CME impact above Ondrejov

On October 3rd, a CME was hurled toward Earth by a powerful X9.1-class solar flare. It struck our magnetosphere a few days later, adorning the sky with colorful swirls. On October 7th, Vlastimil Vojáček captured the aurora borealis, creating a special atmosphere at the Ondřejov observatory.

Night of Scientists 2024 at Ondrejov Observatory

[ Astronomický ústav AV ČR, Ondrejov 2024-09-27] As part of the Night of Scientists 2024, the Cherenkov telescopes located at the Ondřejov Observatory were also presented to the public. Jakub Juryšek and Dušan Mandát showcased the SST-1M project to attendees and explained related physical phenomena (the formation of particle showers, methods of observation, processing, and more). Last but not least, they answered curious questions from both young and adult visitors from the general public. Night of Scientists 2024 at Ondrejov Observatory Night of Scientists 2024 at Ondrejov Observatory ( read the corresponding article on Facebook in czech … )

Observation of Astrophysical Sources with SST-1M Telescopes – First Results

[ Jakub Jurysek (Institute of Physics of Czech Academy of Sciences), Gamma 2024 – Milano, 2.-6. September 2024 ] The Single-Mirror Small Size Cherenkov Telescope (SST-1M) was developed by a consortium of institutes in Switzerland, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The SST-1M design is based on the DaviesCotton concept, featuring a 4-meter mirror and an innovative SiPM-based camera. It is most sensitive to gamma rays in the TeV and multi-TeV energy bands. Since 2021, two SST-1M prototypes have been commissioned at the Ondřejov Observatory in the Czech Republic, where their performance in both mono and stereo observation modes is being tested....

Commissioning and Operation of the SST-1M Stereoscopic Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes

[ Matthieu Heller (University of Geneva), Gamma 2024 – Milano, 2.-6. September 2024 ] The small-size single mirror telescopes, SST-1Ms, are two Cherenkov telescope prototypes developed by a consortium of Czech, Polish, and Swiss institutions. Featuring a 9.42 m² multi-segment mirror and a 5.6 m focal length, the SST-1Ms offer a broad 9-degree field of view and have proven capable of detecting gamma rays with energies starting from several hundred GeV. The innovative cameras incorporate a compact photo-detector plane with 1296 hexagonal silicon photomultiplier pixels and a fully digital readout and trigger system utilizing 250 MSps FADCs. Currently undergoing commissioning at...

Commissioning and Preliminary Observation Results of SST-1M presented at TeVPA conference in Chicago

[ Thomas Tavernier (FZU, Prague, Czech Republic), TeVPa 2024 – Chicago, 27. 8. 2024 ] SST-1M is a single-mirror small size Cherenkov telescope prototype developed by a consortium among institutes in Switzerland, Poland, and the Czech Republic. With a 4 meter mirror and a 5.6 m focal length, SST-1Ms have a broad 9 degree field of view and aim to detect gamma rays spanning the energy range of 1 to 300 TeV. The DigiCam camera incorporates a compact Photo-Detector Plane comprising 1296 hexagonal silicon photomultiplier pixels and a fully digital readout and trigger system using a 250 MHz ADC. Two SST-1M...

Poster presented on CTAO Science Symposium

[ Bastien Lacave, CTAO Science Symposium, 15-18 April 2024 in Bologna ] Current status and recent results of the SST-1M telescopes were presented at the CTAO Science Symposium in Bologna. Bastien Lacave, member of the SST-1M consortium, presented poster to the general audience, emhasizing achievemts reached with the telescopes operation in stereo mode and future prospects for scientific observations. [ View the poster ] [ CTAO Science Symposium 2024 – website ] Photo: archive of the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

Cherenkov’s telescope from all sides

[ Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 5. 4. 2024 ] Two Cherenkov telescopes are located at the Ondřejov observatory. What makes them unique? Cherenkov telescopes are capable of capturing high-energy gamma rays, which cannot be detected in any other way. The telescopes are operated by the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the Palacký University in Olomouc, the Henryk Niewodniczański Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the University of Geneva and other institutions of the...

sst1mpipe repository is now open to public

[ SS1-1M consortium, 18. 3. 2024 ] The sst1mpipe repository is used for processing and analyzing data from the SST-1M prototype. We are happy to inform, that the repository is now public, and therefore easily accesible to anyone inside or outside the SST-1M collaboration. It provides tools for low-level data analysis up to DL3, which can be further analyzed using standard tools such as gammapy. Most of the functions and classes are now documented. Currently, two SST-1M telescopes are installed in Ondrejov, Czech Republic, being operated in both mono and stereo observation modes. More about current status of the telescopes, early science and performance can be found in...

Detection of enhanced very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from Markarian 421

Thomas Tavernier (on behalf of SST-1M Consortium), 15. 3. 2024 We report a significant increase in gamma-ray flux from Markarian 421 above 2 TeV. This observation was conducted through stereo observations using the 2 SST-1M IACTs currently in commissioning at the Ondrejov Observatory. The observations extends from 13 March 2024 20:53 to 00:20 UTC resulting in a livetime of approximately 3.3 hours, during which a detection significance of 6.8 sigma was achieved with notable excess up to 7 TeV. The observed flux from Markarian 421 reached levels typically observed from the Crab Nebula, suggesting a substantial increase compared to our...

Design, Performance, and Commissioning Results of a SST-1M Telescope

Thomas Tavernier (FZU, Prague, Czech Republic), TeVPa 2023 – Napoli, 12. 9. 2023 SST-1M is a single-mirror Small Size Telescope prototype developed by a consortium of institutes from Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The design of the SST-1M follows the Davies-Cotton design, with a 9.42m2 multi-segment mirror. With a wide field of view of 9 degrees, SST-1M is designed to detect gamma rays in the energy range between 1 and 300 TeV. The two SST-1Ms that have been built are equipped with the DigiCam camera, which features a fully digital readout and trigger system using 250 MHz ADC, and a compact...