LIMSAT: An Ultra-violet Time Domain Explorer
Abstract
LIMSAT is a proposed joint US-Israel mini satellite aimed at systematic time domain studies of the UV Universe. The satellite consists of eight 12cm telescopes with a total instantaneous field of view of about 1100 square degrees in the spectral band 200-240nm. A sun-synchronous orbit allows continuous viewing of the anti-sun equatorial region. In one year LIMSAT would have covered an equatorial band (about 2.5% of the sky), providing about one month of continuous photometry of all objects in this field, with all data downlinked within 10 minutes of acquisition. While the primary objective of LIMSAT is the detection of shock breakout, secondary objectives include searches for tidal disruption of stars passing perilously close to nuclear black holes, systematic study of variability of AGN, cataclysmic variables, activity studies of young stars and late type stars, unique studies of extra-solar planets and eclipsing binaries. LIMSAT working along with ground-based synoptic surveys will usher in a new era of time domain studies.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #221
- Pub Date:
- January 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AAS...22135011P