium-Sized Telescope, the SCT is proposed to cover the middle of CTA’s energy range (80 GeV – 50 TeV).

-“The inauguration of the pSCT is an exciting moment for the institutions involved in its development and construction,” said CTA-US Consortium Chair David Williams, a professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “The first of its kind in the history of gamma-ray telescopes, the SCT design is expected to boost CTA performance towards the theoretical limit of the technology.”
+> “The inauguration of the pSCT is an exciting moment for the institutions involved in its development and construction,” said CTA-US Consortium Chair David Williams, a professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “The first of its kind in the history of gamma-ray telescopes, the SCT design is expected to boost CTA performance towards the theoretical limit of the technology.”

 The SCT’s complex dual-mirror optical system improves on the single-mirror designs traditionally used in gamma-ray telescopes by dramatically enhancing the optical quality of their focused light over a large region of the sky and by enabling the use of compact, highly-efficient photo-sensors in the telescope camera.

-“Ultimately, the SCT is designed to improve CTA’s ability to detect very-high-energy gamma-ray sources, which may also be sources of neutrinos and gravitational waves,” said Prof. Vladimir Vassiliev, Principal Investigator, pSCT. “Once the SCT technology is demonstrated at FLWO, it is hoped that SCTs will become a part of at least one of the two CTA arrays, located in each of the northern and southern hemispheres.”
+> “Ultimately, the SCT is designed to improve CTA’s ability to detect very-high-energy gamma-ray sources, which may also be sources of neutrinos and gravitational waves,” said Prof. Vladimir Vassiliev, Principal Investigator, pSCT. “Once the SCT technology is demonstrated at FLWO, it is hoped that SCTs will become a part of at least one of the two CTA arrays, located in each of the northern and southern hemispheres.”

 The CTA Observatory (CTAO) will consist of 118 telescopes split between a southern array in [Paranal, Chile](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-south/) and a northern array on the island of [La Palma, Spain](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-north/). Three classes of telescopes (Small-, Medium- and Large-Sized Telescopes) will be used to detect gamma rays in the energy range 20 GeV to 300 TeV with about ten times increased sensitivity compared to any current observatory. Notable for providing improved gamma-ray angular resolution and its very-high-resolution camera (>11,000 pixels), the SCT is proposed for the medium-sized CTA telescopes, which are considered to be the “workhorses” of the arrays with 15 planned for the north site and 25 for the south site.

-“The SCT and other telescopes at CTA will greatly improve upon current gamma-ray research being conducted at HAWC, H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS, the last of which is located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory,” said Dr. Wystan Benbow, Director, VERITAS. “Gamma-ray observatories like VERITAS have been operating for 12 to 16 years, and their many successes have brought very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy into the mainstream, and have made many exciting discoveries. We hope CTA will supersede VERITAS around 2023, and it will be used to continue to build upon the 50 years of gamma-ray research at the Whipple Observatory and elsewhere.”
+> “The SCT and other telescopes at CTA will greatly improve upon current gamma-ray research being conducted at HAWC, H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS, the last of which is located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory,” said Dr. Wystan Benbow, Director, VERITAS. “Gamma-ray observatories like VERITAS have been operating for 12 to 16 years, and their many successes have brought very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy into the mainstream, and have made many exciting discoveries. We hope CTA will supersede VERITAS around 2023, and it will be used to continue to build upon the 50 years of gamma-ray research at the Whipple Observatory and elsewhere.”

-“I am very pleased to congratulate our colleagues that have conceived and realised such a promising prototype for the Medium-Sized Telescopes, a major component of the family of instruments that will characterise the CTA Observatory,” said Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of the CTAO.
+> “I am very pleased to congratulate our colleagues that have conceived and realised such a promising prototype for the Medium-Sized Telescopes, a major component of the family of instruments that will characterise the CTA Observatory,” said Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of the CTAO.

-#### **About pSCT**
+## About pSCT

 The SCT optical design was first conceptualized by U.S. members of CTA in 2006, and the construction of the pSCT was funded in 2012. Preparation of the pSCT site at the base of Mt. Hopkins in Amado, AZ, began in late 2014, and the steel structure was assembled on site in 2016.  The installation of pSCT’s 9.7-m primary mirror surface —consisting of 48 aspheric mirror panels—occurred in early 2018 and was followed by the camera installation in June 2018 and the 5.4-m secondary mirror surface installation—consisting of 24 aspheric mirror panels—in August 2018. Leading up to the inauguration and in preparation for first light, scientists opened the telescope’s optical surfaces in January 2019.  The SCT is based on a 114 year-old dual-mirror optical system first proposed by Karl Schwarzschild in 1905, but only recently became possible to construct due to the critical research and development progress made at both the Brera Astronomical Observatory and Media Lario Technologies Incorporated in Italy. The pSCT was made possible by funding through the U.S. National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation program and by the contributions of thirty institutions and five critical industrial partners across the United States, Italy, Germany, Japan, and Mexico.

-#### **About Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian**
+## About Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

 Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, the Center for Astrophysics (CfA) | Harvard & Smithsonian is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA scientists, organized into six research divisions, study the origin, evolution and ultimate fate of the universe. The Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory is the largest field site of the CfA and is host to dozens of telescopes, including the pSCT and VERITAS for gamma-ray astronomy.

 For more information visit [http://cfa.harvard.edu/](http://cfa.harvard.edu/)

-#### **About CTA**
+## About CTA

 More than 1,400 scientists and engineers from 31 countries are engaged in the scientific and technical development of CTA. The planning for the construction of the Observatory is managed by the CTAO gGmbH, which is governed by Shareholders and Associate Members from a growing number of countries. CTA will be the foremost global observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy over the next decade and beyond and will be the first ground-based gamma-ray astronomy observatory open to the world-wide astronomical and particle physics communities. The scientific potential of CTA is extremely broad: from understanding the role of relativistic cosmic particles to the search for dark matter. With its ability to cover an enormous range in photon energy from 20 GeV to 300 TeV, CTA will improve on all aspects of performance with respect to current instruments.

-#### **Project contacts:**
+## Project contacts:

 Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ University of California, Santa Cruz**

 **[daw@ucsc.edu](mailto:daw@ucsc.edu)

-#### **Media contacts:**
+## Media contacts:

 Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 The prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT), under construction at the Whipple Observatory in Arizona, completed its primary mirror installation on 26 April 2018. The primary mirror consists of 48 mirror panel modules each including ~1m2 aspheric mirror integrated with six actuators and four/five edge sensors for mirror positioning and alignment in the optical system of the telescope.

-“This event is very important milestone for the project, which pushes imaging atmospheric Cherenkov technology to the performance limit in the context of its future implementation in CTA,” explains Vladimir Vassiliev, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California Los Angeles and the lead scientist for the pSCT project.
+> “This event is very important milestone for the project, which pushes imaging atmospheric Cherenkov technology to the performance limit in the context of its future implementation in CTA,” explains Vladimir Vassiliev, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California Los Angeles and the lead scientist for the pSCT project.

