A New Telescope Control System Interface for the HET

Details A New Telescope Control System Interface for the HET A New Telescope Control System Interface for the HET

Dec 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aas...209.7803w&link_type=abstract

2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical Society Meeting 209, #78.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, V

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The Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET), located on Mt. Fowlkes at the McDonald Observatory near Ft. Davis, Texas, is unique in that unlike a classical equatorial or Alt-Azimuth telescope, it has a fixed elevation/zenith angle and moves only in azimuth. The Telescope operator is responsible for general telescope movement and tracking, but also for maintaining focus and image quality. Although the operator is relieved by computers for many of the complex operations and adjustments on the optical system, the interface in which the operator communicates to the telescope computer systems is largely irrelevant and non-intuitive.
A new Graphical User Interface has been proposed to replace the current Telescope Control System interface. The proposal centers on a purely graphical interface to succeed the current interface for use in controlling the telescope and related equipment, as well as providing an integrated display for several sources of crucial data for the telescope operator. In this endeavor, we analyze the possibilities of a graphical interface and the advantages it will provide in reducing engineering and operating time while providing a greater window for scientific operations. The observations of the telescope operator are described to elucidate some of he decisions made about the interface, as are some of the considerations that must be made when developing a new interface for a complicated telescope control scheme. We also discuss the decisions on the integration of other control GUI’s into the control system interface.
Research Experience for Undergraduates program funded by the National Science Foundation.

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