How does Pan-STARRS compare with existing wide-field surveys?
| Telescope |
Diam(m) |
Ω(deg2) |
AΩ |
| USAF Linear |
1.0 |
2.0 |
1.5 |
| SDSS |
2.5 |
3.9 |
6.0 |
| CFHT |
3.6 |
1 |
8.0 |
| SUBARU |
8.1 |
0.2 |
8.8 |
| Pan-STARRS |
3.6 |
7 |
60 |
| Nominal LSST |
6.5 |
7 |
190 |
The parameter " AΩ" is
a good measure of the power of a survey telescope, where A is
its collecting area and Ω is the field
of view of the camera. The table shows a number of
existing and planned survey instruments, including the CFHT Megacam
and the Subaru SuprimeCam. Pan-STARRS is considerably more powerful than any
existing survey instrument.
Is Pan-STARRS the same as the LARGE SYNOPTIC SURVeY Telescope (LSST)?
No. Pan-STARRS will have a smaller collecting area than the LSST
as recommended in the decadal report. However, we expect that it
will do much, but not all, of the science proposed for the LSST
at something like 20-25% the cost of the larger project.
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