Overview, design, and flight results from SuperBIT: a high-resolution, wide-field, visible-to-near-UV balloon-borne astronomical telescope

Balloon-borne astronomy is a unique tool that allows for a level of image stability and significantly reduced atmospheric interference without the often prohibitive cost and long development time-scale that are characteristic of space-borne facility-class instruments. The Super-pressure Balloon-born...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2018-07
Main Authors: Romualdez, L Javier, Benton, Steven J, Brown, Anthony M, Clark, Paul, Damaren, Christopher J, Eifler, Tim, Fraisse, Aurelien A, Galloway, Mathew N, Hartley, John W, Jauzac, Mathilde, Jones, William C, Li, Lun, Thuy Vy T Luu, Massey, Richard J, Mccleary, Jacqueline, C Barth Netterfield, Redmond, Susan, Rhodes, Jason D, Schmoll, Jürgen, Tam, Sut-Ieng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomical instruments
Astronomy
Balloon-borne instruments
Celestial bodies
Extrasolar planets
Field of view
Flight tests
Galaxies
Stability
Stellar populations
Superpressure balloons
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Balloon-borne astronomy is a unique tool that allows for a level of image stability and significantly reduced atmospheric interference without the often prohibitive cost and long development time-scale that are characteristic of space-borne facility-class instruments. The Super-pressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) is a wide-field imager designed to provide 0.02" image stability over a 0.5 degree field-of-view for deep exposures within the visible-to-near-UV (300-900 um). As such, SuperBIT is a suitable platform for a wide range of balloon-borne observations, including solar and extrasolar planetary spectroscopy as well as resolved stellar populations and distant galaxies. We report on the overall payload design and instrumentation methodologies for SuperBIT as well as telescope and image stability results from two test flights. Prospects for the SuperBIT project are outlined with an emphasis on the development of a fully operational, three-month science flight from New Zealand in 2020.
ISSN:2331-8422