The Liverpool telescope began in 1996 as a joint project of Liverpool John Moores University and the Royal Greenwich Observatory, but its first light was in July 2003.
Although the engineering of the LT is similar to that of other telescopes in El Roque de los Muchachos, its mechanics are unique as these are designed to operate autonomously, either remotely from Liverpool, or through observations controlled by a computer software.
Liverpool is able to detect transient astronomical phenomena such as novae, supernovae and gamma-ray bursts, the brightest energy sources in the universe. In addition, this telescope actively collaborates in the mission of the SWIFT satellite for the discovery of these type of explosions.
Photo Credit: Daniel López – IAC
Source: IAC