 Now that the primary mirror is fully installed and its alignment system is being commissioned, the installation of the prototype SCT camera will begin in May and is expected to last through the middle of June. The installation of the secondary mirror, consisting of 24 mirror panel modules, is scheduled to begin in June and should be completed in early August. If all goes as planned, commissioning will begin in autumn 2018 when all the optical surfaces will be opened (the white film covering them during construction will be removed).

@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ In preparation for the new personnel, planning is underway to outfit the DESY ca

 A competition to design and construct a new building was initiated by DESY in 2018. The final decision on the winning design, with an award for the first, second and third winner, was [announced on 11 March 2019](http://www.desy.de/news/news_search/index_eng.html?openDirectAnchor=1595&two_columns=0). The first prize went to Heinle Wischer und Partner Freie Architekten GbR from Berlin, along with Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten from Dresden.

-“Planning a new building for the Science Data Management Centre, SDMC, and developing a masterplan for DESY’s research campus at Zeuthen is an exciting and complex challenge. That is why we decided, for the first time, to hold a competition to decide who should be awarded the contract,” explains Christian Harringa, Administrative Director of DESY and a member of the jury. The task was demanding: to design a high-quality new building within the context of planning a campus that would take into account the various different typologies of the existing interior and exterior spaces to form a prestigious whole.
+> “Planning a new building for the Science Data Management Centre, SDMC, and developing a masterplan for DESY’s research campus at Zeuthen is an exciting and complex challenge. That is why we decided, for the first time, to hold a competition to decide who should be awarded the contract,” explains Christian Harringa, Administrative Director of DESY and a member of the jury. The task was demanding: to design a high-quality new building within the context of planning a campus that would take into account the various different typologies of the existing interior and exterior spaces to form a prestigious whole.

-“The offices of Heinle Wischer und Partner and Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten presented outstanding and compelling plans,” Christian Stegmann was pleased to announce. He is in charge of DESY’s Zeuthen site as well as being the head of the Astroparticle Physics department.
+> “The offices of Heinle Wischer und Partner and Ulrich Krüger Landschaftsarchitekten presented outstanding and compelling plans,” Christian Stegmann was pleased to announce. He is in charge of DESY’s Zeuthen site as well as being the head of the Astroparticle Physics department.

 Until the new building is constructed, CTAO personnel have taken up residence in an existing building on campus (the “Seevilla” at the South end of the campus) that has been recently renovated to host eight employees with room to grow. The temporary space now provides workspace for the Observation Execution System (OES) Coordinator and Science User Support System (SUSS) Coordinator and will eventually also be the home office of the SDMC coordinator.  The team at the SDMC will grow to support the construction of the CTA software products and to organize the required tasks in preparation for the science operations, including support for science planning, data processing and simulations and science user support.

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/Perpsektive3_Park_ohne-Logo-scaled-1-1600x900.jpg
 draft: false
 ---

-### Follow the ceremony live:
+## Follow the ceremony live:

 >> [English broadcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye24BOZpfs4)

@@ -16,17 +16,17 @@ draft: false

 On Wednesday, 2 March 2022, the first stone-laying ceremony for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) Science Data Management Centre (SDMC) took place at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) campus in Zeuthen, Brandenburg (Germany). To celebrate this milestone, Brandenburg’s Science Minister, Manja Schüle, and Head of the Sub-Department Large-Scale Facilities and Basic Research at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Volkmar Dietz, participated in the ceremony on campus, together with the Managing Director of the CTAO gGmbH, Federico Ferrini and the Chairman of the DESY Board of Directors, Helmut Dosch.

-“DESY scientists have been involved in major international research projects in astroparticle physics for decades. The decision to locate the Scientific Data Management Centre of the international gamma-ray observatory CTAO in Zeuthen greatly enhances this research location in the state of Brandenburg, which is internationally established with researchers from more than 30 nations and has regional roots at the same time. Soon, not only will enormous amounts of data be processed and coordinated there. There will also be rooms for lectures, training and – more important than ever – for meetings,” says Manja Schüle, Minister of Research of the State of Brandenburg. “I am convinced that science and research will continue to bring people together in the future. But since Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, trusting institutional cooperation with Russian and Belarusian institutions is no longer possible. That is why we support DESY’s decision to suspend all scientific cooperation with Russia and Belarus. Science and research build bridges – but these must be built by both sides. In the face of this war in Europe, there must not and cannot be a simple ‘business as usual’. We are fully on the side of the peace- and freedom- loving people in Ukraine – and of all scientists who have spoken out against the war. I am certain that the new Science Data Management Centre will be a jewel in the Brandenburg research landscape – and build new bridges.”
+> “DESY scientists have been involved in major international research projects in astroparticle physics for decades. The decision to locate the Scientific Data Management Centre of the international gamma-ray observatory CTAO in Zeuthen greatly enhances this research location in the state of Brandenburg, which is internationally established with researchers from more than 30 nations and has regional roots at the same time. Soon, not only will enormous amounts of data be processed and coordinated there. There will also be rooms for lectures, training and – more important than ever – for meetings,” says Manja Schüle, Minister of Research of the State of Brandenburg. “I am convinced that science and research will continue to bring people together in the future. But since Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, trusting institutional cooperation with Russian and Belarusian institutions is no longer possible. That is why we support DESY’s decision to suspend all scientific cooperation with Russia and Belarus. Science and research build bridges – but these must be built by both sides. In the face of this war in Europe, there must not and cannot be a simple ‘business as usual’. We are fully on the side of the peace- and freedom- loving people in Ukraine – and of all scientists who have spoken out against the war. I am certain that the new Science Data Management Centre will be a jewel in the Brandenburg research landscape – and build new bridges.”

 The SDMC will be the science data gateway of the CTAO, the first ground-based gamma-ray observatory and the world’s largest and most sensitive instrument for the detection of gamma rays. Tens of Petabytes (PB) of simulated as well as processed data gathered at both CTAO telescope sites, one in Chile and one in Spain, will be generated, further processed and accessible at the SDMC. CTAO will be the first observatory of its kind to provide open access to its data and analysis tools worldwide.

 Additionally, the SDMC will host the CTAO Computing Department, in charge of designing and implementing software systems that support science activities from accepting observation proposals to scheduling observations, controlling the telescopes, processing and archiving the data at all levels, and disseminating data products and science tools to the public using open standards and FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) principles.

-“With the new CTAO SDMC, DESY in Zeuthen is taking another big step towards becoming an international centre for astroparticle physics in Germany and one of the most innovative research centres in the region,” says Helmut Dosch, Chairman of the DESY Board of Directors.
+> “With the new CTAO SDMC, DESY in Zeuthen is taking another big step towards becoming an international centre for astroparticle physics in Germany and one of the most innovative research centres in the region,” says Helmut Dosch, Chairman of the DESY Board of Directors.

 DESY is already now one of the largest scientific institutions in Brandenburg with approximately 280 employees. The construction of the SDMC will create about 60 additional jobs. In addition, more guest scientists will visit the institute in the future, with an estimation of up to 400 people working in the campus.

