The Large Array Survey Telescope (LAST) is an under-construction cost-effective survey telescope. The project is led by Eran Ofek and Sagi Ben-Ami.
The first LAST node will be composed of 48 28-cm telescopes with wide-field of view. A LAST node is comparable to either a 28-cm telescope with 355 deg2 field of view, or a 1.9-m telescope with 7.4 deg2. The 5-sigma Bp limiting magnitude for a single telescope is 19.4 (21.0), in a 15s (20x15s) exposure. LAST will conduct a fast cadence survey of the sky.
The technological rational for LAST is discussed in Ofek & Ben-Amin (2020), while in Ben-Ami et al. (in prep.) we discuss its science goals.
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The Andromeda galaxy (M31) as imaged by the LAST prototype telescope. |
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15s integration image of NGC253 (left) and NGC 628 (right), as obtained by the LAST prototype. |
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The grasp (observed volume per unit time) of various ksy surveys, including LAST. |