GRB Monitoring System

European groups were among the first involved in the hunts for optical and infrared counterparts of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The GRB Monitoring System (GMS) was approved in 1982, and its small Celestron telescopes installed in a small building down the hill from the ESO 3.6-metre telescope. The initiator of the project was Holger Pedersen from ESO.

Science goals

Gamma-Ray Burst optical follow-up

GRB Monitoring System

Name: GRB Monitoring System
Site: La Silla
Altitude: 2375 m
Enclosure: Sliding roof
Type: Photometric telescope
Optical design: Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector
Diameter. Primary M1: 0.20 m
Material. Primary M1: annealed Pyrex
Diameter. Secondary M2: 0.07 m
Material. Secondary M2: annealed Pyrex
Mount: Equatorial fork mount
First Light date: 1982
Decommissioning date: N/A
Images of the GRB Monitoring System: Link
Videos of the GRB Monitoring System: Link
Press releases with the GRB Monitoring System: Link