P. J. GrootS. BloemenP. M. VreeswijkJ. C. J. van RoestelP. G. JonkerG. NelemansM. Klein-WoltR. LepooleD. L. A. PieterseM. RodenhuisW. BolandM. HaverkornC. AertsR. BakkerH. BalsterM. BekemaE. DijkstraP. DolronE. ElswijkA. van ElterenA. EngelsM. FokkerM. de HaanF. HahnR. ter HorstD. LesmanJ. KragtJ. MorrenH. NillissenW. PessemierG. RaskinA. de RijkeL. H. A. ScheersM. SchuilS. T. TimmerL. Antunes AmaralE. Arancibia-RojasI. ArcaviN. BlagorodnovaS. BiswasR. P. BretonH. DawsonP. DayalS. De WetC. DuffyS. FarisM. FausnaughA. Gal-YamS. GeierA. HoreshC. JohnstonG. KatusiimeC. KelleyA. KosakowskiT. KupferG. LeloudasA. LevanD. ModianoO. MogawanaJ. MundayJ. PaiceF. PatatI. PelisoliG. RamsayP. T. RanaivomananaR. Ruiz-CarmonaV. SchaffenrothS. ScaringiF. StoppaR. StreetH. TraninM. UzundagS. ValentiM. VeresvarskaVuckovic, MajaMajaVuckovicH. C. I. WichernR. A. M. J. WijersR. A. D. WijnandsE. Zimmerman2025-12-072025-12-072024-11-0110.1088/1538-3873/ad8b6a2-s2.0-85209882985https://cris-uv-2.scimago.es/handle/123456789/7495WOS:001360498600001Abstract The main science aim of the BlackGEM array is to detect optical counterparts to gravitational wave mergers. Additionally, the array will perform a set of synoptic surveys to detect Local Universe transients and short timescale variability in stars and binaries, as well as a six-filter all-sky survey down to ∼22nd mag. The BlackGEM Phase-I array consists of three optical wide-field unit telescopes. Each unit uses an f /5.5 modified Dall-Kirkham (Harmer-Wynne) design with a triplet corrector lens, and a 65 cm primary mirror, coupled with a 110Mpix CCD detector, that provides an instantaneous field-of-view of 2.7 square degrees, sampled at 0.″564 pixel −1 . The total field-of-view for the array is 8.2 square degrees. Each telescope is equipped with a six-slot filter wheel containing an optimised Sloan set (BG- u , BG- g , BG- r , BG- i , BG- z ) and a wider-band 440–720 nm (BG- q ) filter. Each unit telescope is independent from the others. Cloud-based data processing is done in real time, and includes a transient-detection routine as well as a full-source optimal-photometry module. BlackGEM has been installed at the ESO La Silla observatory as of 2019 October. After a prolonged COVID-19 hiatus, science operations started on 2023 April 1 and will run for five years. Aside from its core scientific program, BlackGEM will give rise to a multitude of additional science cases in multi-colour time-domain astronomy, to the benefit of a variety of topics in astrophysics, such as infant supernovae, luminous red novae, asteroseismology of post-main-sequence objects, (ultracompact) binary stars, and the relation between gravitational wave counterparts and other classes of transients.enacceso abiertoAstronomy And AstrophysicsSpace And Planetary Sciencearticle