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TAO Project

News
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News

2024

Sep. 30,Succeeded in photography of Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas at TAO summit facility!
Jul. 31,Development of a Screen camera for optical adjustment of the Telescope
Apr. 30,Breaking news! The University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) Telescope Site Completion Ceremony Holds
Apr. 29,TAO Workshop was held at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
Feb. 29,Development status of a near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph, TARdYS

2023

Apr. 28,SWIMS open use observations at the Subaru Telescope completed
Feb. 28,Engineering observation of SWIMS-IFU (Integral field unit for SWIMS, Simultaneous-color Wide-field Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph) on the Subaru Telescope succeeded

2022

Jul. 11,Near-Infrared Echelle Spectrograph NICE is under preparation for shipping to Chile
Jul. 03,Recent Progress of the Mid-Infrared Instrument MIMIZUKU
Feb. 11,Weather monitoring observation at Co. Chajnantor by Chilean Department of Water Resources has started

2021

Dec. 01,Handle large instruments at will: development of instrument-handling cart
Mar. 31,Access Road to the summit of Co. Chajnantor has been expanded
Mar. 26,Preliminary assembly test of the TAO operation building has been completed

2020

Jul. 27,The 4th SWIMS Science WS - for SWIMS Open-use Operation as a PI-type Instrument on the Subaru Telescope - was held.
Apr. 15,Completion of manufacturing of coating chamber for the TAO 6.5m telescope
Mar. 31,A graduate student got a master's degree related to the instrumentation for the TAO telescope!
Jan. 17,Optical performance test of the 6.5-m primary mirror has been completed

2019

Dec. 26,MIMIZUKU: Preparing in Japan for Full-Scale Observations
Nov. 30,Preparations of NICE (the first-light instrument for the TAO) are underway
Aug. 27,International Workshop of Mid-iInfrared Observational Astronomy was held
May. 20,Assembly Test of the TAO telescope enclosure has been completed
Mar. 31,A graduate student got a master's degree related to the instrumentation for the TAO telescope!

2018

Jul. 3,MIMIZUKU achieved first light at Subaru telescope!
May. 30,SWIMS sees First Light on the Subaru Telescope!
Jan. 28,Unveiling Ceremony and Commemorative Lectures for Completion of Temporary Assembly of TAO 6.5m Telescope Mount

2017

Dec. 20,Ground-breaking ceremony was held at the summit of Co. Chajnantor
Nov. 22,The first stone ceremony of TAO6.5m telescope was held in Chile
Oct. 11,Mid-infrared camera MIMIZUKU transported to Hawaii
Sep. 15,Delegation of the House of Representatives of Japan visited the base facility and the summit site of TAO
Jul. 21,Wide-field Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph, SWIMS, heading to Hawaii
Mar. 31,Two graduate students received master’s degree related to the development of instrument for the TAO telescope!

2016

Nov. 7-10,"Chile-Japan Academic Forum 2016" was held in the southern Chile, Patagonia
Oct. 17,Administrative staffs of the University of Tokyo visited the TAO Base Facility / Summit Site
Oct. 12,13,Members of TOYOTA 5 Continents Drive -Latin America- visited TAO
Jul. 1,An exhibition of the TAO project was held in Chile
Jun. 26 - Jul 1,Presentations at SPIE 2016
Mar. 31,Two graduate students got master’s degrees related to the development of the instruments of the TAO telescope!
Mar. 18,TAO Science Workshop
Mar. 16,TAO's proposed session held in the 2016 Spring Annual Meeting of the Astronomical Society of Japan

2015

Nov. 6,3rd TAO Extended Technical Meeting was held
Sep. 17,The third SWIMS Science Workshop has been held
Jun. 1,Three PhD and one master’s degree were awarded to graduate students working for instruments of the TAO telescope!
May. 1,Succeed in predicting complicated wind behavior around the telescope enclosure in the collaborative study with Kyushu University and Environmental GIS Laboratory Co. Ltd.
Apr. 23-24,Mr. Naoto Nikai, the Japanese Ambassador to Chile, visited the TAO Base facility

2014

Nov. 28,Final Polish of the 6.5m Primary Mirror Has Started
Nov. 21,Inauguration ceremony of TAO Base Facility was held in San Pedro de Atacama
Nov. 19,TAO/AIUC Joint Workshop was held
Jul. 24,30,2nd Extended TAO Technical Meeting and TAO External Review Were Held
Jul. 15,Optical/U-band Instrument Science Workshop was held
Jul. 1,TAO Base Facility Close to Completion
Jun. 22,Presentation in SPIE2014 in June 2014
Jun. 19,Io’s volcanism seen by The University of Tokyo Atacama 1-m Telescope (pressreleased: 2014/6/19)
Mar. 31,Two graduate students got master’s degrees related to the development of the instruments of the TAO telescope!
Jan. 24,1st TAO Extended Technical Meeting Was Held

2013

Nov. 7-8,UTokyo Forum 2013
Aug. 8,Won the Gold Medal of the School of Science Image Contest 2013!
Aug. 5, SWIMS Science Workshop was held
Jul. 22,The Conference for the Institutional Program for Young Researcher Overseas Visits Was Held.
Jul. 3,Full start for TAO telescope construction!
Jun. 1,From Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Republic of Chile - Recent Status of Shintaro Koshida, Postdoctoral fellow -
May. 24,MIMIZUKU Science Workshop was held
Apr. 1,Starry sky at the summit of Co. Chajnantor can be experienced at Galaxcity in Adachi City
Mar. 15,1st mini-TAO Workshop was held
Mar. 1,TAO featured articles on the astronomical herald of the Astronomical Society of Japan!

