H.E.S.S. survey of the Galactic plane in gamma rays
Sondeo H.E.S.S. del plano galáctico en rayos gamma
- Date
- 2004-2005 · confidence high
- Place
- Khomas Highland, Khomas, Namibia
- Credited to
- H.E.S.S. Collaboration
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
Four 12 m Cherenkov telescopes in Namibia swept the Milky Way's plane in 2004-2005 and found more than a dozen new sources of very high energy gamma rays, among them supernova remnants and pulsar wind nebulae.
The result was published in Science (2005); H.E.S.S. later detected the Galactic Centre and the remnant RX J1713.7-3946. It lies near the Gamsberg.
What it led to
- very high energy gamma-ray astronomy
- a map of cosmic accelerators
- the southern Cherenkov Telescope Array