The University of St. Thomas (UST) Observatory is an educational facility integrated into UST’s undergraduate curriculum as well as the curriculum of several local schools. Three characteristics combine to make the observatory unique. First, the telescope is tied directly to the support structure of a four-story parking ramp instead of an isolated pier. Second, the facility can be operated remotely over an Internet connection and is capable of performing observations without a human operator. Third, the facility is located on campus in the heart of a metropolitan area where light pollution is severe. Our tests indicate that, despite the lack of an isolated pier, vibrations from the ramp do not degrade the image quality at the telescope. The remote capability facilitates long and frequent observing sessions and allows others to use the facility without traveling to UST. Even with the high background due to city lights, the sensitivity and photometric accuracy of the system are sufficient to fulfill our pedagogical goals and to perform a variety of scientific investigations. In this paper, we outline our educational mission, provide a detailed description of the observatory, and discuss its performance characteristics.
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May 01 2012
A robotic observatory in the city
Gerald T. Ruch;
Gerald T. Ruch
a)
Department of Physics,
University of St. Thomas
, St. Paul, Minnesota 55105
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Martin E. Johnston
Martin E. Johnston
b)
Department of Physics,
University of St. Thomas
, St. Paul, Minnesota 55105
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a)
Electronic mail: [email protected]
b)
Electronic mail: [email protected]
Am. J. Phys. 80, 439–444 (2012)
Article history
Received:
October 15 2011
Accepted:
March 06 2012
Citation
Gerald T. Ruch, Martin E. Johnston; A robotic observatory in the city. Am. J. Phys. 1 May 2012; 80 (5): 439–444. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3696965
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