H.E.S.S. is a scientific collaboration a telescope array a tool for discoveries 23 years of science
What is H.E.S.S. ?
The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) is one of the world’s leading ground-based gamma-ray observatories. Located in Namibia, it uses an array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes to detect very-high-energy gamma rays from cosmic sources. Since its first light in 2002, H.E.S.S. has provided groundbreaking insights into some of the most extreme objects in the Universe, including pulsars, black holes, and supernova remnants.
Besides being an abbreviation, the name “H.E.S.S.” is also an homage to Victor Franz Hess, who discovered cosmic rays in 1912 and received the Nobel Prize in 1936.
The Collaboration
H.E.S.S. is operated by an international collaboration of around 200 scientists, engineers, and students from more than a dozen countries. This diverse team combines expertise in astrophysics, particle physics, instrumentation, and data analysis to push the boundaries of high-energy astronomy. The collaboration also trains the next generation of scientists through hands-on research and innovation.
Follow the link to learn more about the H.E.S.S. institutes and their members!
The telescopes
The observatory is situated in the Khomas Highland of Namibia at an altitude of 1,800 m, a location chosen for its clear, dark skies and stable climate. The H.E.S.S. array consists of four 12-m telescopes surrounding a central 28-m telescope — the largest of its kind. Together, they capture faint flashes of Cherenkov light produced when gamma rays interact with the Earth’s atmosphere, enabling precise measurement of the direction and energy of cosmic particles.
The Science
With the H.E.S.S. telescopes, we study some of the most extreme environments in the Universe: supernovae, fast rotating neutron stars, or supermassive black holes at the core of incredibly distant galaxies. All these environments have in common that they act as cosmic particle accelerators, reaching energies much beyond what can be achieved on Earth. Furthermore, H.E.S.S. can be used to search for elusive dark-matter particles, or other effects beyond the standard model of particle physics.
