MeerLICHT

On 7 July 2017, the MeerLICHT telescope arrived at the Sutherland station of the South African Astronomical Observatory. The telescope was lifted into the dome under perfect weather conditions. 

MeerLICHT achieved first light at ASTRON on 14 September 2016.

See the ASTRON daily image of 15 September 2016 for details.

On Monday 30 January 2017, the MeerLICHT telescope and counterweight were lifted into the observatory dome of the Radboud University, where the telescope and counterweight were connected to the telescope mount. Over the coming month, extensive testing will be performed including on-sky observations.

Work on the cooled counterweight of MeerLICHT is progressing very well at Radboud University in Nijmegen. The MeerLICHT electronics will be housed in the counterweight of the telescope where excess heat will be removed through a water cooling system.