[ Czech Academy of Sciences, 2022-05-13] Two new high-energy gamma-ray Cherenkov telescopes are now observing the skies from the observatory of the Astronomical Institute of the CAS in Ondřejov, Czech Republic. The largest optical telescopes in the country, they are currently focusing their attention on the Crab Nebula. After completing a trial run, plans are to move the telescopes from Ondřejov further away from civilisation to higher altitudes in South America. At the observatory in Ondřejov, two identical telescopes are observing some of the highest-energy photons emitted in space, i.e., particles of light produced during very turbulent processes following supernova explosions or...

[ Astronomický ústav AV ČR, 2022-02-18] Mirrors for the second SST-1M (Small-Sized Telescope) telescope with a primary mirror diameter of 4.3 meters designed for the detection of Cherenkov radiation are currently being installed at the Ondřej observatory. Energetic electromagnetic radiation, such as X-rays or gamma rays, does not pass through the atmosphere. When a gamma photon passes through the atmosphere (as well as when a charged particle with high energy passes), a shower of secondary particles and Cherenkov radiation is produced. These sensitive telescopes with high temporal resolution can detect this Cherenkov radiation from the atmospheric shower. The sources of...