PASO -- Astronomy and Space Situational Awareness in a Dark Sky Destination

The Pampilhosa da Serra Space Observatory (PASO) is located in the center of the continental Portuguese territory, in the heart of a certified Dark Sky destination by the Starlight Foundation (Aldeias do Xisto) and has been an instrumental asset to advance science, education and astrotourism certifi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2024-04
Main Authors: Barbosa, Domingos, Coelho, Bruno, Bergano, Miguel, Alves, Constança, Correia, Alexandre C M, Cupido, Luís, Freitas, José, Gonçalves, Luís, Grossan, Bruce, Guerman, Anna, Allan K de Almeida Jr, Dalmiro Maia, Morgado, Bruno, Pandeirada, João, Ribeiro, Valério, Rosa, Gonçalo, Smoot, George, Vaillant, Timothée, Villela, Thyrso, Wuensche, Carlos Alexandre
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomical instruments
Astronomy
Light curve
Low earth orbits
Optical measuring instruments
Situational awareness
Space debris
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The Pampilhosa da Serra Space Observatory (PASO) is located in the center of the continental Portuguese territory, in the heart of a certified Dark Sky destination by the Starlight Foundation (Aldeias do Xisto) and has been an instrumental asset to advance science, education and astrotourism certifications. PASO hosts astronomy and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) activities including a node of the Portuguese Space Surveillance \& Tracking (SST) infrastructure network, such as a space radar currently in test phase using GEM radiotelescope, a double Wide Field of View Telescope system, a EUSST optical sensor telescope. These instruments allow surveillance of satellite and space debris in LEO, MEO and GEO orbits. The WFOV telescope offers spectroscopy capabilities enabling light curve analysis and cosmic sources monitoring. Instruments for Space Weather are being considered for installation to monitor solar activities and expand the range of SSA services.
ISSN:2331-8422