-“The CTAO is a truly international project. At its two sites in Chile and La Palma, it will generate large amounts of valuable data to be analysed by the growing worldwide community of astrophysicists and particle physicists,” says Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of CTAO. “It is great to see the SDMC building up here in Zeuthen as one of the crucial ingredients for the success of the CTAO.” Read DESY press release (in English and in German) in the following links:
+> “The CTAO is a truly international project. At its two sites in Chile and La Palma, it will generate large amounts of valuable data to be analysed by the growing worldwide community of astrophysicists and particle physicists,” says Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of CTAO. “It is great to see the SDMC building up here in Zeuthen as one of the crucial ingredients for the success of the CTAO.” Read DESY press release (in English and in German) in the following links:

 [English version.](https://www.desy.de/news/news_search/index_eng.html?openDirectAnchor=2243&two_columns=0)

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Prof. Christian Stegmann, DESY Director for Astroparticle Physics and head of th
 Greetings
 Dr. Manja Schüle, Brandenburg´s Science Minister
 Dr. Volkmar Dietz, Head of the Sub-Department Large Facilities and Basic Research at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
-Prof. Otmar Wiestler, President of Helmholtz Association 
+Prof. Otmar Wiestler, President of Helmholtz Association
 Prof. Helmut Dosch, Chairman of the DESY Board of Directors
 Prof. Federico Ferrini, Managing Director CTAO gGmbH

@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ The new SDMC building, located directly at Lake Zeuthen, will provide ~1200 squa

 The building is being financed as part of an institutional grant to the Helmholtz research centre DESY with federal funds of around 9.9 million euros and funds from the state of Brandenburg amounting to 1.1 million euros. The SDMC building is to be certified with a Silver rating under the Sustainable Building Rating System. Construction work began at the end of 2021 and move-in is scheduled for 2023.

-### About the CTAO
+## About the CTAO

 The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO; [www.cta-observatory.org](https://www.cta-observatory.org)) will be the first ground-based gamma-ray observatory and the world’s largest and most sensitive instrument for the detection of high-energy gamma rays. The CTAO’s unparalleled accuracy and unprecedented energy range (20 GeV- 300 TeV) will provide novel insights into the most extreme and powerful events in the Universe, addressing questions in and beyond astrophysics falling under [three major themes:](https://www.cta-observatory.org/science/study-topics/) Understanding the origin and role of relativistic cosmic particles, probing extreme environments (such as the vicinity of black holes) and exploring frontiers in physics (including the study of dark matter). To do so, CTAO has two telescope array sites: One in the northern hemisphere in La Palma, Spain, and one in the southern hemisphere in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The headquarters of the CTAO is hosted by Italy and the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Bologna, and the Science Data Management Centre is hosted by Germany and the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Zeuthen. CTAO will also be the first of its kind to be open to the world-wide astronomical and particle physics communities as a resource for data from unique, high-energy astronomical observations.

@@ -18,20 +18,20 @@ CTA tendrá un gran impacto científico en España y, en particular, en las Isla

 El seminario computará para la renovación bianual del carnet de Monitores y Guías Starlight. El seminario es gratuito, pero la inscripción es obligatoria a través del siguiente [Formulario de Inscripción](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXaffwqPSrrFJfU9HRHdZbpjA4A-f5tPc4fcvAn7G2Nbxkew/viewform). Se realizará a través de la plataforma Zoom, cuyo enlace se compartirá con los participantes registrados vía correo electrónico antes del evento.

-### Información CTA
+## Información CTA

 El [Cherenkov Telescope Array](https://www.cta-observatory.org/) (CTA) es una iniciativa global para construir el observatorio de rayos gamma de alta energía más grande y sensible del mundo, con decenas de telescopios planificados en dos emplazamientos: uno en el hemisferio norte en la isla de La Palma, España, y otro en el hemisferio sur cerca de Paranal, Chile. CTA será el principal observatorio mundial para la astronomía de muy altas energías durante más allá de la próxima década, y será el primer observatorio de rayos gamma terrestre abierto a las comunidades globales de astronomía y física de partículas. CTA abordará algunos de los más grandes misterios en astrofísica, detectando rayos gamma con una sensibilidad sin precedentes y expandiendo increíblemente el catálogo de fuentes cósmicas, con más de 1000 fuentes nuevas. CTA es una infraestructura única y ambiciosa a gran escala que ampliará las observaciones a una región del espectro nunca antes investigada, abriendo una puerta totalmente nueva de nuestro Universo. CTAO gGmbH (gobernado por un [consejo de accionistas](https://www.cta-observatory.org/about/governance/) de 11 países y una organización intergubernamental, así como miembros asociados de dos países) es responsable de preparar el diseño e implementación del CTA Observatory. CTAO trabaja en estrecha cooperación con el Consorcio CTA formado por más de 1500 miembros de 31 países, que está a cargo de dirigir los objetivos científicos del Observatorio y está involucrado en el suministro de instrumentación.

-### Información Fundación Starlight
+## Información Fundación Starlight

 La [Fundación Starlight](https://www.fundacionstarlight.org/), ubicada en Tenerife, es una entidad con personalidad jurídica propia – creada por el Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) y la Consultora Corporación 5 -, cuya finalidad principal es la protección del cielo nocturno, la divulgación astronómica, así como la coordinación y gestión del movimiento Starlight a nivel mundial. Para ello, desarrolla actividades y ofrece diversos productos y servicios relacionados con esta materia. Esta entidad sin ánimo de lucro engloba y coordina ideas, proyectos y actividades que, bajo el nombre de Starlight, ofrece a la sociedad una forma diferente de valorar el cielo estrellado. Además, la Fundación Starlight, a través de su Sistema de Certificación, pretende generar una economía en territorios eminentemente rurales, contribuyendo a la lucha contra la despoblación y la desestacionalización de los destinos y al desarrollo del astroturismo. La Fundación Starlight contempla tres grandes figuras: 1.  Las Reservas y los Destinos Turísticos Starlight, como la isla de La Palma que acoge el Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (ORM), administrado por el IAC. 2.  [Alojamientos Starlight](https://www.fundacionstarlight.org/es/apartados/listado--alojamientos-starlight/299.html), constituyen una red internacional de hoteles y casas rurales, paradores, albergues, campings, etc., que cuentan con cielos nocturnos acreditados de alta calidad aptos para la observación astronómica y que proporcionan herramientas a los clientes para la observación y promueven actividades de astroturismo. Asimismo, exigen otras modalidades que persiguen la preservación y puesta en valor del cielo nocturno y el desarrollo económico sostenible de las comunidades locales. 3. La Fundación Starlight es la entidad encargada de impartir los cursos de Monitores y Guías Astronómicos Starlight, avalados por el IAC, que cuentan con una gran aceptación y que se han celebrado en diversos lugares del mundo. Son el personal capacitado para conducir grupos en la noche y en el día, para que los visitantes, además de disfrutar de la naturaleza, puedan enriquecer, a través de la divulgación, sus conocimientos del Universo. En particular, los Guías Starlight son los únicos profesionales autorizados por el IAC para organizar y realizar visitas guiadas al ORM para explicar los telescopios. El personal está formado por astrónomos, astrofotógrafos y de otras disciplinas relacionadas, bien preparados y capacitados, que deben someterse a talleres dedicados cada dos años para mantenerse al día sobre las últimas noticias en ciencia y tecnología astronómica, especialmente sobre los instrumentos y ciencia en el ORM. Más información en www.fundacionstarlight.org

