The weizmann fast astronomical survey telescope (W-fast): System overview

Abstract

A relatively unexplored phase space of transients and stellar variability is that of second and sub-second timescales. We describe a new optical observatory operating in the Negev desert in Israel, with a 55 cm aperture, a field of view of 2°.6×2°.6 (≈7 deg2) equipped with a high frame rate, low read noise, CMOS camera. The system can observe at a frame rate of up to 90 HZ (full frame), while nominally observations are conducted at 10–25 Hz. The data, generated at a rate of over 6 Gbits s−1 at a frame rate of 25 Hz, are analyzed in real time. The observatory is fully robotic and capable of autonomously collecting data on a few thousand stars in each field each night. We present the system overview, performance metrics, science objectives, and some first results, e.g., the detection of a high rate of glints from geosynchronous satellites, reported in Nir et al. 2020.