Observing Equipment
Our Department operates the Mt. Stony Brook observatory, housing a 14-inch Meade LX200-ACF telescope on a Mesu-200 German Equatorial Mount. This will be the workhorse telescope for the imaging and spectroscopic components of the course.
Step-by-step instructions
Telescope manual
Mesu mount Set-Up Instructions
SiTech Controller Manual
The mount has GoTo functionality through the software Cartes du Ciel.
Imaging observations with the 14-inch telescope will be taken with the SBIG STL-1001E CCD camera. The CCD camera is mounted on the back end of the telescope and is controlled through a laptop computer. A set of standard broad-band BVRI and a narrow-band H-alpha filters are available.
STL-1001E spec sheet
CCDSoft step-by-step instructions
Operations manual
CCDSoft manual
We have two DADOS spectrographs; one has the low-resolution grating (200 l/mm) installed, the other the high-resolution grating (900 l/mm).
Step-by-step instructions
Spectrograph manual
Tutorial by B. Koch
We use an SBIG ST402ME camera for the spectroscopic observations (it is much lighter than the STL1001E). It is also operated through CCDSoft (see above).
ST402ME manual
There is a separate AutoGuider camera, the Orion StarShoot, which can be used with the DADOS spectrograph:
Orion StarShoot manual
The AutoGuider is used with the software PHD2 Guiding.
For long observing sessions with little change in the set-up, you can remote-observe from the Computing Lab. The remote observing capabilities are currently limited to controlling the laptop (with the CCDSoft software) remotely. That means that you have to go to the dome every ~10 minutes to rotate the dome. You also MUST go to the dome to go to a new dome, or to do a GEM flip.
We use TeamViewer to remotely control the laptop. TeamViewer is an online remote window sharing application. In other words, through the use of this application, it is possible (and easy!) to share the screen of two different laptops. This application can be downloaded at the following address:
or used on the secondary computer that is supplied. Once set up on that computer (the secondary computer already has the application downloaded), set up the telescope normally with the addition of connecting the Ethernet cable to the computer. For reference, the Ethernet cable is currently coming out of the telescope mount and is white.
Once that connection is made, find the TeamViewer application and open it. An image similar to the following should appear.
The ID and password will be needed so take a picture, write them down, or memorize them. Continue setup and begin data collection. Go downstairs and start the same application on the secondary computer. The same window will appear. From here, type in the ID to where it says "Partner ID". Click "Connect" and then type in the password. Now, you are all set!
In the case of lost connection, a dialog box will appear explaining that the connection is being attempted. One of the members of the group will have to go ensure the connection of the Ethernet cable until the connection is reestablished.
Our two-element radio interferometer employs 1-meter aluminum mirrors to combine light onto a single 1 meter commercial satellite dish. The interferometer has an adjustable 2-10 meter baseline and the reflective elements are well suited for observations at centimeter wavelengths. Single-dish radio observations can also be taken by flipping the satellite dish by 180 degrees and pointing it away from the aluminum mirrors.
Interferometer manual
Journal article