Public Lecture
"The Thirty Metre Telescope Project "
By Jimmy Johnson Lead Software Engineer
16th October 2017
About the Lecture
October's Public Lecture is extremely important both in subject matter and the fact that our speaker is a major player in the Thirty Metre Telescope Project and the speaker is coming from the USA, a rare treat!
The Thirty Metre Telescope will be 156 times bigger than the Hubble Space Telescope. It will produce images ten times sharper than those of the Hubble Space Telescope enabling us to see to the edge of the universe and the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang for the first time ever. This is a HUGE development in astronomy. Telescopes have only been increasing in size slowly since the 1940s, from 5-metre to 10-metre today, about 1 metre per decade. Now there is to be a HUGE jump from 10 metres to 30 metres.
The talk will introduce the Thirty Meter Telescope, explain some of the science objectives behind it and how the size and technology will help answer questions current telescopes can't. It will cover how the work that went into the previous generation 8 and 10 M class telescopes has evolved for a new class of telescope (> 25 M) and some of the unique challenges that come with the size increase. It is primarily a technical talk and will discuss in some detail the hardware, software and control systems that make up each TMT subsystem (listed above) and how they all work together to create a functioning observatory. It will introduce the first light instruments and the TMT multi-conjugate adaptive optic systems with natural guide star and laser guide star capabilities. The talk will also discuss how the mirror segments are made, cut, polished, tested, aligned and maintained.
About the Lecturer
Jimmy Johnson studied applied and industrial computing as well as industrial engineering at the Waterford Institute of Technology.
He previously worked in the Keck Observatory in Hawaii as a Senior Software Architect. He is now the Lead Software Engineer in the Thirty Metre Telescope Project in Pasadena, California. He is responsible for the successful delivery and integration of the Telescope Control System Software - Linux based software solution based on TCSpk & TPK using C++, Java, Scala and various middleware. Interfacing with the primary, secondary and tertiary mirrors, the enclosure, instruments, Adaptive Optics system, Observatory Safety System as well as the Facility Management Control System.
After the lecture there will be a social reception in The Lombard
and we encourage all of you to come along for a chat.
All are welcome to attend and free food will be kindly provided by The Lombard.
Keep up to date on our Facebook and Twitter sites - links on the left.
A prize draw will be held after the lecture.
Booking Information
| Date | Monday 16th October Subject to change - please check back later |
| Time | 8:00p.m. |
| Venue |
Physics Bldg, Physics Department , Fitzgerald Building,
Trinity College Dublin. Parking: Mark Street , Marks Lane , Lombard St. East . Free Parking on the above streets after 7pm |
| Admission | €10 (€5 Astronomy Ireland members and concessions) Tickets where possible should be booked in advance. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on the night, please come along 15 minutes early to accommodate. |
| Booking |
Call 086 06 46 555 to book tickets over the phone using Debit/ Credit Card Send a cheque/ PO/ Draft, made payable to Astronomy Ireland to PO BOX 2888, Dublin 5. |
DVD
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This lecture is also available to people nationwide on DVD.
To order a copy of the DVD simply: Order by credit/ debit card online Call 086 06 46 555 Alternatively post a Cheque or postal order to: Astronomy Ireland, PO. Box 2888, Dublin 5. Cost: DVD's cost €10 each incl P&P (€5 Astronomy Ireland members) |
Acknowledgment: Astronomy Ireland would like to thank the TCD Astrophysics Research Group for hosting AI public lectures in Trinity College Dublin.
