AstroLAB IRIS - Educatieve brochure 4 - Leuke Astrofotografie Projecten
Observational Astronomy - Astrolab UTKastrolab.phys.utk.edu/AstrolabPresentation.pdf · TLab 4:...
Transcript of Observational Astronomy - Astrolab UTKastrolab.phys.utk.edu/AstrolabPresentation.pdf · TLab 4:...
Observational Astronomy
A Guide to the LX200R and ST402 for TLabs 1, 2, 4, and 5
Written by Meagan White
The Telescope
The Scope: Meade LX200R Advanced RitcheyChretien with GPS and AutoStar II Hand Controller
Hand Controller
Eyepiece
Finder Scope
The Hand Controller●Moving The Telescope
● Use the four opposing arrow keys in the middle of the keypad to move the telescope to an object.
●Speed● The “Speed” key, also labeled “1”
must be chosen before moving the scope. Options are from 1 to 9 with 1 the slowest and 9 the fastest
●High Precision Mode● The telescope will be in “High
Precision Mode”. When finding an object in the database, a bright star will first be chosen by the computer. Center the brightest star in the field in the finder scope, and the eyepiece, before pressing “ENTER” to move to the actual object.
●RA and Dec Coordinates● After you have located an object,
hold the “Mode” key down for 3sec and release to display the RA and Dec.
●Object Identify● Pressing “MODE” repeatedly will
take you back through the menu options. When you get to “Select Object,”press “Enter” and scroll down the list to “Object Identify.”
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TLab 1: Exercise 1GOAL: Find 5 bright celestial objects,
record their Right Ascension and Declination Coordinates, and identify the objects.
1. Locate and center an object.a. Use the “SPEED” key in combination with a number key to choose a speed for the
telescope to move. NOTE: I. The speed options are 1 to 9 with 1 being the slowest and 9 the fastest.
b. Use the four opposing arrow keys in the middle of the keypad to point the telescope at a bright object in the sky.
c. Center the object in the finder scope, the object should then be in the eyepiece. Center the object in the eyepiece.NOTE: II. If the object looks like a doughnut, the telescope is out of focus, twist the
long silver knob next to the eyepiece until the doughnut becomes an object.
III. The goal of focusing is to make the stars in the Field Of View as small as possible.
2. Find the Right Ascension and Declination of the object.a. Hold the “MODE” key down for 3 seconds. When you release the “Mode” key, the
screen will display the Right Ascension and Declination for the telescopes position on the Celestial Sphere.
TLab 1: Exercise 1GOAL: Find 5 bright celestial objects,
record their Right Ascension and Declination Coordinates, and identify the objects.
3. Identify the object.a. Press the “MODE” key repeatedly until you reach the screen: “Select Object.” b. Press “Enter”, then scroll down the list until you reach the option “Identify.” c. Press “ENTER” again, and if you have chosen a bright object, the telescope will
display the name of the object. NOTE: I. If the screen displays “Not Found,” the object is not in the catalog, write
down “Star” as the identification and find the coordinates with the “Mode” key, or go to a different object.
II. If you know the telescope is pointed at a planet or the moon, and the keypad displays the name of a star, record the name of the planet or the moon.
4. Record this data on the sheet the TA provides you. Repeat for 4 more objects.
TLab 1: Exercise 2GOAL: Use the telescope's library to direct the telescope towards 5 objects,
record their coordinates and name.
1. Use the telescope to find an object.a. Press the “MODE” key repeatedly until you get to “Select Object,” press “ENTER.” b. Choose an option such as “Star,” or “Solar System,” and press “ENTER.” c. Scroll down the list of objects, choose an object and press “ENTER” the screen
will display the name of the object, then press “GOTO.”Note: I. Most “Deep Sky” objects are too dim to be clearly seen in the
telescope. Your TA can give you some ideas of objects to look for.II. Be certain that the telescope keypad indicates that the slewing has
stopped before attempting to so anything else on the keypad.
TLab 1: Exercise 2GOAL: Use the telescope's library to direct the telescope towards 5 objects,
record their coordinates and name.
