Korea Microlensing Telescope Network-SSO

At Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales, Australia, the third KMTNet telescope completes a round-the-world watch for exoplanets hidden in starlight.

About Korea Microlensing Telescope Network-SSO

Korea Microlensing Telescope Network-SSO is a 1.6-metre wide-field telescope at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, one of three identical instruments near latitude -30° that make up the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet).

Telescopes & research

Like its counterparts in Chile and South Africa, the telescope carries a mosaic of four 9k-by-9k pixel CCD cameras, covering about four square degrees of sky at a scale of 0.4 arcseconds per pixel. Commissioned in 2015, it monitors the Galactic bulge for roughly eight months of the year, watching for the gravitational microlensing events that betray the presence of distant exoplanets, and turns to other targets during the rest of the year. Together with its sister telescopes, KMTNet's global spread allows near-continuous observation and has contributed to confirming more than 230 microlensing planets as of the mid-2020s.

Location & getting there

The telescope is sited at Siding Spring Observatory in the Warrumbungle Range of New South Wales, Australia.

Visiting Korea Microlensing Telescope Network-SSO

Siding Spring Observatory welcomes visitors to its site and visitor centre, though this particular research telescope operates as part of an automated global network rather than offering its own public tours; check Siding Spring's visitor information before you travel.

See your named star from here

This telescope spends its nights fixed on exact coordinates deep in the southern sky, much like the coordinates you receive when you name a star. Explore the star catalogue or name a star of your own with Star Register.