2012

Dec. 28,Flexure test for observation instrument was conducted using Telescope simulator
Nov. 1,The exhibition of the TAO project at Ito International Research Center, The University of Tokyo
Aug. 7, Won the Gold Medal of the School of Science Image Contest 2012!
Jul. 31, Examining Galaxy Form from the Top of the World (pressreleased: 2012/7/31)
Jun. 22, The news of TAO becomes active in Chile
Mar. 28, Lecture by the President of the Republic of Chile
Mar. 19, The 5th miniTAO/ANIR Science Workshop
Mar. 15, IoA Begins Cooperation in Science Education with Adachi Ward, Tokyo
Feb. 20, Conference "Global Observations of the Universe"
Feb. 17, Visit of TAO site by Mr. Hidenori Murakami, Japan Ambassador in Chile
Feb. 15, University of Tokyo Master Thesis Presentation 2011 "Two Master Theses from miniTAO Works"

2011

Dec. 27, miniTAO Full-Remote Operation Started
Nov. 11, miniTAO/MAX38 Caught Asteroid 2005YU55
Oct. 20, "Network Construction of Optical and Infrared Synergetic Telescopes for Education and Research (OISTER)" Growing Presence of miniTAO
Aug. 5, The 4th miniTAO/ANIR Science Workshop
Jun. 28, The University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory was Certified by Guinness World Record as the Highest Astronomical Observatory
May. 31, Two NEW instruments under development at NEW laboratory - Progress toward observations on the TAO 6.5m telescope -
Apr. 22, Construction of New Laboratory for instruments of TAO 6.5m telescope
Mar. 23, Successful in obtaining images of planetary nebula NGC6302 in the 30 micron band
Mar. 10, The 3rd miniTAO/ANIR Science Workshop on 10 March, 2012
Feb. 22, Wireless Network between TAO Site and Base Established

2010

Dec. 13, Steady progress in development of the near-infrared instrument SWIMS mounted on the TAO 6.5-m telescope.
--Extensible robotic arm manipulating slitmask plates for multi-object spectroscopy completed--.
Nov. 15, The President of Chile gave high appreciation of TAO in a Japan-Chile summit meeting of APEC and in a meeting with the President of the University of Tokyo.
Oct. 15, Thank you for your supporting messages to the TAO project
Aug. 18, Memorial stamps for the completion of the miniTAO telescope have been issued
Jul. 7, Inauguration Ceremony of miniTAO Telescope
Apr. 9, The 1st miniTAO/ANIR Science Workshop on 9 April, 2010
Mar. 4, The University of Tokyo and Konica Minolta Produce a Planetarium Program,
Proposing a New Way of Public Outreach in Scientific Research

2009

Sep. 11, A workshop on the TAO near-infrared instrument.
Jul. 24, Workshop on the Mid-infrared Instrument for TAO 6.5m telescope
Jun. 9, The 1m telescope at the Atacama Observatory has Started Scientific Operation, detecting the Hydrogen Emission Line from the Galactic Center in the Infrared Light (pressreleased : 2009/7/2)
Mar. 22, Congratulation on the first light
Mar. 15-21, The 1-m telescope construction has been completed at the summit of Co. Chajnantor
Mar. 8-14, Construction of the 1m telescope started at the summit of Mt. Chajnantor
Mar. 1-7, Construction of the dome building of the 1.0-m telescope started at the summit of Chajnantor.
Feb. 22-28, Dome structure of the 1.0-m telescope arrived at the summit of Chajnantor.
Feb. 15-21, Trial Construction of the 1-m Telescope Completed in Calama, Chile
Feb. 5-14, Trial Construction of the Dome for the 1-m Telescope Completed in Calama, Chile
Jan. 30, ANIR infrared first light at Higashi-Hiroshima Astronomical Observatory in January 2009
Jan. 22, The 1-m miniTAO telescope and its dome arrived in Chile
Jan. 8, Foundation construction for the 1-m telescope progressed at the summit of Chajnantor.

2008

Aug. Purchase a piece of land for the base facility
Jun. International meeting SPIE2008
Feb. First light observation of ANIR and test observation of MAX38 at Higashi-Hiroshima Observatory

2007

May. First light observations of MAX38 at the Higashi-Hiroshima Astronomical Observatory
Apr. Results of Seeing Measurements at the Summit of Co. Chajnantor

2006

Nov.Results of Seeing Measurements at the Summit of Co. Chajnantor
Apr. Access road to the summit of Chajnantor opened

2005

Nov. Starting construction of the road to the summit of Co. Chajnantor