HESS gamma ray telescope. Long exposure image of one of the telescopes in the HESS (High Energy Stereoscopic System) array on the Gamsberg plateau, Na
HESS gamma ray telescope. Long exposure image of one of the telescopes in the HESS (High Energy Stereoscopic System) array on the Gamsberg plateau, Namibia, under star trails at night. This array uses four of these Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) to detect the flashes of Cherenkov radiation produced when high-energy gamma rays and cosmic rays hit the Earth's atmosphere. Each telescope has hundreds of mirrors (round), each 60 centimetres in diameter and made of aluminised glass with a silica coating. HESS is used to investigate gamma ray sources such as supernova remnants and pulsars and has been operational since December 2003.
Size: 5197px × 3465px
Photo credit: © PATRICK DUMAS/LOOK AT SCIENCES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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