[47.06] Paramount Tracking and Pointing Accuracy Plus Browser Control: As Applied in the Student Telescope Network and Beyond

AAS 200th meeting, Albuquerque, NM, June 2002
Session 47. Telescopes and Education
Display, Tuesday, June 4, 2002, 10:00am-6:30pm, SW Exhibit Hall

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[47.06] Paramount Tracking and Pointing Accuracy Plus Browser Control: As Applied in the Student Telescope Network and Beyond

S. Bisque (Software Bisque), M. Rice (New Mexico Skies, Inc.), R.E. Stencel (Denver Univ. Observatories)

Reducing the complexities of research grade CCD imaging to a few simple mouse clicks required the convergence of numerous technologies that been in development for over a decade. The operational site "iBisque at New Mexico Skies" demonstrates the convergence of various telescope technologies resulting in multiple remotely accessible research grade systems, accessible via a web browser. Pointing a telescope with sufficient accuracy to place the target object accurately on the CCD array requires a precision robotic telescope mount coupled with telescope pointing software (TPoint: www.tpsoft.demon.co.uk). Maintaining accurate tracking during several minute unguided exposures is accomplished by manufacturing precision worm/gears sets that exhibit less than 5 arc-seconds of periodic error peak-to-peak. Again TPoint software is employed for providing information on the telescope errors and dynamics during the exposure (i.e. tube flexure, refraction, polar misalignment etc.). Finally, the remotely capable robotic telescope system is made accessible via any web browser using Browser Astronomy Software (www.bisque.com). In this and the companion posters, we further describe the software technologies and off-the-shelf instrumentation used to create the first interactive, browser-controlled observatory. Experience gained and lessons learned with the Student Telescope Network (STN) pilot project now enable this internet telescope service to be available to interested astronomy researchers and educators.

If you would like more information about this abstract, please follow the link to www.bisque.com. This link was provided by the author. When you follow it, you will leave the Web site for this meeting; to return, you should use the Back comand on your browser.

The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: info@bisque.com

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