Astronomers at Liverpool John Moores University are setting up ‘RoboNet-1.0’ , a global network of the world’s biggest robotic telescopes which will be controlled by intelligent software to provide rapid observations of sudden changes in astronomical objects, such as violent Gamma Ray Bursts, or 24-hour surveillance of interesting phenomena. RoboNet is also looking for Earth-like planets.

Telescopes are still limited by the hours of darkness, local weather conditions and the fraction of the sky each can see from its particular location on planet Earth, whereas astronomical phenomena undergo changes or appearances at any time, and possibly anywhere on the sky. So in order to understand certain objects, astronomers need round-the-clock coverage – something impossible with a single telescope at a fixed position.

“RoboNet”, a global network of automated telescopes, might solve the problem, acting as one instrument able to search anywhere in the sky at any time and (by passing the observations of a target object from one telescope to the next in the network) being able to do so continuously for as long as is scientifically important.

From PhysOrg, via Robotics.