Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2012
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012aas...21942204m&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219, #422.04
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
We recently have completed several upgrades to the Tennessee State University (TSU) 2m automatic spectroscopic telescope (AST), which is located at Fairborn Observatory, Washington Camp, Arizona. A new 4K x 4K Fairchild 486 CCD with 15 micron pixels, housed in a dewar cooled by a CryoTiger refrigeration system, has allowed us to substantially increase the wavelength coverage and greatly reduce the noise of our echelle spectra. A new beam splitter cube has increased the throughput of the system by about 1 magnitude. A recently built instrument head enables us to rapidly switch between commercial fibers of different diameters, allowing us to use different resolutions for different stars. Microlenses, attached to the ends of those fibers, have improved the f-ratio compatibility of the fibers and the spectrograph system. We discuss these enhancements and the resulting throughput improvements. The TSU 2m AST is available for joint projects with outside observers. As a robotic telescope dedicated to spectroscopic observations, the AST provides rare opportunities for observing programs that benefit from high cadences. In its previous incarnation it has participated in several photometric-spectroscopic observing campaigns such as the one completed in 2010 on the B8 supergiant Rigel. Simultaneous with MOST satellite photometry, the 2m AST obtained 442 spectra on 20 nights. This intensive series of spectroscopic observations plus somewhat less numerous spectra, taken for several years before the joint campaign, enabled the identification of Rigel's spectrum of pulsation frequencies.
Fekel Francis C.
Harrison Craig
Muterspaugh Matthew W.
Williamson Michael H.
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