Liverpool Telescope


SN 2004C September 20th 2004: RoboNet is born - Intelligent telescopes survey the violent skies.

SN 2004C March 1st 2004: Scientific Observing Begins - Commissioning continues with the first science observations.

Commissioning February 14th 2004: Commissioning of the Liverpool Telescope - Commissioning of the Liverpool Telescope is progressing well.

First Light August 1st 2003: First Light! - The Telescope has taken it first observations!

Mirrors Installed July 8th 2003: Mirrors Installed - The last major components of the telescope have been installed.

Enclosure Tests May 20th 2003: Wind Shield - Each "door" of the enclosure is separately controlled.

The LT February 26th 2003: Work continues - The re-build of the LT continues.

Closing the Enclosure November 14th 2002: Closing the Enclosure - The enclosure of the LT is closed for the first time.

Rebuilding the LT October 30th 2002: Rebuilding the LT - The structure of the Liverpool Telescope is rapidly rebuilt on site.

Cladding October 8th 2002: Cladding the Enclosure - The inner layers of the Enclosure covering is installed.

Base Box October 3rd 2002: The Base Box is Installed - The first major stage in the reconstruction of the Liverpool Telescope.

Enclosure July 25th 2002: Enclosure work Continues - More "portals" are added to the enclosure.

Enclosure May 28th 2002: Enclosure Beginnings - The frame of the Enclosure is started.

Foundations April 2nd 2002: Completing the Foundations - Work continues on La Palma after the snows of winter.

Arrived November 12th 2001: Arriving in La Palma - The LT has arrived safely in La Palma.

Concrete November 2nd 2001: Shipping the LT - The telescope leaves the UK.

Concrete October 29th 2001: From the Bottom Up - The foundations are prepared.

On the Move September 7th 2001: The LT on the Move - The beginning of the journey to La Palma.

Getting Ready to Ship August 8th 2001: Skeleton of an Enclosure - Construction of the Telescope Enclosure continues.

Getting Ready to Ship July 5th 2001: Getting Ready to Ship - The Liverpool Telescope and its enclosure will be shipped from Birkenhead docks in August.

The Liverpool Telescope Site May 11th 2001: Images of the Liverpool Telescope site - A school in La Palma has sent some pictures of the site for the Liverpool Telescope.

First Images May 1st 2001: First images from the Liverpool Telescope - The first images of the night sky have been obtained by the Liverpool Telescope as part of the testing process in the factory on Merseyside.

The Liverpool telescope now completed January 25th 2001: The Liverpool telescope now completed - The construction of the Liverpool telescope has now finished.

Fitting the main light gathering mirror January 22nd 2001: Fitting the main light gathering mirror - This mirror is one of the last parts to be assembled and extreme care is needed when attaching it to the telescope.

Secondary mirror assembly completed January 15th 2001: Secondary mirror assembly completed - TTL are now in the final stages of the construction of the Liverpool Telescope.

Faulkes telescope construction work January 7th 2001: Faulkes telescope construction work - An update on the construction of the Faulkes Telescope that will be sited in Hawaii.

Major assembly work now cpompleted December 9th 2000: Major assembly work now completed - The major assembly work on the Liverpool Telescope has now finished.

Fitting the secondary mirror assembly November 14th 2000: Fitting the secondary mirror assembly - The Liverpool Telescope is now being test fitted for the secondary mirror assembly.

Protective covers fitted to centre section September 21st 2000: Protective covers fitted to centre section - The Liverpool Telescope is now fitted with covers to protect the primary mirror while the telescope is not being used.

The TTL factory August 15th 2000: Looking more like a telescope - The Liverpool Telescope is now looking more like a telescope as the days go by.

The TTL factory July 11th 2000: More than one telescope - The TTL factory is a very busy place with different parts of each telescope arriving and ready for assembly.

Centre section June 20th 2000: A careful lift - In the next stage of assembly the centre section has to be lifted on to the yoke of the telescope.

Centre section May 24th 2000: Preparing to mount the centre section - The bearings for mounting the centre section on the yokes are prepared.

Centre section May 15th 2000: The centre section - With the base assembled and the yoke in place the next stage is to lift the centre section in to place.

Yoke March 24th 2000: The yoke of the telescope is assembled - The yoke is made up from two column structures. Designed for rigidity and strength, these will soon be supporting the main tube assembly of the telescope.

Base Box March 13th 2000: Assembling the Base Box - An important part of the telescope is the base box which forms a platform on which the main structure of the telescope is attached.

Azimuth Ring February 7th 2000: Assembling the Azimuth Ring - The telescope needs to be able to point to anywhere in the sky. The Azimuth Ring enables the horizontal movement.

Oil Tray February 1st 2000: Supporting the telescope - The entire weight of the telescope is supported on a very thin film of oil.

Telescope Base January 17th 2000: Building on a solid foundation - The first stage in the assembly of the Liverpool Telescope is the positioning of twelve fixators which firmly hold the telescope in position on the specially laid concrete base.

A&G box December 6th 1999: Acquisition and Guidance Box - The Acquisition and Guidance box will hold the different instruments for measuring the properties of stars and galaxies.

Dummy Mirror December 4th 1999: Testing with the Dummy Mirror - Testing is performed with a dummy mirror to keep the expensive main mirror safe.

Mirror Cell September 20th 1999: Building the Mirror Cell - The first step in building the Liverpool Telescope is the construction of what is called the 'mirror cell'.

Primary Mirror May 16th 1999: Primary Mirror Delivered - This large mirror (2 metres in diameter) was made by Zeiss and is the heart of the Liverpool Telescope.