As the telescope is not housed in a structure the 2.8 ton camera has to be loaded robotically as shown in this time lapse video (click on image to view video), with the reverse procedure taking place for protective storage at the end of the night’s observing!
The front of the camera with its array of 2048 photo multiplier tube(PMT) sensors.One of the photomultiplier tubes which generates the equivalent of 1 pixel in the image.One of the drawers which houses a group of 16 PMTs.
Data screens in the control room.This is the dummy camera(the same 2.8ton weight and shape as the real camera) attached to the telescope while parked during the day to keep it balanced.Click here to view a time-lapse video of a pointing run(2.2Mb).
Since its inception HESS operators have published close to a hundred articles about new Gamma ray producing bodies (previously only a few were known). Amonst the ground-breaking science done was the discovery of a few targets which only emit Gamma rays and nothing else – these weird objects have yet to be explained.
For a wealth of information about this and the few other gamma ray telescopes in existence it is well worth a visit to the HESS website: HESS High Energy Stereoscopic System
