Remote Operations and Nightly Automation of the Red Buttes Observatory

We have implemented upgrades to the University of Wyoming’s Red Buttes Observatory (RBO) to allow remote and autonomous operations using the 0.6 m telescope. Detailed descriptions of hardware and software components provide sufficient information to guide upgrading similarly designed telescopes. We...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPublications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Vol. 128; no. 968; pp. 1 - 8
Main Authors Kasper, David H., Ellis, Tyler G., Yeigh, Rex R., Kobulnicky, Henry A., Jang-Condell, Hannah, Kelley, Mark, Bucher, Gerald J., Weger, James S.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published IOP Publishing Limited 01.10.2016
Subjects
Astronomical Instrumentation, Telescopes, Observatories, and Site Characterization
Astronomical photometry
Astronomical transits
Astronomy
Automatic control
Computer software
Maxims
Observatories
Programming languages
Telescopes
Weather
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:We have implemented upgrades to the University of Wyoming’s Red Buttes Observatory (RBO) to allow remote and autonomous operations using the 0.6 m telescope. Detailed descriptions of hardware and software components provide sufficient information to guide upgrading similarly designed telescopes. We also give a thorough description of the automated and remote operation modes with intent to inform the construction of routines elsewhere. Because the upgrades were largely driven by the intent to perform exoplanet transit photometry, we discuss how this science informed the automation process. A sample exoplanet transit observation serves to demonstrate RBO’s capability to perform precision photometry. The successful upgrades have equipped a legacy observatory for a new generation of automated and rapid-response observations.
ISSN:0004-6280
1538-3873