2. Using High Precision Mode, find the object and identify.a. Because the telescopes will be in “High Precision Mode,” the computer will first slew
to a bright star near the chosen object. Center this star (the brightest in the field) in both the finder scope and eyepiece before pressing “ENTER”.
b. The telescope will now move to the actual object. The screen will display the name of the object. Press the “MODE” key for 3 seconds, and release. The Keypad will display the coordinates.
c. Record the data on the sheet provided. Repeat for 4 more objects.
3. Complete your data sheeta. When you have finished both exercises, make sure your name, and your TA's name
are on the sheet, before the Roof TA stamps and collects them. b. If your TA wants you to have the data, copy all the information onto another sheet or
into your lab book. After your sheet has been stamped you are free to leave.
The Camera
SBIG ST402ME CCD Cameraand CCDOps
1. Camera Informationa. This is a CCD (or Charged Coupled Device) camera. It operates via the photoelectric
effect, and is therefore very sensitive to any light. b. Because the camera is taking images of a very small part of the sky, any movement of
the telescope or camera will cause the image to blur rendering the image useless. Be aware of your proximity to the equipment. Your movement may affect the image.
c. Be sure to use a dark frame with each image to remove the noise, created by the camera, from your images.
2. Setup of the Camera and Softwarea. The camera and computer will already be connected to the telescope when you arrive
on the roof. b. In the CCDOps software provided with the laptop, go to the “Camera” menu, and click
“Setup.” The Temperature Regulation should be set to “On” and “5.” All other setting are default.
TLab 2: Part 1
Goal: Take black and white images of five celestial object with the CCD Camera
1. Find an Objecta. Select the “Camera” menu and “Focus,” set the Exposure Time to 1 sec, the Frame Size
to “FullHigh,” and check the “Dark Frames” box. Click “OK.”b. Use the same method that was used in TLab 1, Exercise 2, to move the telescope to a
celestial object. c. The camera attached to the telescope is much more sensitive than the naked eye, so
faint objects can be photographed. Choose a star, or something from the “Deep Sky” section.
d. Because the telescope is in High Precision Mode, the first object the telescope will go to will be a bright star near the object selected. Center that star in the Finder Scope, and it should appear on the screen. You can now use the controls to center the star on the screen. Use the long silver knob on the telescope to focus the star if necessary. Press “Enter” to go to the object. The object should be on the screen when the telescope stops slewing. Center the object on the screen before taking the image.
TLab 2: Part 2
Goal: Take five black and white images of a celestial object with the CCD Camera
2. Take the Picturea. Go to the “Filter” and select “Clear.”b. Center the object on the screen. Select “Camera” then “Grab.” Enter an exposure
time between 1 and 10 seconds, select “Dark Frame” “Also,” image size “Full High.” c. Using “Special Processing” will allow you to take the five images together. Set “Special
Processing” to “Auto Grab,” enter 5 exposures.d. Save the images as FITS files, with the name of the object, and a word to separate your
picture form others. You can either save the images to the desktop so you can email it to yourselves later (the laptops are connected to the internet) or save it to your FlashDrives. Everyone should get a copy of the images.
e. Click “OK” and do not to move the telescope while the camera is taking the images. f. Record the object you took the pictures of, and all other necessary information on the
sheet provided. Make sure you have a copy of the pictures, you will need them for the inclass processing. When the Roof TA stamps your sheet, you are free to go.
TLab 4: Exercise
Goal: Take an image of an object with three color filters
1. Set Up The Telescope and Camera and Find an Objecta. Using the steps outlined in The Camera, setup the camera.b. Using the steps outlined in TLab 2: Part 1, find an object and center it on the
computer screen. Remember that the telescope is in High Precision Mode.
2. Take the Red, Green, and Blue Color Imagesa. Select “Camera” “Grab,” set the exposure time to between 1 and 10 seconds, the “Dark
Frame” to “Also,” “Image Size” to “FullHigh” and for “Special Processing” select “Color Grab.”
b. Save the images as FITS files, with the name of the object, “color,” and a word to separate your picture form others. You can either save the images to the desktop so you can email it to yourself later (the laptops are connected to the Internet) or save it to your FlashDrives. Everyone should get a copy of the images.
c. Be very still while the camera takes all three images, and the dark frames.d. Record all the necessary information on the sheet provided, be sure everyone has a
copy of the images (you will need them for the inclass processing), and when the Roof TA stamps and collects your sheet, you are free to go.