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 by pushing it all the way open.
• Immediately upon entering the dome, there will be a light switch to the right. This turns on the white lights in the dome.

• Climb up the ladder to the platform.
• Plug the electrical cord into the outlet near the floor.
• Press the open button.
• Crank the handle until the dome flap is 10 to 15 degrees above horizontal.
• Crank the handle the other direction until it clicks a couple of times to make sure it is locked.

• On Top
  • Take the cover off the 10-inch secondary mirror.
  • Fold the two wings of the top part of the 41-inch mirror cover over each other.
    • Fold them up over the trusses.
    • Secure the wings with bungee cords.
  • Do the same for the bottom part of the 41-inch mirror cover.
  • Take the lenscap off of the 8-inch finderscope. You will have to lean over the edge of the platform to do this. Use the telescope for balance.
  • IMPORTANT! Unplug the dome slit power cord and wrap it around the box. Secure the plug under the cord so it doesn't swing around when the telescope moves.
  
  
  
• On the Ground
  • Climb down the ladder.
  • Turn on the powerstrip next to the two monitors on the TV cart.
  • Look up at where the white telescope apparatus meets the round blue panel above the TV cart. The line on the apparatus should be in line with the rusty nail. If it is not aligned, use the hand paddle to correct it.
  • Look up at where the white telescope apparatus meets the blue telescope. There are two arrows. Make sure the arrows are aligned. If they are not, use the hand paddle to correct it.

• At the door of the control room, the right light switch control the white lights, and the left light switch controls the red lights.
• After you come in the door there is a large metal box to your left. There are three switches on the front of it. Flip the right-most and middle switches up to turn on the stepper motors for the focus, filters, X-Y, and RA-DEC.
• Turn on all the monitors.
• Turn on all computers.
• The password for all the computers is sfa.
• The light switch inside the control room turns on the white lights. The dial controls the brightness of the red lights.

• The picture below shows the setup of the computers in the computer room.

From left to right:
• Doorway
• Power switches to stepper motors
• On the Top Shelf:
  • Telescope monitor facing out into the dome through the sliding glass window
  • CCD camera monitor and computer
  • Two small TV monitors - these are replicas of the TV screens inside the dome: the top one shows what is seen through the 8-inch finderscope, the bottom through the 41-inch telescope
• On the Desk:
  • Telescope monitor and computer
  • Telescope keyboard and mouse
  • Red-bulbed lamp
  • CCD camera keyboard and mouse
  • CCD camera and monitor

• Turn tracking on (click the bubble next to Tracking On. It is on the left side of the screen).
• Click Load Mounting Position Coordinates. This is a gray button on the left side of the screen.
• Click OK.
• Click Slew To. This a gray button above Load Mounting Position Coordinates.
• Make sure that the cord is unplugged on top and that people are clear of the dome on top.
• Click the box next to Auto Dome. This is on the left side of the screen under tracking.

• Take off the eyepiece from the center of the 41-inch telescope.
• Screw the coupling of the camera onto the telescope positioned with the cables hanging down.
  • Push the camera until the flat surface is flush with the telescope.
  • Screw the coupling and be careful not to crossthread.
• Connect the phone cable to the camera.
• Connect the USB cord to the telescope. It does not go in all the way so wrap the cord around the side of the telescope to keep it secure.
• Put the safety chain into the side of the camera.
• Plug in the power cable.

• The controls on the hand paddle are explained at the following website:
  http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/observatory/41-inch/PADDLE.HTM
• You will use the hand paddle to center the star in the finderscope and the telescope.

• Click Move Time Sort.
• Click on the Bright Stars tab.
• Click on a bright star with an altitude of no less than 30.
• Click Slew To.
  
  
• Get the folding ladder.
• Look in the finderscope of the 8-inch telescope.
• Use the handpaddle to center the star in the crosshairs.
• Come down the ladder.
• Center the star in the circle overlay on the top monitor.
• Turn the GAIN knob on the telescope to adjust the contrast of the monitors.

• Click Establish Link with TheSky. This is a gray button 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.

• The CCD camera monitor, keyboard, and mouse are on the far right of the control room.
• Open the CCDOPS program.
• Click Setup to establish a link.
• Set the temperature regulation to Active, Setpoint = 0, and low resolution.
• Click OK.
• Click Filter (next to File at the top of the screen), then go down to Clear.
• Click Focus.
• Make exposure time 1 second.
• Click OK.
  
  
• Pass the handpaddle through the sliding window.
• Flip the switch to move the image from the outside monitor to the monitors inside the control room.
• Hit the right upper button on the handpaddle.
• Put the toggle switch at the bottom of the handpaddle on Set (middle) speed.
• Hit the N and S buttons on the handpaddle to focus the star. Watch the image focus on the CCD camera monitor.
• Exit Focus mode by clicking the X in the upper right corner.

• 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.

• Click Grab.
  • Exposure time - 10.
  • Dark frame - Also.
  • Image size - Full.
  • Exposure delay - 0.
  • Special Processing - Auto Grab.
  • Click OK.

• The color of the filter chosen is shown at the bottom right of the screen.
• Choose the different filters by clicking Filter, then going down to Clear, Red, Green, or Blue.
• When the filter is the following colors, multiply the number of seconds the exposure is by these factors:
  • Clear = 1
  • Red = 1
  • Green = 1.5
  • Blue = 3
• Take at least 10 exposures of each filter.
• Do a focus loop between filters and make sure the stars are in focus.
  • If they are not, click the right upper button on the handpaddle to focus them.
  • Use N and S buttons to focus.
  • Click the left upper button on the handpaddle to exit when the stars are in focus.
  • Close the focus box and click Grab.
  • Follow above procedure to resume taking images.
• Go into the barn for processing when you have finished taking exposures.

• Don't lean on the telescope.
• Don't touch or pull on cables.
• Move the ladder before moving the telescope so the telescope does not hit the ladder.

• Pick a direction and go perpendicular to it.
• Righty tighty, lefty fall on the groundy.