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Implementation and Operation of a Robotic Telescope on Skynet
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Metadata
Title
Implementation and Operation of a Robotic Telescope on Skynet
Abstract
We describe the implementation of a remotely operated telescope on the Skynet Robotic Telescope Network, a system developed and run by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Our telescope, operated by Appalachian State University at its Dark Sky Observatory, runs robotically on this queue-scheduled system, automatically taking calibration images and acquiring program images, and responding to Internet commands to image the afterglow of accessible Gamma-Ray Burst events. We describe the process of implementing a Skynet-run telescope from our client-side view, and offer advice for others who might consider putting telescopes on Skynet. The implementation has proven very successful, obtaining over a hundred thousand images over the past six years, of various targets for research and educational purposes, and has responded to several GRB observation requests with several afterglow detections.
Date
01/01/2016
Citation
Smith, A. B., Caton, D. B., & Hawkins, R. L. (2016). Implementation and Operation of a Robotic Telescope on Skynet. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 128(963), 055002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/128/963/055002
Type of Publication
Author(s)
Smith, Adam Blythe | Caton, Daniel B. | Hawkins, R. Lee
Construct
Methodology
Research Setting
Specific Interest
Target Group
Institution(s)
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Appalachian State University | Department of Physics and Astronomy, Appalachian State University, | Gemini Observatory, Northern Operations Center
Journal Name
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Peer-Reviewed Status
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Volume
128
Issue Number
963
ISSN
0004-6280, 1538-3873
Resource Type
Nation(s) of Study
United States of America
Language
English