-### Contactos
+## Contactos

 Contacto CTA Observatory (CTAO): [Alba Fernández-Barral](mailto:alba.fernandezbarral@cta-observatory.org), Coordinadora de Divulgación y Educación de CTAO

 Contacto Fundación Starlight: [Antonia M. Varela Pérez](mailto:formación@fundacionstarlight.org), Directora de la Fundación Starlight y Dra. en Astrofísica del Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

-### Organizado por:
+## Organizado por:

-### Colabora:
+## Colabora:
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ cover: /uploads/drillings-12-1-768x414.png
 draft: false
 ---

-#### In the northern hemisphere…
+## In the northern hemisphere…

 The CTA northern hemisphere array site in La Palma has been full of activity recently as site infrastructure design studies commence and the Large-Sized Telescope (LST) prototype prepares for the next stage of assembly. Below, a draft schematic of the site layout for the four LSTs (plans for 15 Medium-Sized Telescopes not shown). Work on the site’s infrastructure, which is being coordinated by the CTA Project Office, is well underway. A Madrid-based company, Geo-Avance, has been contracted to conduct the topographical study of the site, which is estimated to begin in May. The study will report on the site’s characterization by taking detailed accounts of the contours of the rolling, rocky hills of the site and giving a bird’s-eye view with aerial photography. These details will be integral to design decisions for the placement of telescopes, roads and underground services (power and data). Preparations are underway for the geotechnical study, which is estimated to begin this summer.

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ The next step is to install the circular 23 m diameter rail used to spin the tel

 [Learn more about CTA’s northern hemisphere site.](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-north/)

-#### In the southern hemisphere…
+## In the southern hemisphere…

 Signs of progress toward construction are beginning to pop up around CTA’s southern hemisphere site in Chile. Pictured below, shipping containers at Paranal are being refurbished to serve as the CTA site offices and meetings rooms, while piles of stones serve as makeshift markers for the future homes of CTA telescopes.

@@ -10,9 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 [Lee este artículo en español en nuestra CTA Newsletter.](https://mailchi.mp/00a6b9b4cd4e/cta-newsletter-october2019-spanish-1474929) Originally published in the [October 2019 issue of the CTA Newsletter](https://mailchi.mp/12cb6698d185/cta-newsletter-october2019-english).

-*By: Wolfgang Wild, CTAO Project Manager
-
-*
+*By: Wolfgang Wild, CTAO Project Manager*

 CTA is a large science infrastructure with many individual units and a high degree of complexity. There are many good reasons to design and implement the simplest and most harmonized system possible. In fact, a high degree of simplification will be a crucial success factor both during construction and operation. This need for harmonization applies to many subsystems and components of the array. One prominent area concerns the Small-Sized Telescope (SST) where harmonization is of very high importance due to the large number of units to be built, operated and maintained.

@@ -14,4 +14,4 @@ The delegates representing Argentina, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, N

 As far as the northern site of the CTA Observatory is concerned – candidate sites are located in Mexico, Spain and the USA – further considerations are necessary. Therefore, the delegates decided to postpone their decision and to ask the CTA board of agency representatives – the Resource Board – to take this forward. The decision for the negotiations about the northern hemisphere site will be taken as soon as possible.

-“We are very happy that this important step has been reached,” said B. Vierkorn-Rudolph, chair of the CTA Resource Board. “CTA will be a unique large-scale infrastructure for astronomy – with this decision we now can start the negotiations with the potential site countries in the southern hemisphere and advance the implementation of CTA.” The spokesperson of the CTA Consortium, Professor Werner Hofmann said, “The site choice is on the critical path towards implementing CTA; this decision represents a major step forward and we appreciate very much the engagement and support of the funding agencies and the country delegates involved in the decision.”
+> “We are very happy that this important step has been reached,” said B. Vierkorn-Rudolph, chair of the CTA Resource Board. “CTA will be a unique large-scale infrastructure for astronomy – with this decision we now can start the negotiations with the potential site countries in the southern hemisphere and advance the implementation of CTA.” The spokesperson of the CTA Consortium, Professor Werner Hofmann said, “The site choice is on the critical path towards implementing CTA; this decision represents a major step forward and we appreciate very much the engagement and support of the funding agencies and the country delegates involved in the decision.”
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ The CTAO was included in the previous ASTRONET 2008 roadmap as a priority for me

 The CTAO organization is expected to become a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) before fall 2023. The launch of the CTAO ERIC initiates the official beginning of the construction phase of the Observatory, which will be the first open ground-based gamma-ray observatory on the planet.

-“The construction of the CTAO will begin soon – the commitment of the countries is clear and the financing for the construction is confirmed, while the technical aspects and the management plans are almost finished,” explains Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of CTAO gGmbH. “The competences already assumed by the designated Director General of the CTAO ERIC, Stuart McMuldroch, reassures the timely completion of this transition and beginning of construction, which will open exciting times for science.”
+> “The construction of the CTAO will begin soon – the commitment of the countries is clear and the financing for the construction is confirmed, while the technical aspects and the management plans are almost finished,” explains Federico Ferrini, Managing Director of CTAO gGmbH. “The competences already assumed by the designated Director General of the CTAO ERIC, Stuart McMuldroch, reassures the timely completion of this transition and beginning of construction, which will open exciting times for science.”

 ASTRONET is a group of European funding agencies, community representatives and infrastructures working together as a forum for coordination for all aspects of European Astronomy. Formed in the early 2000’s with EU funding, it was responsible for the first European Science Vision and Infrastructure Roadmaps (2007/8) and their revisions (2013/14). It currently includes representatives from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and ESO. The European Astronomical Society (EAS), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the SKAO are also observers, and it has connections to independent research consortia such as the AstroParticle Physics European Consortium (APPEC), the Opticon Radionet Pilot (ORP) and Europlanet.

@@ -10,10 +10,12 @@ draft: false

 Dr. Stuart McMuldroch has been appointed as the second Managing Director of the Management Board of the CTAO gGmbH, starting from 30 April 2023, alongside the Observatory’s existing Director, Prof. Federico Ferrini. McMuldroch and Ferrini will work together on the final steps of the Observatory’s legal entity transition, from a gGmbH (under German law) to a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC, under European law). McMuldroch was recently selected as the first Director General of the CTAO ERIC by the Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR), a position he will officially assume when the ERIC is established in mid-2023. By joining the Management Board of the CTAO gGmbH now, McMuldroch will help prepare for the establishment of the CTAO ERIC and the resulting transition of the project to the construction phase in the most effective way.

