Telescope Array is an international collaboration of universities and research institutes. The University of Utah is the host institute and the experiment is located in Millard County, Utah.
The Telescope Array collaboration was formed from members of the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes), and the Akeno Giant Air Shower Array (AGASA). These two groups, formerly competitors, were the world's experts in fluorescence and ground-based scintillation detection, respectively. The alliance of these groups also allowed them to combine the two main techniques for measuring ultra-high energy cosmic rays.
Telescope Array combines three fluorescence telescope sites with an array of over 500 surface detectors to cover a large area. Construction for the Telescope Array began in 2003 and 2008 marked the onset of data collection. The image on the right is an artist's rendering of how these three fluorescence telescope sites and the surface array detect a single cosmic ray event. The colored triangle wedges indicate the portion of the event which the fluorescence telescope observe and the red boxes indicate surface detectors hit by shower particles.
