SARA South Observatory: A Fully Automated Boller & Chivens 0.6-m Telescope at C.T.I.O.

Details SARA South Observatory: A Fully Automated Boller & Chivens 0.6-m Telescope at C.T.I.O. SARA South Observatory: A Fully Automated Boller & Chivens 0.6-m Telescope at C.T.I.O.

May 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aas...21641403m&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #216, #414.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.824

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Scientific paper

The SARA South Observatory is the re-birth of the Lowell 24-inch telescope located on the south-east ridge of Cerro Tololo, Chile. Installed in 1968 this Boller & Chivens telescope fell into disuse for almost 20 years. The telescope and observatory have undergone a major restoration.
A new dome with a wide slit has been fully automated with an ACE SmartDome controller featuring autonomous closure. The telescope was completely gutted, repainted, and virtually every electronic component and wire replaced. Modern infrastructure, such as USB, Ethernet and video ports have been incorporated into the telescope tube saddle boxes.
Absolute encoders have been placed on the Hour Angle and declination axes with a resolution of less than 0.7 arc seconds. The secondary mirror is also equipped with an absolute encoder and temperature sensor to allow for fully automated focus.
New mirror coatings, automated mirror covers, a new 150mm refractor, and new instrumentation have been deployed. An integrated X-stage guider and dual filter wheel containing 18 filters is used for direct imaging. The guider camera can be easily removed and a standard 2-inch eyepiece used for occasional viewing by VIP's at C.T.I.O.
A 12 megapixel all-sky camera produces color images every 30 seconds showing details in the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds. Two low light level cameras are deployed; one on the finder and one at the top of the telescope showing a 30° field. Other auxiliary equipment, including daytime color video cameras, weather station and remotely controllable power outlets permit complete control and servicing of the system.
The SARA Consortium (www.saraobservatory.org), a collection of ten eastern universities, also operates a 0.9-m telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory using an almost identical set of instruments with the same ACE control system.
This project was funded by the SARA Consortium.

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