-“We are very fortunate that Stuart is already able to join the CTAO during this important period,” says Prof. Federico Ferrini, current CTAO gGmbH Managing Director. “Working side-by-side through this transition will allow us to achieve the objectives that will ensure an optimal start of the construction phase in the CTAO ERIC era.”
+> “We are very fortunate that Stuart is already able to join the CTAO during this important period,” says Prof. Federico Ferrini, current CTAO gGmbH Managing Director. “Working side-by-side through this transition will allow us to achieve the objectives that will ensure an optimal start of the construction phase in the CTAO ERIC era.”

-McMuldroch has a PhD in Astronomy and more than 22 years of experience managing large-scale international projects at academic, commercial and government organizations. He was part of the New Horizons and GOES-R space missions as team leader for the design and construction of key optical subsystems. Prior to his appointment as designated Director General for the CTAO ERIC, McMuldroch was the Head of the Giant Magellan Telescope program office at the Center for Astrophysics (CfA)/Harvard & Smithsonian.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Ferrini will continue to manage the day-to-day business of the CTAO gGmbH, focusing on tasks such as running the operational business processes of the CTAO gGmbH, preparing the governing policies and rules of the CTAO ERIC and transferring all relevant assets from the CTAO gGmbH to the CTAO ERIC for the eventual liquidation of the former legal entity. In parallel, McMuldroch will focus on the preparation of the CTAO ERIC and the construction project. This encompasses preparing the CTAO ERIC’s organizational structure and business process, ramping up the staff, coordinating activities for the establishment and full operability of the ERIC, as well as preparing construction, including the project schedule.
+McMuldroch has a PhD in Astronomy and more than 22 years of experience managing large-scale international projects at academic, commercial and government organizations. He was part of the New Horizons and GOES-R space missions as team leader for the design and construction of key optical subsystems. Prior to his appointment as designated Director General for the CTAO ERIC, McMuldroch was the Head of the Giant Magellan Telescope program office at the Center for Astrophysics (CfA)/Harvard & Smithsonian.

-“The CTAO is an exceptional project that is entering an extremely exciting and challenging construction phase,” says Dr. Stuart McMuldroch, designated Director General of the CTAO ERIC and Co-Director of the gGmbH. “I am looking forward to working with Federico and the rest of the CTAO team – we have a lot to do, but I am optimistic and energised about the path ahead!”
+Ferrini will continue to manage the day-to-day business of the CTAO gGmbH, focusing on tasks such as running the operational business processes of the CTAO gGmbH, preparing the governing policies and rules of the CTAO ERIC and transferring all relevant assets from the CTAO gGmbH to the CTAO ERIC for the eventual liquidation of the former legal entity. In parallel, McMuldroch will focus on the preparation of the CTAO ERIC and the construction project. This encompasses preparing the CTAO ERIC’s organizational structure and business process, ramping up the staff, coordinating activities for the establishment and full operability of the ERIC, as well as preparing construction, including the project schedule.
+
+> “The CTAO is an exceptional project that is entering an extremely exciting and challenging construction phase,” says Dr. Stuart McMuldroch, designated Director General of the CTAO ERIC and Co-Director of the gGmbH. “I am looking forward to working with Federico and the rest of the CTAO team – we have a lot to do, but I am optimistic and energised about the path ahead!”

 This joint working approach builds upon the already well-established collaboration of Dr. Stuart McMuldroch and Prof. Federico Ferrini in addition to that of the CTAO gGmbH Council and the BGR; all of whom are working towards the common goal of constructing the first, open ground-based gamma-ray observatory on the planet.
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ On 21–22 April, experts from the [CTAO Central Organisation](https://www.ctao

 The rapid success of these integration tests was the direct result of exceptional synergy between the two groups. In the weeks leading up to the campaign, the SST Collaboration and the Central Organisation’s ACADA, Telescope, and System Integration teams worked together closely to lay the groundwork for the software deployment. This joint preparation paid off during the on-site work at the facilities of Dal Ben S.p.A., the company in charge of the mass production of the SST structures, in San Stino di Livenza, Italy. It took barely two days of joint, hands-on work at the factory for these two highly complex systems to successfully communicate with one another.

-“Integrating the array control software with the instrument control software is a challenging transition for any observatory,” says Dominik Neise, ACADA Lead Developer. “The fact that the system responded accurately to our commands almost immediately significantly de-risks our schedule. We resolved a few minor issues on the spot, proving that our teams are fully aligned and capable of troubleshooting together under real-world conditions.”
+> “Integrating the array control software with the instrument control software is a challenging transition for any observatory,” says Dominik Neise, ACADA Lead Developer. “The fact that the system responded accurately to our commands almost immediately significantly de-risks our schedule. We resolved a few minor issues on the spot, proving that our teams are fully aligned and capable of troubleshooting together under real-world conditions.”

 During the tests, ACADA successfully executed commands instructing the telescope to perform repositioning and source tracking, whilst also retrieving monitoring data, such as temperature, from the sensors. Moreover, because only the mechanical structure is currently available at the Dal Ben S.p.A. factory, the SST camera team developed a simulation of the camera instrument. This allowed the teams to run the camera’s integration tests with ACADA, as well, ensuring a highly realistic, end-to-end testing environment.

-“What is particularly encouraging is how smoothly the system behaved once connected to the real telescope structure,” says Vito Conforti, SST Telescope Control Software Lead and ACADA Release Manager. “This achievement reflects the extensive development and validation activities carried out across all Telescope Control Software subsystems, and the strong collaboration within the SST teams, from structure to camera, as well as with ACADA. It provides clear evidence that the adopted approach is robust and that the system is well prepared for the next phases of integration.”
+> “What is particularly encouraging is how smoothly the system behaved once connected to the real telescope structure,” says Vito Conforti, SST Telescope Control Software Lead and ACADA Release Manager. “This achievement reflects the extensive development and validation activities carried out across all Telescope Control Software subsystems, and the strong collaboration within the SST teams, from structure to camera, as well as with ACADA. It provides clear evidence that the adopted approach is robust and that the system is well prepared for the next phases of integration.”

 The CTAO SST Collaboration is an In-Kind Contribution team tasked with developing and building the SSTs. Ultimately, 37 of these telescopes will be integrated into the CTAO-South array in Chile to study the highest-energy Universe. Following their installation and commissioning, they will be formally accepted by the Central Organisation for operation as an integral part of the Observatory.

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ From 19 to 21 November 2025, the [CTAO ERIC Council](https://www.ctao.org/organi

 Switzerland and Croatia were initially endorsed as members by the CTAO ERIC Council in June 2025. Following internal approval, the European Commission was formally notified, allowing the Statutes to be updated to reflect their membership. The modification approved at November’s meeting not only confirms their status as Founding Members—joining within 18 months of the ERIC’s establishment—but also grants both countries full membership rights.

