The recently completed Burst Observer and Optical Transient Exploring System (BOOTES) comprises seven telescopes, located in Spain, New Zealand, China, Mexico, South Africa and Chile.
It has been described as the most complex network of its kind, as well as a unique and automated resource that will combine data from instruments from all around the globe, and will help survey the night sky.
“BOOTES is the result of almost 25 years of continuous effort, since we installed the first station in 1998 at INTA (Arenosillo, Huelva), the institution that initially supported the project," said Alberto J Castro-Tirado, a scientist at CSIC.
"The complete deployment represents a scientific milestone since it is the first robotic network with a presence on all continents."
BOOTES' main objective is to quickly and autonomously observe 'transient sources', which are astrophysical objects that do not present a permanent emission over time. Instead, they...