Outreach and engagement with autonomous telescopes: achievements and future plans

Gutierrez, Carlos
Bibliographical reference

IAU General Assembly

Advertised on:
8
2024
Number of authors
1
IAC number of authors
1
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
This contribution highlights the successes of the Liverpool Telescope (LT) outreach programs and present the future of our engagement plans with the LT's partner, the New Robotic Telescope (NRT).

Since 2004, the LT has dedicated a considerable amount of observing time to educational and astronomy outreach programs aimed at students, teachers and amateur astronomers in the UK, Spain and other countries through The Schools' Observatory (TSO) and PETeR (The Educational Project with Robotic Telescopes). These programs allow that 1,200 teachers and their students each year develop an inquiry project by taking and analyzing their own astronomical images through an online platform designed to be accessible and easy to use.

The NRT, the 4m sibling of the LT, will provide autonomous, rapid optical observations of transient phenomena in the northern hemisphere sky. Set to come online in the late 2020s, the NRT is an innovative and challenging project that brings together astronomy and engineering to build a unique and flexible system of many complex parts. The NRT project is focusing its outreach efforts on showcasing the variety of skills of the team members, along with the adaptability and scope of people with science and engineering degrees. Through collaborations with TSO and PETeR, the NRT will host a range of STEM-focused careers activities on their website, designed to highlight exciting prospects and educate school-age children about the range of roles available within science and engineering; particularly within a project environment.