SALT Telescope First Light

carnun writes "On the 1st of September, 5 years after ground breaking, the SALT Telescope released their first light images to the public. Yesterday one of these images was even displayed on NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day website. The Southern African Large Telescope, built in South Africa, is the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere and (depending on how you define it) the equal largest telescope in the world, but built at a budget of only $30 million, about a tenth cheaper than its nearest competitor. The official opening of the telescope is scheduled for the 10th of November, but scientific observations are already a regular occurence. (Disclaimer: I'm the software engineer responsible for the main telescope server.)" Perhaps as an added bonus carnun could even be persuaded to participate heavily in the discussion. Either way, sounds like a cool project to be a part of.

Comments

Obligatory question about the server

[Inigo Soto]

I'll let carnun guess it :)

Re:Obligatory question about the server

[Soko]

From TFA: (Disclaimer: I'm the software engineer responsible for the main telescope server.)

My guess is that carnun has a very pissed off webserver admin grabbing him by the collar about now.

WebAdmin: W H A T_T H E_F U C K_W E R E_Y O U_T H I K I N G !!!!
carnun: Heh. Sorry 'bout that...
WebAdmin: *produces diamond encrusted LART* AUUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!
carnun: *SPLUTCH*

Soko

FL

[Anonymous Coward]

First Light!

SALT server supernovas

[Mathinker]

In other news, an enormous emission of light and radiation is observed from SA as SALT's servers get slashdotted...

Re:Impressive Telescope!

[Anonymous Coward]

not even the night vision goggles that the military uses has that good of light-gathering

Omg, hand-sized gadget can't gather as much light as a huge complex worth tens of millions. How impressing!

Slashdotted

[Jarnis]

I wonder if the telescope could see the smoldering ruins of the webserver from the surface of the moon - as the server just got slashdotted off the face of the earth...

1/10th cheaper?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, i don't think one tenth is _that_ impressive. Are they sure it's not 10 times cheaper or something?

flame on the moon

[Anonymous Coward]

SALT can detect objects as faint as a candle flame on the moon.

Now, granted I haven't been to the moon myself but I would tend to think a candle flame there would indeed be extremely faint..

OMG... nerdy poetry!.. :)

[Anonymous Coward]

Did you read the nerd factor 10 poetry on the page? For the ones who can not reach the page:


praise poem of the
Southern African Large Telescope

"At the mountain's top I reach up,
I fill my haversack with stars."
- Tatamkhulu Afrika: Nightrider

when the sun sets
we stand in the failing light
stretch our arms,
catch the falling drops.

Medupe & Marang cup our CCD,
save all falling photons,
deepening into a pool of light
whose surface reflects:

stretch marks from the birth of time
hints of gravity's lenses
the pulse of stars
& mating dance of binary suns;

galaxies digitalized - a heaven
captured in butterfly nets of circuitry
red on the readout, disked for storage:
mysteries, solved and sensuous.

Keith Gottschalk


Emphasis added... :)

Re:I remember when Nixon talked about SALT

[flubbergust]

Uhm, that was the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. I guess they perhaps could use this telescope to see if little green men on Mars have nuclear weapons. I dont think it would matter to Bush anyway. USA already declared they will "invade" Mars.

SALT Telescope?

[commodoresloat]

Did they pay for it after getting money from the Automatic ATM Machine? After typing in their PIN Number? I know, I should RTFA the article before posting. I'll STFU up now.

Salties

[HermanAB]

Yeah, there are many meanings to SALT:

In South Africa, a Saltie is an Englishman - since he is standing with one foot in London, the other in Cape Town and his dong in the salt water...

In Australia, a Saltie is a seawater crocodile.

The combination of the two would be very amusing to watch...