The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a state-of-the-art astronomical survey instrument designed to rapidly detect and characterize astronomical transients. ZTF is operated by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA, under a partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Science Foundation.
The Zwicky Transient Facility uses a 47 square degree field of view camera on the Samuel Oschin Schmidt Telescope at Palomar Observatory to image the sky every night looking for things that change or move on short timescales. This wide field of view enables us to scan the entire visible sky very rapidly – about 100 times faster than any previous survey.
Since commissioning in March 2018, ZTF has discovered thousands of new astronomical objects, including dozens of supernovae, hundreds of asteroids, and several dozen transient events that could be associated with gravitational waves. In addition to these discoveries, ZTF is also monitoring known objects such as comets and exoplanets for changes in brightness or position.
The data from ZTF are made public immediately through the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, which provides access to scientists around the world. The goal of the Zwicky Transient Facility is to enable new kinds of discovery through time-domain astronomy.