ART - the Armagh Robotic Telescope

Recognising that the equivalent of 120 clear nights per year could be available to an autonomous robotic telescope situated at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, it was decided to construct a modern telescope and dome with the goal of making research quality observations of variable stars and other transient phenomena from the Observatory site in Armagh. Procurement commenced in January 2009. The system now comprises:

• Dome: Sirius Observatories 3.5m
• Mount: Paramount ME German Equatorial
• Main Telescope: PlaneWave Instruments 43 cm f/6.8 corrected Dall-Kirkham Reflector with Carbon-Fibre Truss
• Auxiliary Telescope: Takahashi FSQ 10.6 cm f/5.0 apochromatic refractor
• Guide Telescope: Equinox 120ED guidescope
• Autoguider: Starlight-Xpress 'Lodestar'
• Camera: Starlight Xpress XSVR-H36 CCD
• Filter Wheel: Starlight Xpress + Astronomik LRGB 50mm

The dome is situated about 10 m south of the existing Robinson dome. Construction of the dome base commenced in March 2010. The dome was completed in July 2010. First Light was obtained in February 2011.

Index

Quick Start: Quick Links to essential services

Target List: Potential targets for current Research Programmes.

Updates: Current snagging issues and a change log.

Safety: Information on safe dome operation and standard procedures.

Telescope and Hardware: Descriptions of the telescope, the dome and the instruments.

Operation and Observing Software: The telescope and instrument control software; including tutorials for basic operations.

Remote Operation: The telescope and instrument control software; including tutorials for basic operations.

Calibrations: Sample calibration frames for reference / diagnostics.

Gallery: A gallery of images obtained with the ART.

Technical: Information relating to the construction, installation and commissioning of the robotic telescope system.

Tutorial: Detailed instructions on how to perform various tasks with the ART, arranged by lesson. Astronomers, PDRAs and students of the Armagh Observatory are encouraged to become familiar with the controls of the ART.

Pipeline: Data reduction pipeline for time series photometry (python / pyraf + starlink / figaro)

Fault Logs: Reverse chronological summary of significant issues, faults and actions. Users should record faults as they arise for prompt repair.

Archive: ART images are written direct to the hard disk on the ART control computer. Users are responsible for prompt download to the ART data reduction computer.

Authors: Jack Wright, James Wild, Simon Jeffery, 2010 - 2019