CASTOR (spacecraft)

Last updated
CASTOR
Mission type Astronomy
Operator Canadian Space Agency
Mission duration5 years minimum [1]
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass1063 kg [2]
Payload mass618 kg
Start of mission
Launch datelate 2020s
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Sun-synchronous orbit
Altitude800 km
Main telescope
Type Three-mirror anastigmat
Diameter1.0 m
WavelengthsFrom 150 nm (ultraviolet) to 550 nm (visible light) [2]
Instruments
wide-field imaging, slitless spectroscopy, DMD spectroscopy, precision photometry
 

The Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and UV Research (CASTOR) is a proposed space telescope mission led by the Canadian Space Agency. With its 1-meter diameter primary mirror, CASTOR would provide imaging capabilities in the ultraviolet (UV) and blue-optical regions at a spatial resolution similar to that of the Hubble Space Telescope (FWHM of 0.15 arcseconds), but over an instantaneous field of view about 100 times larger. [3] CASTOR was selected as Canada's highest priority for space astronomy in the 2020s in the 2020 Long Range Plan for Canadian Astronomy. [4]

Contents

Description

CASTOR will complement the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Euclid space telescope, and Vera C. Rubin Observatory. These three major wide-field imaging facilities will not have access to the UV portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. CASTOR has been specifically designed to provide this missing capability, with high sensitivity and observing efficiency at UV and blue-optical wavelengths. [3]

Using dichroics, CASTOR would enable simultaneous imaging of three bandpasses (UV from 150 to 300 nm, u from 300 to 400 nm, and g from 400 to 550 nm) over an instantaneous field of view of 0.25 square degrees. In addition to its imaging capabilities, CASTOR will also be equipped with additional instruments enabling high-precision photometry for the monitoring of bright targets, as well as two spectroscopic modes: low-spectral-resolution slitless spectroscopy over the entire imaging field and configurable DMD spectroscopy to provide intermediate resolution spectra in the UV in a parallel field. [2]

Objectives

Specific science drivers of CASTOR include: [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultraviolet astronomy</span> Observation of electromagnetic radiation at ultraviolet wavelengths

Ultraviolet astronomy is the observation of electromagnetic radiation at ultraviolet wavelengths between approximately 10 and 320 nanometres; shorter wavelengths—higher energy photons—are studied by X-ray astronomy and gamma-ray astronomy. Ultraviolet light is not visible to the human eye. Most of the light at these wavelengths is absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere, so observations at these wavelengths must be performed from the upper atmosphere or from space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hubble Deep Field</span> Multiple exposure image of deep space in the constellation Ursa Major

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Observational astronomy</span> Division of astronomy

Observational astronomy is a division of astronomy that is concerned with recording data about the observable universe, in contrast with theoretical astronomy, which is mainly concerned with calculating the measurable implications of physical models. It is the practice and study of observing celestial objects with the use of telescopes and other astronomical instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Speed Photometer</span> Scientific instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope

The High Speed Photometer (HSP) is a scientific instrument formerly installed on the Hubble Space Telescope. The HSP was designed to measure the brightness and polarity of rapidly varying celestial objects. It could observe in ultraviolet, visible light, and near infrared at a rate of one measurement per 10 microseconds. The design was novel in that despite being able to view through a variety of filters and apertures, it had no moving parts "except for electrons" as principal investigator Prof. Robert Bless was fond of saying. Filter and aperture selection was accomplished using image dissector tubes and the HST pointing system. It was functional from launch in 1990 until it was removed at the end of 1993, and it helped diagnose an issue with the Hubble's primary mirror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Ultraviolet Explorer</span> Astronomical observatory satellite

International Ultraviolet Explorer, was the first space observatory primarily designed to take ultraviolet (UV) electromagnetic spectrum. The satellite was a collaborative project between NASA, the United Kingdom's Science and Engineering Research Council and the European Space Agency (ESA), formerly European Space Research Organisation (ESRO). The mission was first proposed in early 1964, by a group of scientists in the United Kingdom, and was launched on 26 January 1978 aboard a NASA Thor-Delta 2914 launch vehicle. The mission lifetime was initially set for 3 years, but in the end it lasted 18 years, with the satellite being shut down in 1996. The switch-off occurred for financial reasons, while the telescope was still functioning at near original efficiency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V476 Cygni</span> Star in the constellation Cygnus

V476 Cygni or Nova Cygni 1920 was a nova which occurred in the constellation Cygnus in 1920. It was discovered by William Frederick Denning, an English amateur astronomer, at 09:30 GMT on 20 August 1920, at which time it had a magnitude of 3.7. It reached a peak brightness of magnitude 1.7 on 23 August 1920. Its quiescent brightness is magnitude 17.09.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vera C. Rubin Observatory</span> 8 meter astronomical survey telescope

