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ROSAT's payload consisted
of two co-aligned telescopes, the German X-ray Telescope (XRT) and the
UK Wide Field Camera (WFC). At any one time one of two detectors was moved
into the focus of the XRT; the German Position Sensitive Proportional Counter
(PSPC) or the US High Resolution Imager (HRI). The PSPC operated over the
energy range 0.1 to 2.4 keV and had a moderate energy resolution of 43%
at 0.93 keV and an on-axis spatial resolution of ~25 arcsec
(FWHM). The HRI had a spatial resolution of ~1.7 arcsecs (FWHM) and
a very limited energy resolution sufficient to provide crude information
on hardness ratios. The field of view of the XRT was 2 degrees in
diameter. The WFC operated over the energy range 20 to 210 eV, had a field
of view of 5 degrees in diameter and a spatial resolution of 2.3 arcminutes
(HEW). Spectral information was provided by six filters.
Following the completion of an all-sky survey, ROSAT carried out
a pointed observation programme in which both telescopes made
detailed observations of individual celestial targets. This phase
of the mission started in February 1991 and continued for the rest
of the operational life of the satellite. The bulk of these observations
now reside in the public archive.
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