TOASTTransient Object Automated

Search Telescope

Timothy Young

Tricia Johnson

Chris Milford

Rob Czapiewski

Department of PhysicsMichael Sprengeler

Concordia

Lohit Gaddampolly

Department of Computer Science

Michael Gerszewski

Ryan Kramer

Space Studies

Funding

• Faculty Start-up

• NASA (match Provost, Physics and Space Studies)

• AAS (American Astronomical Society)

• Dakota Science Center

• Physics

• Space Studies

Briefly what TOAST is

• 10” MEADE telescope

• Dome – Robo-dome

• Camera – CCD ST-7e Santa Barbara Instrumentation Group

• Filter Wheel – BVRI, clear

• Software – TheSky, CCDsoft, DDW, Orchestrate, Lohit-Young software.

Timeline

• November 2000 – Toast originally was two telescopes combined in a roll-off roof. The proposal was rejected.

• April 2001 - CCD Camera and filter wheel purchased.

• Summer 2001 - REU – 8” Meade telescope on top of Witmer. Michael Sprengeler.

• Software – control telescope, camera, and new software to automate the system.

ST-7e

765 x 510 pixels

390,000

6.9 x 4.6 mm

Software

Provides connection to telescope

Provides connection to camera Coordinates

actions of CCDSoft and

TheSky

Up on the roof at Witmer

Timeline

• August 2001 – first test of automation mode.

• 60 asteroids were observed in a single night.

• Some in multiple filters.

• Second test (next night)– focuser went out.

• Ended the testing

Timeline

• Summer 2001 – contracted concrete foundation and concrete pier.

• Design the metal pier.

• No money for power and ethernet cables, which had to wait until spring.

Side View

40”

To Trailer

2 ½ feet

½ foot

4 ½ feet

Robo-dome Dome

Robo-Dome base

Concrete Foundation (to be constructed)

Concrete base (to be constructed)

Concrete Base(Width 4-5 inches)

Top View

10 feet

10 feet

Power Cable& Ethernet

50”

Concrete Foundation

Telescope pier:Concrete 12 foot with 12” diameter

Timeline

• September 2001- Redesign base. Trips to Witmer basement. Designing a mount without seeing the wedge that sits on it.

• October 2001 – Dome arrives. Where to put it? PSO was not ready, so Graeme Dewar’s Lab.

ROBO-DOME™ from Technical Innovations, Inc.

• Dome automation with be through Digital Domeworks

• Specifications

Works in cold climates (Fairbanks, Alaska)

Slaves to telescope, fits up to 10” Meade

About 4 ½ Feet in Height

About the same in Diameter

Timeline

• January 2002, Money for the cables, but had the work order in since Dec.

• In April I call, never got it. • In May they say they are booked until

October.• I call and say we need it immediately, we

get a break and it is completed over the summer.

Timeline

• Nov 2001 – present: Dome testing. • Dome computer board was sent back twice.

Relay problem

Software incompatibility• Dome Azimuth gear wore out.• Dome 2 modes of operation, not working.• Company changed ownership. UND had gotten

the last Robo-dome from the original owner.

Timeline

• February 2002 – present: Computer

• 1.8 GHz Pentium IV

• (2) 60 GB HD

• 256 SDRAM

• Projected image down load – 500KB 60 images 5 filters. Fill both drives in 3 months.

Connections:

Camera – Parallel port

Telescope – serial port

Dome – serial port

Webcam – USB

Ethernet – card

Problem – needed to turn off some appliances.

Firecracker – remote power switches

But needed serial ports.

Timeline

• February 2002 - Automation: Needed a program to run the other programs and organize an observing run.

• Lohit is hired to write software. It access an object database of 88,000 and organizes an observing run based on time rises, sets, limiting magnitude. Then places the data into an appropriate folder at the initiation of the observing run. Lowel Obs.

Timeline

• March 2002 - We install all programs.

• We install VNC

• We get Hacked and virus

• We load a firewall

Telescope

• Meade LX200 10” telescope f/6.3– Limiting magnitude –

16.5 - 17.0

• SBIG ST-7E CCD– FOV size (10’X15’)

• CFW-8 filter wheel

Johnson BVRI

Timeline

• June 2002 – AAS - 10” GPS scope arrives

• July 2002 – Sent back to Meade.

• August 2002 – Doesn’t work with Dome software. Board for dome gets sent back

• .During scope test condensation needed to be removed. Dew Zapper.

Trailer

Tree 18 inch

16 inch

TOAST

Gate

Proposed Site:

1View of the South 2Not too close to road

PSO Grounds layout

Timeline

• November 2002:Finally everything is at the observatory. Barely fits.

• Computer needs keyboard…. But also monitor?

• As we change out equipment and do checks we take off the dome. The synthetic fiber track falls off. The top dome part comes back to Witmer and re-glued.

On cold winter nights in the observatory trailer– this is what happens

You turn into an elf

1) No insulation

2) A small heater – never heats up

3) No bathroom

4) No water

5) Equivalent to a research station in Antarctica

Motivation

Why do this?

There are other, bigger telescopes that do this.

But there is nothing like having your own.

TOAST First Light Image(remote) Thursday February 27, 2003

Purpose

Originally: to automatically obtain follow-up observations on Minor Planets

Now: Search for other transients – Supernovae, Novae, Comets, and gamma-ray bursts.

Goals

Procedure: 1) Obtain asteroid information from MPC

2) Observe critical/follow-up asteroids

3) Astrometry and Mag. (also bands)

4) Send data back to MPC

Research telescope – transient objects

Faculty and students

Galatea-74

SN 1999em

Gamma-ray Bursts

Student Involvement

-digital image analysis

-computer programming

-astronomy

-problem solving

Sequence of events

• During the day TOAST calculates an observing schedule

• Comes online 1 hour after sunset.

• Lohit-Young program sent to Orchestrate

• Downloads to local computer

• 1 hour before sunset the system shuts off.

• Morning student identifies transient objects.

Discovery Algorithms

• Automation to be determined:

• How to put in a repeat observations

• How to analyze the data in real time.

• Send out email for new object.

Closing remarks• Reactions to TOAST

Michael Meyer Steward Observatory UofA“We don’t even do that at Kitt Peak, it’s too hard”

Alex Filippenko UC-Berkeley“That is really neat, I need pictures of this”

Dr. Granzio UofChicago “There are not many of these around, you need to get on the

HETE first alert system”