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, previously referred to as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), is an astronomical observatory currently under construction in Chile. Its main task will be carrying out a synoptic astronomical survey, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time. The word synoptic is derived from the Greek words σύν and ὄψις, and describes observations that give a broad view of a subject at a particular time. The observatory is located on the El Peñón peak of Cerro Pachón, a 2,682-meter-high mountain in Coquimbo Region, in northern Chile, alongside the existing Gemini South and Southern Astrophysical Research Telescopes. The LSST Base Facility is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) away by road, in the town of La Serena. The observatory is named for Vera Rubin, an American astronomer who pioneered discoveries about galaxy rotation rates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmic Origins Spectrograph</span> Instrument installed on the Hubble Space Telescope

The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) is a science instrument that was installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during Servicing Mission 4 (STS-125) in May 2009. It is designed for ultraviolet (90–320 nm) spectroscopy of faint point sources with a resolving power of ≈1,550–24,000. Science goals include the study of the origins of large scale structure in the universe, the formation and evolution of galaxies, and the origin of stellar and planetary systems and the cold interstellar medium. COS was developed and built by the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA-ARL) at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation in Boulder, Colorado.

<i>Astrosat</i> Space observatory

Astrosat is India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space telescope. It was launched on a PSLV-XL on 28 September 2015. With the success of this satellite, ISRO has proposed launching AstroSat-2 as a successor for Astrosat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Energy Survey</span> Project to measure the expansion of the universe

The Dark Energy Survey (DES) is an astronomical survey designed to constrain the properties of dark energy. It uses images taken in the near-ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared to measure the expansion of the universe using Type Ia supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, the number of galaxy clusters, and weak gravitational lensing. The collaboration is composed of research institutions and universities from the United States, Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland. The collaboration is divided into several scientific working groups. The director of DES is Josh Frieman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spektr-UV</span>

The Spektr-UV, also known as World Space Observatory-Ultraviolet (WSO-UV), is a proposed ultraviolet space telescope intended for work in the 115 nm to 315 nm wavelength range. It is an international project led by Russia (Roscosmos), with participation from Spain and Japan. The launch had initially been planned for 2007, but has since been continually delayed; as of February 2023, the launch is planned for the end of 2028 atop an Angara A5M rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pea galaxy</span> Possible type of luminous blue compact galaxy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time-domain astronomy</span> Study of how astronomical objects change with time

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">ULTRASAT</span>

ULTRASAT is a space telescope in a smallsat format with a large field of view, 210 square degrees, that will detect and monitor transient astronomical events in the near-ultraviolet (220–280 nm) spectral region. ULTRASAT will observe a large patch of sky, alternating every six months between the southern and northern hemisphere. The satellite will be launched into geosynchronous orbit in early 2026. All ULTRASAT data will be transmitted to the ground in real time. Upon detection of a transient event, ULTRASAT will provide alerts within 20 minutes to other ground-based and space telescopes to be directed to the source for further observation of the event in other wavelength bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin France</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">HD 203030</span> K-type main sequence star in the constellation Vulpecula

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super-pressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope</span>

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References

  1. Côte, Patrick; Scott, Alan; Balogh, Michael; Buckingham, Ron; Aldridge, David; Carlberg, Ray; Chen, Weiguo; Dupuis, Jean; Evans, Clinton; Drissen, Laurent; Fraser, Wes; Grandmont, Frederic; Harrison, Paul; Hutchings, John; Kavelaars, JJ; Landry, John-Thomas; Lange, Christian; Laurin, Denis; Patel, Tarun; Pillay, Venka; Piche, Louis; Rader, Andres; Robert, Carmelle; Sawicki, Marchin; Sorba, Robert; Theriault, Guillaume; Van Waerbeke, Ludovic (2012). "CASTOR: the Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical and Ultraviolet Research". In Clampin, Mark C.; Fazio, Giovanni G.; MacEwen, Howard A.; Oschmann, Jacobus M. (eds.). Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. Vol. 8442. SPIE. p. 844215. doi:10.1117/12.926198. S2CID   119902782 . Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  2. 1 2 3 "CASTOR Mission Specifications" . Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  3. 1 2 "CASTOR: A Flagship Canadian Space Telescope" . Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  4. "Canadian Astronomy Long Range Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  5. "CASTOR Science" . Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  6. Graham, Melissa L.; Connolly, Andrew J.; Wang, Winnie; Schmidt, Samuel J.; Morrison, Christopher B.; Ivezić, Željko; Fabbro, Sébastien; Côté, Patrick; Daniel, Scott F.; Jones, R. Lynne; Jurić, Mario; Yoachim, Peter; Kalmbach, J. Bryce (2020-05-13). "Photometric Redshifts with the LSST. II. The Impact of Near-infrared and Near-ultraviolet Photometry". The Astronomical Journal. American Astronomical Society. 159 (6): 258. arXiv: 2004.07885 . Bibcode:2020AJ....159..258G. doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ab8a43 . ISSN   1538-3881. S2CID   215814361.
  7. Fantin, Nicholas J.; Côté, Patrick; McConnachie, Alan W. (2020-09-09). "White Dwarfs in the Era of the LSST and Its Synergies with Space-based Missions". The Astrophysical Journal. American Astronomical Society. 900 (2): 139. arXiv: 2007.01312 . Bibcode:2020ApJ...900..139F. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aba270 . ISSN   1538-4357.