TOAST Transient Object Automated Search Telescope

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TOASTTransient Object Automated Search Telescope

• Timothy Young
• Tricia Johnson
• Chris Milford
• Rob Czapiewski
• Department of Physics
• Michael Sprengeler
• Concordia

Lohit Gaddampolly Department of Computer Science
Michael Gerszewski Ryan Kramer Space Studies
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Funding

• Faculty Start-up
• NASA (match Provost, Physics and Space Studies)
• AAS (American Astronomical Society)
• Dakota Science Center
• Physics
• Space Studies

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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.

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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.

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ST-7e 765 x 510 pixels 390,000 6.9 x 4.6 mm
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Software
Provides connection to telescope
Provides connection to camera
Coordinates actions of CCDSoft and TheSky
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Up on the roof at Witmer
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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

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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.

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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 Dewars Lab.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.
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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.

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Timeline

• March 2002 - We install all programs.
• We install VNC
• We get Hacked and virus
• We load a firewall

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Telescope

• Meade LX200 10 telescope f/6.3
• Limiting magnitude 16.5 - 17.0
• SBIG ST-7E CCD
• FOV size (10X15)
• CFW-8 filter wheel
• Johnson BVRI

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Timeline

• June 2002 AAS - 10 GPS scope arrives
• July 2002 Sent back to Meade.
• August 2002 Doesnt work with Dome software.
  Board for dome gets sent back
• .During scope test condensation needed to be
  removed. Dew Zapper.

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Timeline

• November 2002Finally 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.

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

1. No insulation
2. A small heater never heats up
3. No bathroom
4. No water
5. Equivalent to a research station in Antarctica

You turn into an elf
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Motivation

• Why do this?
• There are other, bigger telescopes that do this.
• But there is nothing like having your own.

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

• Originally to automatically obtain follow-up
  observations on Minor Planets
• Now Search for other transients Supernovae,
  Novae, Comets, and gamma-ray bursts.

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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
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Galatea-74
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SN 1999em
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Gamma-ray Bursts
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Student Involvement -digital image
analysis -computer programming -astronomy -problem
solving
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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.

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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.

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Closing remarks

• Reactions to TOAST
• Michael Meyer Steward Observatory UofA
• We dont even do that at Kitt Peak, its 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