The San Fernando Automatic Meridian Circle in Argentina: Present state, FIRS T results and future plans.

Details The San Fernando Automatic Meridian Circle in Argentina: Present state, FIRS T results and future plans. The San Fernando Automatic Meridian Circle in Argentina: Present state, FIRS T results and future plans.

Nov 1998

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998larm.confe.166m&link_type=abstract

"IX Latin American Regional IAU Meeting, "Focal Points in Latin American Astronomy", held in Tonantzintla, Mexico, Nov 9-13, 199

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Thanks to a Co-operation and Support Agreement, signed between the National University of San Juan (Argentina) and the Royal Institute and Observatory of the Army in San Fernando (Cadiz, Spain), an Automatic Meridian Circle was settled up in the province of San Juan, in July of 1996. This instrument is "twin" of another already installed in El Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Astrophysical Institute of Canaries) in La Palma Island. In the current state of the instrument, with a photomultiplier as main detector, it is possible to observe about 400-600 stars per night (depending on the time of the year, summer or winter) up to magnitude 15.5, approximately. At present we are carrying out an observation program of stars and Solar System bodies (planets, satellites and asteroids), whose results will yield our first catalogue of positions of celestial objects. As by-product of the observations, the catalogue will also include the magnitudes of the observed objects, obtained by means of the photomultiplier counts. The stability of the instrument and the quality of the observations are good, though we keep working in fine adjustments of the telescope. The future plans for the telescope include the complete renewal of the computer system and the replacement of the photomultiplier and the slit micrometer for a CCD camera. The first of these changes implies the substitution of the current 2113 and A700 HP computers by a modern Pentium PC, and will be made by the end of 1998. The replacement of the sensor will be carried out, probably, during the first semester of 1999. The latter improvement will introduce a substantial change in the philosophy of observation and reduction, and will bring about the whole renewal of the software. All these changes will considerably increase the accuracy in the operation of the instrument, specially because of the significant reduction in mechanical component, since the mechanical movements decrease to a minimum. The handling of the observation data requires computers working at speeds in the order of 300 Mhz. The efficiency of the observation will also be considerably incremented, since the new CCD and software system will enlarge the magnitude limit up to 17.5, and the number of observed stars per night will largely increased, too. The San Fernando Automatic Meridian Circle is installed in the province of San Juan, ca. 1300 km west of the city of Buenos Aires, on the first foothills of Los Andes chain. The place, known as "El Leoncito" is located 200 km away from the city of San Juan and a little northwards from the Aconcagua mount, the highest peak of America (6959m).

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