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Description
MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov) experiment is a two-telescope ground-based array that detects and studies very high energy (VHE, E>100 GeV) gamma-rays. Located in the Canary island of La Palma, at altitude of more than 2200 m above the sea level, these instruments benefit from more than 1000 h of dark observational time per year (with additional 300h available for observations under moderate moonlight). With their 17 m diameter mirrors, the MAGIC Telescopes are today the largest instruments of their kind. MAGIC I has been operational since 2004 and it already achieved the lowest energy threshold (~25 GeV) among the current generation of IACTs. In 2009 it was joined by MAGIC-II, and together, in the stereoscopic mode, they allow for the observations of significantly improved sensitivity, lower energy threshold and better energy and angular resolution. The very energetic photons MAGIC detects can only be produced in violent processes, like in the neighbourhood of black holes, or in the aftermath of explosions of stars. As a result, MAGIC Telescopes contribute substantially to the current knowledge about Supernova Remnants, Active Galactic Nuclei, Microquasars, Pulsars, X-ray binaries, Gamma-ray bursts, search for Dark Matter, etc.
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