Text written by: Marina Manganaro, Faculty of Physics, University of Rijeka
The MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov) telescopes are a system of two telescopes located in the Canary island of La Palma (Spain). Many researchers from 13 countries, including Croatian Institutions, observe the Universe with MAGIC to study very-high-energy phenomena. The MAGIC telescopes detect photons which possess an energy bigger than 50 GigaelectronVolt and are produced in the most violent and powerful events occuring in the Universe. The MAGIC telescopes feature a mirror dish, composed of more than 200 mirror elements. Each rectangular mirror reflects the Cherenkov light produced by charged particles entering the atmosphere. By this reflection it is possible to reconstruct the energy and origin of the gamma rays emitted by black holes, active galaxies, pulsars, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and many more objects. But what is inspiring for a casual viewer is that those mirrors also reflect the stars in the sky. By night, in the beautiful sky of La Palma, the MAGIC telescopes look up and while doing their research, at the same time inspire us to discover more about our Universe.
Image Credit: Jose Ignacio Gil and Urs Leutenegger (instagram: @joignac and @urs.leutenegger).
Find more about MAGIC on instagram: @magictelescopes