The Burst Observer and Optical Transient Exploring System (BOOTES)

¹ Laboratorio de Astrofísica Espacial y Física Fundamental (LAEFF-INTA), P.O. Box 50727, E-28080, Madrid, Spain
² Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC), P.O. Box 03004, E-18080 Granada, Spain
³ Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic, 251 65 Ondrejov, Czech Republic
⁴ Czech Technical University, Faculty of Electronic Engineering, Department of Radioelectronics, 16627 Prague, Czech Republic
⁵ Centro de Experimentación de El Arenosillo (CEDEA-INTA), Mazagón, Huelva, Spain
⁶ Departamento de Física, Ingeniería de Sistemas y Teoría de la Señal, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
⁷ Nuevas Tecnologías Observacionales (NTO), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain

Send offprint request to: A.J. Castro-Tirado

Received: 29 December 1998
Accepted: 9 April 1999

Abstract

The Burst Observer and Optical Transient Explo ring System (BOOTES) is considered as a part of the preparations for the ESA's satellite INTEGRAL, and is currently being developed in Spain, in collaboration with two Czech institutions. It makes use of two sets of wide-field cameras 240 kms apart, and two robotic 0.3-m telescopes. The first obser ving station (BOOTES-1) is located in Huelva (Spain) and the first light was obtained in July 1998. During the test phase, it has provided rapid follow-up observations for 5 GRBs detected by the BATSE aboard the CGRO. The system will fully operate in late 1999.