LightBuckets facts for kids

LightBuckets is a special place where people can look at space using powerful telescopes. It used to be in Rodeo, New Mexico, but now it's in France. LightBuckets lets people from all over the world use its telescopes. You can do this through their website on the Internet.

Both people who love looking at stars as a hobby (amateur astronomers) and scientists (professional astronomers) use LightBuckets. It's like an online space platform where you can see live views of the sky. They also have a gallery of amazing space pictures. LightBuckets has even helped confirm new supernovas (exploding stars) and find new asteroids!

LightBuckets and other online telescope services were suggested for a program called Target Asteroids!. This program helps people who have a computer and internet but don't own a powerful telescope. It gives them a way to join in and explore space.

What is LightBuckets?

The dwarf planet Eris as seen through a LightBuckets telescope.

Orcus as seen by a LightBuckets telescope.

The asteroid 17 Thetis imaged by a LightBuckets telescope.

LightBuckets was started in 2007 by Steve Cullen. He used to work with computer software. The observatories, which are places with telescopes, began working on June 12, 2008. In 2011, Steve Cullen went back to working with software. This led to some changes for LightBuckets.

You can use the telescopes by paying for a subscription or by paying each time you use them. The price depends on which telescope you want to use. LightBuckets is different from programs like Microsoft WorldWide Telescope or Google Sky. Those programs show you old, stored pictures of space. LightBuckets lets you see new, live images of the sky. It's similar to Slooh, another service that offers live views from telescopes in places like Chile and Spain.

LightBuckets: The Early Years (2008-2011)

In 2011, LightBuckets changed owners. This also changed which telescopes and locations were available. Before this, LightBuckets had special telescopes called Ritchey-Chrétiens. These included a large 0.61 meter (24-inch) telescope called LB-0001. There was also a 0.37 meter (14.5-inch) telescope called LB-0003. Both of these were at the company's observatory in Rodeo, New Mexico. This location was known as H11 Rodeo by the Minor Planet Center.

LightBuckets also had a wide-view observatory (LB-0002) in Rodeo, NM. This one had a 0.2 meter (8-inch) telescope. They used special cameras from Apogee Instruments with these telescopes. Each camera had a filter wheel. This allowed them to take pictures using different colors of light.

In 2009, LightBuckets worked with the International Year of Astronomy. They were part of a big project called "100 Hours of Astronomy Cornerstone Project." LightBuckets used special domes for their telescopes. These domes were made by Astro Haven Enterprises.

LightBuckets Today (After 2011)

Today, LightBuckets is located in France. They have a new, very large 32-inch robotic telescope called LB-0001. A robotic telescope can be controlled remotely by a computer.

They also have four other telescopes:

• LB-0002: a 17-inch telescope.
• LB-0003: a 110mm refractor telescope.
• LB-0004: a 175mm refractor telescope.
• LB-0005: a 12-inch Newtonian telescope.

What LightBuckets Has Done

• In 2008, the Puckett Observatory Supernova Search found a supernova called SN 2008gr. This discovery was confirmed using LightBuckets telescopes in Rodeo, New Mexico.
• By October 2009, the LB-0001 telescope in Rodeo, NM, had helped discover at least 17 new asteroids. The Minor Planet Center recorded this telescope as a ".68m f/8 Ritchey-Chrétien" at H11 Rodeo.
• In September 2010, LightBuckets LB-0001 helped confirm a gamma ray burst (GRB) called GRB100901A. Gamma ray bursts are very powerful explosions in space.
• On May 18, 2011, LightBuckets announced they would stop operations in Rodeo, NM. By then, LightBuckets had taken images for over 4,300 hours. They had completed more than 5,400 customer imaging requests. They also had over 680 customers.
• In August 2011, a new telescope, LB-0006, appeared on their website. It is a 0.43 meter (17-inch) telescope located in the South Alps of France.

See also

• Astrophotography
• List of astronomical observatories
• Slooh