VERITAS is the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System, which is a ground-based gamma-ray detecting telescope which is operated by the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. It is composed of four 12m telescopes that observe in the ranges of GeV - TeV. Each dish has 350 mirrors with a 499 pixel CCD and an aperture of 39 feet. 

 

The concept of VERITAS was first proposed in 1985 at the Space Station Workshop, but first light with the current array was not seen until 2007. These telescopes were the first of their kind, and have led the way in gamma-ray observations around the world. 

 

The telescopes do not detect gamma rays directly, as these rays interact with the atmosphere and therefore cannot be detected on the surface of the Earth. Instead, the telescopes look for these interactions with the atmosphere, which produces Cherenkov radiation, which can be easily observed by VERITAS at its observing energies.

 

The telescopes have been used to look at gamma-ray bursts originating from black holes in the centres of active galaxies, pulsars, supernovae remnants, globular clusters and the Milky Way. 

 

A downloadable visitor guide with more information about VERITAS will be available soon!