On 8/29/01 8:01 AM, C14@... at C14@... wrote the
following:
My experience with unattended remote operation is that it is considerably
overhyped. Sure you can operate the telescope remotely with The Sky, CCDsoft,
kitchen sink, etc., but a local operator is still needed to do setup, make
equipment changes, deal with Murphy's laws, etc., ad nauseam. When I'm using
it, I constantly find myself wanting to or needing to be at the telescope.
I agree. The fellow who built the observatory I now direct built it on the
foundation of remote unattended operation, but even watching him from a
distance over the last few years, it was clear that he wasn't going to
achieve that goal. My objective for the current school year is to get the
facility tweaked and running as much as possible on a turnkey status, and
get students and teachers out there using it.
A few issues I've run into:
Balancing the tube on the paramount. The RA axis is no problem thanks to the
counterweights on the other end. What have people done as far as adding
counterweights to the tube itself to balance out the
camera/filterwheel/reducer, etc. on the other end? I have the tube slid as
far forward as possible in the mounting rings, and it's still way
overbalanced on the rear end.
Also, what are people using for pointers/guidescopes, and how do you have
them mounted?
-John
John Rummel
darksky25@...
The great tragedy of science -- the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an
ugly fact.
- Thomas Henry Huxley
