Governing Council of the University of Toronto
Visible and near-UV wide field imaging from the Stratosphere — The objective of this project is to design, build and make the first engineering flight of the GigaBIT telescope, a diffraction-limited 1.3 m visible/near-UV wide field imaging telescope. This project also aims to fly and analyze data from GigaBIT's predecessor, the SuperBIT balloon borne telescope. These telescopes, by providing large images of distant galaxies, will help to probe the distribution of dark matter through distortions in space caused by gravity. It will advance the technology of optical and near-UV telescopes and pointing systems, and advance our understanding of cluster physics, in addition to providing Canada with the most sensitive near-UV/visible imaging telescope in the world.