-“The addition of Switzerland and Croatia to our growing membership strengthens the CTAO community and underscores our shared commitment to advancing gamma-ray astronomy and astroparticle physics across and beyond Europe,” says Francisco Colomer, Chair of the CTAO ERIC Council.
+> “The addition of Switzerland and Croatia to our growing membership strengthens the CTAO community and underscores our shared commitment to advancing gamma-ray astronomy and astroparticle physics across and beyond Europe,” says Francisco Colomer, Chair of the CTAO ERIC Council.

 Both countries have long supported the CTAO, particularly through their contributions to [in-kind collaborations](https://www.ctao.org/partners/in-kind-contributors/), which have advanced the development of telescope hardware and the Observatory’s computing infrastructure. As official Council members, Switzerland and Croatia will continue to contribute to the development of the Observatory, enabling their respective scientists and institutions to actively participate in the CTAO’s scientific programme. This will reinforce their participation in gamma-ray, astroparticle, and multi-messenger astronomy, while fostering national expertise in data science and enabling broader participation of their scientific communities.

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ draft: false

 On 2 July, a major contract, worth several million Euros, was signed between the [CTAO’s](https://www.ctao.org/) hosting partner, [ESO (European Southern Observatory)](https://www.eso.org/public/), and a consortium of Chilean companies for the construction of roads and telescope foundations for the [CTAO’s southern hemisphere array (CTAO-South)](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-south/), which is located near ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. The contract, signed on behalf of the CTAO, includes more than 50 foundations for the CTAO’s Medium-Sized Telescopes (MSTs) and Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs), as well as approximately 17 km of roads, connecting these foundations to the support facilities. The construction of this important infrastructure, which is expected to take one year, marks the beginning of telescope construction on the CTAO-South site.

-“We’re excited to see telescope construction begin on site after years of planning and preparation,” says Volker Heinz, CTAO Construction Programme Manager. “We’re grateful for ESO’s support in securing this fundamental step. Soon, we’ll be ready to receive the telescopes on site, with the first expected to be built as early as the middle of next year.”
+> “We’re excited to see telescope construction begin on site after years of planning and preparation,” says Volker Heinz, CTAO Construction Programme Manager. “We’re grateful for ESO’s support in securing this fundamental step. Soon, we’ll be ready to receive the telescopes on site, with the first expected to be built as early as the middle of next year.”

 The CTAO will be the world’s largest and most powerful observatory for gamma-ray astronomy. It is composed of two arrays of telescopes: CTAO-South, and [CTAO-North](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-north/) in La Palma, Spain. With locations in both hemispheres, the Observatory will cover the full gamma-ray sky, capturing the ever-elusive [Cherenkov light](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/science/how-ctao-works/). When cosmic gamma rays reach the atmosphere and interact with it, they generate a cascade of ultra-energetic particles; as they move through the air, these particles create a faint blue flash of “Cherenkov light.” By analysing this faint light, scientists can infer much about the cosmic sources, like supermassive black holes and supernova remnants, that emitted the original gamma rays.

@@ -10,11 +10,11 @@ draft: false

 **Bologna, Italy, 7 January 2025 –** On January 7, 2025, the [European Commission](https://commission.europa.eu/index_en) established the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) as a [European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC)](https://www.eric-forum.eu/), furthering its mission to become the world’s largest and most powerful observatory for gamma-ray astronomy. The creation of the CTAO ERIC will enable the Observatory’s construction to advance rapidly and provide a framework for distributing its data worldwide, significantly accelerating its progress toward scientific discovery.

-“The ERIC will streamline the construction and operation of the Observatory in a way that will undoubtedly help the CTAO attract new talent and investment as it continues to grow,” stated Dr. Aldo Covello, Chair of the Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR). “The ERIC status provides the CTAO with the legal stability and administrative advantages it needs to be sustainable in its worldwide operations and impact.”
+> “The ERIC will streamline the construction and operation of the Observatory in a way that will undoubtedly help the CTAO attract new talent and investment as it continues to grow,” stated Dr. Aldo Covello, Chair of the Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR). “The ERIC status provides the CTAO with the legal stability and administrative advantages it needs to be sustainable in its worldwide operations and impact.”

 The CTAO ERIC was established with the international support of 11 countries and one intergovernmental organisation that contribute to the technological development, construction and operation of the Observatory. The BGR represents this group and has been responsible for the preparation of the ERIC.

-“We are grateful to our founding members for their support and to the European Commission for reaffirming their confidence in the CTAO as a world-class research infrastructure,” said Dr. Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO Managing Director. “This milestone represents the culmination of years of dedicated planning by the diverse teams contributing to the success of the Observatory. With the CTAO ERIC, we now have a powerful instrument to consolidate our efforts and drive the project forward.”
+> “We are grateful to our founding members for their support and to the European Commission for reaffirming their confidence in the CTAO as a world-class research infrastructure,” said Dr. Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO Managing Director. “This milestone represents the culmination of years of dedicated planning by the diverse teams contributing to the success of the Observatory. With the CTAO ERIC, we now have a powerful instrument to consolidate our efforts and drive the project forward.”

 The ERIC not only provides the Central Organisation with a formal framework to accept and operate the current telescope prototypes, but it also allows for the immediate start of construction for the full array of more than 60 telescopes across both telescope sites in Spain and Chile. On the CTAO-North site, where the Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST-1) is under commissioning, three additional LSTs and one Medium-Sized Telescope (MST) are expected to be built in the next 1-2 years. Meanwhile, on the CTAO-South site, the first five Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs) and two MSTs are expected to be delivered by early 2026. Thus, with the aid of the ERIC, the Observatory is expected to be able to operate intermediate array configurations as early as 2026. These sub-sets of the final arrays will already be more sensitive than any existing instrument, bringing the Observatory’s early science within reach.

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ The impact of the ERIC will extend beyond hardware, influencing several other ke

 The CTAO was promoted to a “Landmark” on the [European Forum on Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) Roadmap 2018](https://www.ctao.org/news/cta-promoted-to-landmark-status-on-2018-esfri-roadmap/) and was ranked as the main priority among the new ground-based infrastructures in the [ASTRONET Roadmap 2022-2035](https://www.cta-observatory.org/strategic-plan-for-european-astronomy-ranks-ctao-as-priority/). Now, after years of extensive preparatory work, and with the final legal entity in place, the CTAO solidifies its standing in the global research community, facilitating synergies with other international organisations and observatories.

-“The ERIC status strengthens the presence of the CTAO in Europe and its role as a key player in the European Research Area, but the support we have received and the scope of the CTAO ERIC’s influence goes far beyond European borders,” explained Prof. Federico Ferrini, co-Managing Director. “To build and operate the world’s largest gamma-ray observatory that serves the ambitious needs of the global scientific community, we are counting on an increasing number of partners from around the world.”
+> “The ERIC status strengthens the presence of the CTAO in Europe and its role as a key player in the European Research Area, but the support we have received and the scope of the CTAO ERIC’s influence goes far beyond European borders,” explained Prof. Federico Ferrini, co-Managing Director. “To build and operate the world’s largest gamma-ray observatory that serves the ambitious needs of the global scientific community, we are counting on an increasing number of partners from around the world.”

