The Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences (CAMK PAN) has received a prestigious ERC Proof of Concept grant of €150,000 for the "Toward Autonomous Observatories" (AutObs) project. The project, led by Professor Grzegorz Pietrzyński, aims to create innovative, professional software that will enable fully autonomous and simultaneous control of multiple telescopes and scientific instruments.
The system will make real-time decisions based on factors such as weather conditions, scientific priorities, and project schedules. This solution could increase the efficiency of astronomical observations by up to 30%, improve data quality, and significantly reduce the operating costs of large-scale research projects.
The key testing site for the new system will be the Cerro Murphy Observatory in Chile, run by CAMK PAN – one of the best places in the world for sky observations, located near the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which is currently under construction.
The ERC Proof of Concept grant supports the transfer of research results into practical applications – and its award to the CAMK PAN team is further confirmation of the high level and innovation of research conducted in Poland.
Congratulations to the entire CAMK PAN team – another step towards the astronomy of the future!
Pictures: Professor Grzegorz Pietrzyński and Cerro Murphy Obserwatory (credit: CAMK PAN)
