ATM Fwd: Online Telescope Article Website

[Asaf Shtull-Trauring <astropal@yahoo.com>]

Check this out everybody!


> CLEVELAND (AP) -- Those with a favorite spot in space can now capture
> that image by accessing and operating an 8-ton robotic telescope. 
> 
> 
> On Dec. 15, Case Western Reserve University's telescope went online,
> allowing amateur and professional astronomers to ask for specific
images
> of celestial bodies. 
> 
> 
> ``To our knowledge, it's the only one the general public will have
access
> to. There were others, but they are no longer online,'' said Earle
Luck,
> chairman of the school's astronomy department. 
> 
> 
> Astronomers can have free access to the telescope by filling out a
form
> on the university's Web site. They must provide the name of the
celestial
> body, exposure time and if they want colored filters to be used. After
> the pictures are taken at the Nassau Astronomical Station, they are
> automatically sent via e-mail to those who requested them. 
> 
> 
> No images of the moon or sun are allowed because they are too bright
and
> can damage the telescope. The equipment can focus on faraway stars but
> isn't designed yet to take snapshots of planets or comets. 
> 
> 
> Processing requests can take anywhere from days to months, depending
on
> how many people ask for images and how difficult they are to obtain,
> according to directions on the Web site. Fifteen percent of the
observing
> time will be devoted to the public, 20 percent to secondary schools
and
> the rest is for Case Western faculty and students, Luck said. 
> 
> 
> The 36-inch telescope sat idle for more than a decade before Luck
came up
> with the idea three years ago for its current use. The astronomy
> department spent more than $200,000, some from private donors, to
> modernize it and get the computer system running. 
> 
> 
> When all goes well, teachers will be able to introduce their
students to
> the mysteries of the universe through the telescope and not just
through
> books, Luck said. 
> 
> 
> But the location of the observatory could affect how many requests are
> processed. The telescope is perched high on a hill in Geauga County
just
> east of Chardon, a traditional snowbelt area. 
> 
> 
> The telescope starts operating after an outside camera indicates
that it
> has kept the North Star in sight for 30 minutes straight, meaning the
> weather is clear. The weather is monitored every two minutes because
> humidity, rain, snow, extreme cold or winds of 40 mph can damage the
> telescope's mirrors. 
> 
> 
> It has an electronic device to melt snow automatically. 
> 
> 
> Next year, Luck plans to add a spectograph, which measures the speed,
> temperature and chemical combustion of stars. 
> 
> 
> Telescope Web site: http://astrwww.astr.cwru.edu 

==
----------------------------------------

Asaf Shtull-Trauring, Amateur Astronomer



http://www.maxnm.com/asaf/
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