VHE Gamma-ray sources in view of the Cherenkov Telescope Array - A Review

Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) have opened a new astronomical window at photon energies exceeding tens of GeV during the last decades. The technique relies on the detection of Cherenkov light produced by electromagnetic showers in the Earth’s atmosphere using telescope mirrors with diameters of a few to tens of meters. A world-wide community is behind the design and construction of the next generation Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), consisting of two arrays of IACTs at the northern and southern hemispheres. I will review the astrophysics that IACTs are revealing at these energies, cover the design characteristics of CTA, the status of the project and the physics prospects of the instrument.