The Status and Performance of H.E.S.S.

The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) is an array of four imaging air-Cherenkov telescopes located in the Khomas Highlands of Namibia (23° 16' 18" S, 16° 30' 1" E, 1835 m above sea level). Construction of H.E.S.S. Phase-1 is complete as of December 2003. Although under construction, H.E.S.S. has been operating since June 2002, with observations using increasing numbers of telescopes as they became available. The good angular resolution and background rejection provided by the stereoscopic technique give H.E.S.S. a low energy threshold (~100 GeV)and allows the detection of a 1% Crab flux source in ~25 hours of observation. This sensitivity is unprecedented and has enabled H.E.S.S. to detect numerous new sources of astrophysical gamma-rays. Further details regarding the status and performance of H.E.S.S. are reported here