The Copernicus Satellite (OAO-3)
Copernicus, or Orbiting Astronomical
Observatory 3 (OAO-3) was a collaborative effort between the USA (NASA)
and the UK (SERC).
The main experiment on board was the Princeton University UV telescope,
but it also carried an X-ray astronomy experiment developed by the University
College London/Mullard Space Science Laboratory.
Mission Characteristics
Lifetime : 21
August 1972 - February 1981 Energy Range :
0.5 - 10 keV (X-ray experiment only) Payload :The University College London X-ray Experiment (UCLXE) consisted of 4 co-aligned X-ray detectors
- 3 Wolter type 0 grazing incidence telescopes with 2 proportional counters (3-9 Å and 6-18 Å) and a channel photomultiplier at the foci. (variable FOV from 1 to 12 arcmin)
- 1 proportional counter (1-3 Å) with a simple collimation tube. (2.5° X 3.5° FOV)
Science Highlights:
- Discovery of several log period pulsars (e.g. X Per).
- Discovery of absorpton dips in Cyg X-1.
- Long-term monitoring of pulsars and other bright X-ray binaries.
- Observed rapid intensity variability from Cen A.
Archive : Raw data from the UCLXE.
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Last modified: Thursday, 26-Jun-2003 13:48:54 EDT