 The CTAO ERIC Members are Austria, Czech Republic, European Southern Observatory (ESO), France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. Additionally, Switzerland is an Observer, Japan is a Strategic Partner and Australia is a Third Party.

@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ The CCI is the body established under the International Agreements that created

 This is the CTAO’s and INAF’s first time hosting the meeting. Isabella Pagano, INAF Science Director, welcomed attendees, and Stuart McMuldroch, Director General of the CTAO, presented a report on the project’s status. The CTAO-North site is already the home of four Large-Sized Telescopes (LSTs) that are under various stages of development by the CTAO LST Collaboration. The first telescope, the LST-1, is wrapping up its commissioning and is expected to be accepted by the Central Organisation in 2027. In preparation for the operation of this “sub-array” of telescopes, the Central Organisation has been rapidly growing its team on site to ease the transition and ensure early science can begin, even as the rest of the array is under construction.

-“With the start of the construction phase, the CTAO has become an active research infrastructure within the CCI community,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist. “The CTAO is strengthening its engagement with the other facilities at the ORM, fostering synergies that will enhance scientific exploitation and maximise the observatory’s scientific impact.”
+> “With the start of the construction phase, the CTAO has become an active research infrastructure within the CCI community,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist. “The CTAO is strengthening its engagement with the other facilities at the ORM, fostering synergies that will enhance scientific exploitation and maximise the observatory’s scientific impact.”

 The CTAO Central Organisation was delighted to co-host the event alongside INAF, the University of Bologna, and the Galileo National Telescope. Each host gave participants the opportunity to visit a special astronomical site in and around Bologna. The CTAO provided access to its offices at its headquarters, while INAF organized a guided tour of the Medicina Radio Observatory, home to the historic Northern Cross Radio Telescope. The University of Bologna hosted participants at the Accademia delle Scienze, located within the university museum complex, which also includes La Specola Museum, the city’s astronomical museum. At La Specola, participants also learned about the pioneering work of Guido Horn d’Arturo, whose innovative segmented mirror designs anticipated technologies now used in modern observatories such as the CTAO.

-“There is tremendous excitement surrounding the upcoming operations of the CTAO-North array and the groundbreaking science it will deliver,” said McMuldroch. “We are grateful to contribute to this committee and to strengthen collaboration with neighbouring observatories as we prepare for what lies ahead.”
+> “There is tremendous excitement surrounding the upcoming operations of the CTAO-North array and the groundbreaking science it will deliver,” said McMuldroch. “We are grateful to contribute to this committee and to strengthen collaboration with neighbouring observatories as we prepare for what lies ahead.”
@@ -10,15 +10,15 @@ draft: false

 **Bologna, Italy – **On Thursday, 18 April, during the closing session of the CTAO Science Symposium at Teatro Duse in Bologna, the Managing Director of the CTAO, Dr. Stuart McMuldroch, officially announced the Observatory’s new phase of growth. Supported by the 30M Euro endorsement by the [CTAO’s governing bodies](https://www.ctao.org/organisation/governance/) in September 2023, this new period puts an end to the design phase of the Observatory, as it embarks on major infrastructure development to operate intermediate telescope array configurations in the upcoming years.

-“We are moving from individual prototype telescopes to building intermediate array configurations on both sites in Spain and Chile,” explained Dr. McMuldroch during his presentation. “While our goal is to reach the Alpha Configuration, these subsets will already be more powerful than any existing instrument.”
+> “We are moving from individual prototype telescopes to building intermediate array configurations on both sites in Spain and Chile,” explained Dr. McMuldroch during his presentation. “While our goal is to reach the Alpha Configuration, these subsets will already be more powerful than any existing instrument.”

-“The intermediate array configurations will have a performance two to three times better than the current generation of ground-based instruments, allowing the CTAO to detect fainter sources and minute-scale variability from gamma-ray signals,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist.
+> “The intermediate array configurations will have a performance two to three times better than the current generation of ground-based instruments, allowing the CTAO to detect fainter sources and minute-scale variability from gamma-ray signals,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist.

 The growth of the CTAO will not only be apparent in terms of hardware, but also software and personnel. Firstly, the Observatory will start applying advanced software packages, moving from testing to integrating key systems that control the telescopes and process data. Additionally, the [CTAO Central Organisation](https://www.ctao.org/organisation/) will double its staff to support the advancement of the Observatory on all fronts, from science and engineering to computing and administration.

 To showcase this milestone, Stuart also launched the CTAO’s new visual identity and website during his talk. An important update is that the “CTAO” will now define the Observatory and international project, discontinuing the term “CTA.”

-“The CTAO is built thanks to a growing international partnership composed of various teams with different tasks, scopes and even management, but who share a common goal: to build the world’s largest gamma-ray observatory to achieve transformational science,” says Stuart. “The “CTAO” encompasses that joint effort, representing all the groups involved.”
+> “The CTAO is built thanks to a growing international partnership composed of various teams with different tasks, scopes and even management, but who share a common goal: to build the world’s largest gamma-ray observatory to achieve transformational science,” says Stuart. “The “CTAO” encompasses that joint effort, representing all the groups involved.”

 The CTAO’s new logo and brand reflect this fresh phase of growth and collaboration with a clean, modern aesthetic that clearly positions the Observatory for its current and future status in the field. The website ([www.ctao.org](http://www.ctao.org)) is the most visible manifestation of this transition, providing an immersive and engaging interface for the general public and scientists to interact with the science, technology and partners behind the CTAO.

@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@ On February 12, 2025, the [CTAO ERIC Council](https://www.ctao.org/organisation/

 The first CTAO ERIC Council Meeting, held February 12–13, marked the beginning of a new management era. In a unanimous decision, the Council elected Dr. Francisco Colomer (Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities) as its Chair. Dr. Colomer previously served as a member of the Board of Governmental Representatives, the group responsible for the successful legal transition of the Observatory to an ERIC. Additionally, Dr. Mathieu de Naurois (Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet IN2P3-CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, France) was appointed as Vice-Chair of the CTAO ERIC Council.

-“We are witnessing the birth of a long waited European Research Infrastructure Consortium, CTAO ERIC, to build and operate a unique instrument, only possible thanks to the cooperation of many international parties,” says Dr. Colomer. “This demonstrates that science brings people together, different interests can be accommodated when we work for a common goal.”
+> “We are witnessing the birth of a long waited European Research Infrastructure Consortium, CTAO ERIC, to build and operate a unique instrument, only possible thanks to the cooperation of many international parties,” says Dr. Colomer. “This demonstrates that science brings people together, different interests can be accommodated when we work for a common goal.”

 During the meeting, the Council also appointed Dr. Stuart McMuldroch as CTAO ERIC Director General. Dr. McMuldroch, who became a Director of the Observatory in May 2023, will now lead the next phase of the Observatory’s development as it moves from design to construction and operation.

