Stephen F. Austin State University Observatory

Getting in

• Obtain the keys for the gate and the classroom from Dr. Downing.
• Obtain the security code for the classroom from either Dr. Bruton or Dr. Markworth.

• Unlock and open the dome door. Secure the door with the bungie cord to prevent the wind from slamming the door.
• Immediately upon entering the dome, there will be a set of light switches to the right. The first light switch turns on the red footlights inside the dome, the middle controls the floodlights outside the dome, and the light switch furthest from the door turns on the white lights inside the dome.

• Find the ratchet system found along the wall to open the dome.
• Unlock the dome by turning the knob on the latch until it comes loose (occasionally you may need to tighten the dome opening for the latch to come off).
• Turn the ratchet until the dome is open.
• Leave the ratchet in a upward position such that it will not interfere with the dome rotation's gear system.

• The wall switches inside the dome control from left to right:
  

  Telescope	Nothing	Computers	White Lights	Foot Lights

  
  
• Take off the lens cap. It is a plastic cover on 18-inch telescope.
• Take off the two finderscope lens caps. Set them on the computer box so they don't come crashing down when the telescope is moved.

• Get the CCD Camera from the basement. There is a pull string to the right upon entering that turns on the lights.
  
• The camera mounts to the telescope with three bolts (filter wheel to top).
• Tighten the bolts with the ratchet.
  
• Connect the phone cable to the filter wheel.
  
  Connecting the Cooling Fluid to the Camera
  • Carefully connect the cooling fluid tubes to the back of the camera. These are easily broken.
  • Push in the metal tabs and slide the plastic ends of the cooling tubes into the slots in the back of the camera.
  • Power up the liquid cooling unit with switch on back of the unit.
  • IMPORTANT! Turn on cooling system BEFORE connecting the camera to the computer.
    
  • Power up the computer with the center wall switch and the telescope with the left-most wall switch.
  • Connect the 37-pin communications cable to the right side of the photometrics CPU.
  • The power switch is on the right side.
    
    

Power off	Power on

• The diagram below shows the setup of the computers in the computer box.

• The power strip on the west side of the telescope mounting connects the coolant lines and the power to the CPU, and power the red light that illuminates the crosshairs in the finderscope.

• The SBIG Tracking Camera Control CPU is a small box on the telescope mounting.
• Press INTERRUPT to get "HELLO."
• Hit MENU to select an item. Hit ADJUST to change to the settings until they are as listed below.
  
  
  • EA - Exposure Adjust = 0.5
  • b = 1
  • bA = A
  • SA = 10
  • FL = S
  • C1 = 20
  • C2 = 20
  • H1 = 0
  • H2 = 0
  • AA = 1
  • AL = 1
  
  
• Hit MENU to move to the next item.

• On the left computer in the ITAS program, turn tracking on (click the bubble next to Tracking On. It's on the left side of the screen).
• Choose an object to move the telescope to by highlighting one on the list under the tabs labeled Bright Stars, User Defined, Minor Planet, and Deep Sky.
• Click Slew To.
• Once the telescope has finished moving to the object, use the hand paddle to center it.
• IMPORTANT! If the telescope appears to reach its limits, shut off the power to the telescope with the switch on the wall.
• Hit the Clear Filter button under Filter Wheel on the left side of the screen.

• The 6 by 30 finderscope is aligned with the 18-inch telescope.
• The 8 inch finderscope and its finderscope are adjustable.

• The controls on the hand paddle are explained at the following website:
  http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/observatory/41-inch/PADDLE.HTM
  • The hand paddle to the 18-inch telescope is the same as the hand paddle to the 41-inch telescope with one exception. On the right side of the 18-inch telescope hand paddle is the switch that controls the dome rotation.
  • Flip the switch up to rotate the dome counterclockwise.
  • Flip the switch down to rotate the dome clockwise.
• Using the hand paddle, center the star in the finderscope.
• Adjust the brightness of the red light to illuminate the crosshairs of the finderscope. It is plugged into the telescope mounting and has a switch to vary the brightness on the plug.

• Set Exposure time.
  • For really bright objects such as bright stars, use a 0.2 to 1 second exposure.
  • For fainter objects use a 5 to 10 second exposure.
• Click Expose to take a picture.
• Check the box next to Exposure Loop to keep taking pictures.
• Observe your exposure on the CCD monitor.

• On the hand paddle, hit the upper right to start focusing.
  
• Set the speed switch at the bottom of the hand paddle to Set (the middle setting) to begin focusing.
• Set it to Slew (the right setting) to fine-tune it.
• Use the N and S buttons to focus.
• To exit the focus mode, either click Exit on ITAS on the left computer or hit the upper left hand paddle button.

• Open TheSky on the left computer.
• Right click in the black space and click Find. Or, Hit Ctrl + F.
• Select object.
• Hit Find.
• Hit the green telescope button at the bottom of the box to slew to the object.
• Confirm the slew by clicking OK.
• Once TheSky slew finishes, go to the ITAS screen.
• On ITAS, click Read TheSky Coordinates.

• On the 8-inch telescope, flip the mirror from camera to eyepiece and find a bright star in the field of view.
• Use adjustment screw to redirect finderscope to center the star. There is a screw on the side and one on the back of the telescope. The one on the side is hard to grip.
• Take a dark frame by clicking the Dark Frame button on the SBIG Tracking CPU.
• Hit the Find and Focus button on the SBIG Tracking CPU. Wait for it to display a number greater than 10.
• Put the hand paddle speed switch into Slew mode (the right setting).
• Turn off all the lights. Hit Calibrate Drive on the SBIG Tracking CPU. Do not move and especially do not touch the cables.
• Hit Track on the SBIG Tracking CPU.
• Take a 30 second exposure to make sure tracking is set.
• The stars will be circular dots if the tracking is set. Otherwise the stars will show up as an elongated oval or a line.
• If tracking is not set correctly, hit Interrupt, then Calibrate Drive.
• After tracking is set, the telescope is ready to take long exposures up to 480 seconds (8 minutes).

• After you take an exposure, click Save on the right side of the right computer screen.
  
• Take dark frame with same exposure time by clicking Dark on the left side of the screen.
• Click Save on the right side of the screen.

• Turn on lights around telescope by plugging them into the powerstrip at the base of the telescope mounting.
• Take the artist's easel and climb up on the mounting to get in front of the telescope.
• Hold the artist's easel in front of the telescope and take a short exposure (only a few seconds long).
• Save the flat field by clicking Save on the right side of the screen.

• Don't lean on the telescope.
• Don't touch or pull on cables.
• Rotate the dome before exposures so the camera doesn't take pictures of the inside of the dome.