Telescopes at the Ready

Four telescopes are silhouetted against a violet sky, poised and ready to observe the Universe from Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. Belonging to the PROMPT project, this set of quick-response robotic telescopes — six in total — are designed to spring into action and observe short-lived astronomical phenomena. Each telescope is optimized to observe at a different wavelength range, and together they capture the aftermath of energetic events such as gamma ray bursts. The PROMPT telescopes are funded and operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and are made available to undergraduate and high school students conducting research in North Carolina, allowing the next generation of astronomers to gain experience working with a professional observatory.