-“It is an honour to have the confidence of the Council to lead the Observatory at such a pivotal moment,” says Dr. McMuldroch. “I am passionate and determined to make this exciting project a success, driving it toward groundbreaking scientific discoveries.”
+> “It is an honour to have the confidence of the Council to lead the Observatory at such a pivotal moment,” says Dr. McMuldroch. “I am passionate and determined to make this exciting project a success, driving it toward groundbreaking scientific discoveries.”

 The CTAO ERIC Members are Austria, Czech Republic, European Southern Observatory (ESO), France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. Additionally, Switzerland is an Observer, Japan is a Strategic Partner and Australia is a Third Party.
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Between 27 and 29 May, the [CTAO ERIC Council](https://www.ctao.org/organisation

 Delegates representing these nations, alongside members of the [CTAO Central Organisation (legally, CTAO ERIC)](https://www.ctao.org/organisation/team/), travelled to the island or connected remotely to discuss the Observatory’s progress and strategic direction. Prior to the formal meeting sessions, the Council undertook its first official tour of the [CTAO-North site](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/array-sites/ctao-north/), which currently hosts four Large-Sized Telescopes (LSTs) at various stages of development by the [CTAO LST Collaboration](https://www.ctao.org/partners/in-kind-contributors/).

-### Arrival and Institutional Welcome
+## Arrival and Institutional Welcome

 Ascending to 2,200 metres above sea level to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM), home of CTAO-North, visitors are greeted by the impressive LSTs standing tall against the landscape.

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ The delegates were officially welcomed to the ORM by Valentín Martínez, Direct

 Standing before the towering telescopes, the group was greeted by Patricia Márquez, CTAO-North Station Manager. She detailed the project’s progress on the island, highlighting the expansion of the sea-level office, staff growth, and the future on-site operations building. Further enriching the welcome, Ramón García, Principal Investigator of the IAC’s gamma-ray group, shared insights into the [groundbreaking science](https://www.ctao.org/emission-to-discovery/science/study-themes/) the Cherenkov telescopes can deliver.

-### Up Close with the Telescopes
+## Up Close with the Telescopes

 While observing the telescopes from a distance offers a magnificent overview of the array, the delegates were invited to step inside and explore two of them up close. Divided into groups, they visited LST-1, the prototype undergoing commissioning since 2018, and LST-4, which recently completed its construction phase with the installation of its camera.

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ Back on the ground, Juan Cortina, Chair of the LST Collaboration Steering Commit

 The continuous progress of these four telescopes is a testament to the hard work of the LST Collaboration. Capitalising on this momentum, a press conference held prior to the visit—featuring the LST Collaboration alongside the CTAO Central Organisation, the Cabildo de La Palma, and the IAC—[announced that the official inauguration of the LST sub-array](https://www.ctao.org/news/ctao-advances-towards-early-science-in-la-palma-as-lst-collaboration-announces-lst-subarray-inauguration/) will take place on 15 October, with special guests like Prof. Takaaki Kajita, Nobel Laureate in Physics.

-### Looking Ahead
+## Looking Ahead

 This visit marked not only the CTAO ERIC Council’s first official tour of the CTAO-North site but also an invaluable opportunity to witness firsthand the development of what will become the world’s most powerful gamma-ray observatory—a growing international effort made possible by the unwavering support of the CTAO ERIC Council member countries and organisations.

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ The CTAO had a strong presence at the anniversary, underlining its close partner

 Representing the [CTAO ERIC](https://www.ctao.org/organisation/team/) at the anniversary were Francisco Colomer, Chair of the [CTAO ERIC Council](https://www.ctao.org/organisation/governance/) and Programme Director at the Spanish Deputy Directorate General for International Consortia, Organisations and Research Infrastructures; Volker Heinz, Construction Programme Manager; and Patricia Márquez, Construction Lead Engineer.

-“Being present at the IAC’s Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM) to celebrate these first 40 years of great success in science, while the site is currently attracting new unique infrastructures such as the CTAO, demonstrates the great vision of the founders, the dedicated work of the scientists, and the constant support of many administrations. I personally feel pride and honour that this is happening in Spain,” said Francisco Colomer.
+> “Being present at the IAC’s Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM) to celebrate these first 40 years of great success in science, while the site is currently attracting new unique infrastructures such as the CTAO, demonstrates the great vision of the founders, the dedicated work of the scientists, and the constant support of many administrations. I personally feel pride and honour that this is happening in Spain,” said Francisco Colomer.

 Also present were representatives of different CTAO teams, including Ramón García, Principal Investigator of the CTAO group at the IAC; Masahiro Teshima, Principal Investigator of the LST Collaboration; Daniel Mazin, LST Project Manager; and Alice Donini, LST Deputy Project Manager.

@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ draft: false

 On May 12, the [CTAO Central Organisation](https://www.ctao.org/organisation/team/) announced the launch of the [Werner Hofmann Scientific Award](https://www.ctao.org/for-scientists/werner-hofmann-scientific-award/) during the CTAO Consortium Meeting. The award aims to recognise outstanding PhD research in very high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics.

-“The award is for PhD students who are currently enrolled or have completed their thesis within 12 months of the call opening, and whose contributions have been significant in either science or instrumentation development within the field,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist and award coordinator.
+> “The award is for PhD students who are currently enrolled or have completed their thesis within 12 months of the call opening, and whose contributions have been significant in either science or instrumentation development within the field,” says Roberta Zanin, CTAO Project Scientist and award coordinator.

 Nominees’ research must focus on very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy, with contributions in theoretical, observational, or instrumental areas. While the research does not need to be exclusively about the CTAO, it should have a clear and relevant connection to the project, either scientifically or technologically. The winner will receive a certificate, a commemorative medal, a monetary prize, and an invitation to present their work at the next CTAO Symposium, providing exposure to the broader multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astronomical community.

 The award is named in honour of Werner Hofmann, a pioneer in high-energy gamma-ray astronomy, who played a key role in establishing Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) as essential tools for exploring the extreme Universe. He was a founding figure behind the CTAO concept and served as Spokesperson of the [CTAO Consortium](https://www.ctao.org/partners/ctao-consortium/) for over 15 years until last summer, making the Consortium Meeting the ideal occasion for the Central Organisation to announce the award.

-“The award was discussed among members of various CTAO teams, and we hoped the announcement would come as a pleasant surprise to him—which, I believe, it did,” says Zanin. “It not only honours his outstanding contributions to CTAO’s scientific and technical progress, as well as his support for the next generation of researchers, but also stands as a lasting testament to his legacy for future generations.”
+> “The award was discussed among members of various CTAO teams, and we hoped the announcement would come as a pleasant surprise to him—which, I believe, it did,” says Zanin. “It not only honours his outstanding contributions to CTAO’s scientific and technical progress, as well as his support for the next generation of researchers, but also stands as a lasting testament to his legacy for future generations.”

 The call for the first Werner Hofmann Scientific Award, to be presented in autumn 2025, will open soon. Further information and guidelines are available [on the dedicated webpage](https://www.ctao.org/for-scientists/werner-hofmann-scientific-award/).
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