 VERITAS – array of four telescopes | |
| Alternative names | Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System |
|---|---|
| Part of | Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory  |
| Location(s) | Arizona |
| Coordinates | 31°40′30″N 110°57′07″W / 31.6751°N 110.952°W |
| Altitude | 1,268 m (4,160 ft) |
| First light | 1 February 2005, April 2007 |
| Telescope style | astronomical observatory gamma-ray telescope |
| Number of telescopes | 4 |
| Diameter | 12 m (39 ft 4 in) |
| Angular resolution | 0.1 degree |
| Collecting area | 100,000 m2 (1,100,000 sq ft) |
| Website | veritas |
  Location of VERITAS | |
 Related media on Commons | |
VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) is a major ground-based gamma-ray observatory with an array of four 12 meter optical reflectors for gamma-ray astronomy in the GeV – TeV photon energy range. VERITAS uses the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope technique to observe gamma rays that cause particle showers in Earth's atmosphere that are known as extensive air showers. The VERITAS array is located at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, in southern Arizona, United States. The VERITAS reflector design is similar to the earlier Whipple 10-meter gamma-ray telescope, located at the same site, but is larger in size and has a longer focal length for better control of optical aberrations. VERITAS consists of an array of imaging telescopes deployed to view atmospheric Cherenkov showers from multiple locations to give the highest sensitivity in the 100 GeV – 10 TeV band (with sensitivity from 50 GeV to up to 50 TeV). This very high energy observatory, completed in 2007, effectively complements the Large Area Telescope (LAT) of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope due to its larger collection area as well as coverage in a higher energy band.