Gattini-IR

Gattini-IR is a 30-cm infrared (IR) transient survey (wide field of view) telescope at Palomar Observatory, to image a substantial portion of the sky nightly in the infrared J band (wavelength in the 1.25 micron range), which began operation in 2018. The survey is termed Palomar Gattini-IR (PGIR). It was hoped Gattini-IR would serve as a pilot for a pair of such telescopes in the polar regions where IR atmospheric windows are better and allow such imaging in the K band (2.2 micron) as well. Since then, other similar transient survey projects have begun.

Gattini, Italian for "kittens", had earlier been an informal nickname for some modest research telescopes.