2023-10-20 17:35:00
A collaborative project between Brazil and Spain is underway, focused on observing broad sectors of the sky from the Serra de Javalambre, in Aragón, Spain. The Javalambre Physics of the Accelerating Universe Astrophysical Survey (J-PAS) Project brings together more than 250 researchers from 18 countries, and is led by names from Spain and Brazil. The objective is to increase our understanding of the universe, with an emphasis on the nature of dark energy, creating a kind of 3D map of the universe — aiming to be the greatest achievement to date.
The core of the project is the Javalambre Astrophysical Observatory, which has begun collecting its first data. Using the JST250 telescope, with a remarkable field of view equivalent to approximately 20 full moons, the J-PAS stands out for its panoramic camera, the JPCam — the second largest in the worldmade up of 14 CCD detectors, each with 9,200 x 9,200 pixels, making them the largest CCDs in the world.
The distinguishing feature of J-PAS is its unprecedented photometric system, incorporating 56 unique, low-width photometric filters, carefully designed for the project. This allows the production of detailed photo-spectra of all objects within the field of view. This configuration makes the JPCam-JST250 combination ideal for mapping the universe and measuring extragalactic distances with the precision needed for cosmological purposes.
The production of JPCam was primarily a Brazilian responsibility, with funding coming from various sources, including FINEP/MCTI, FAPERJ, Observatório Nacional, FAPESP, the Government of Aragón and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
Tech
03 Ago
Tech
05 Jul
The development of JPCam was a complex undertaking that involved several technicians, engineers and scientists from institutions such as ON, IAG/USP, INPE in Brazil, as well as CEFCA and IAA in Spain.
To date, the first 15 square degrees of sky have been observed with J-PAS’s 56 filters, which is equivalent to an area of 60 full moons. Although this is just the beginning of this mapping, the data already includes information regarding around a million stars and galaxies.
Capturing hundreds of images every observation night generates a large volume of data, which led to the creation of a dedicated data center at OAJ, responsible for storing, managing and calibrating the scientific data generated by J-PAS.
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