2006/08/15 by S. B. Cenko, S. Bradley Cenko, Derek B. Fox +23 · 246 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Computer hardware #Computer science #Embedded system #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Operating system #Physics #Pipeline (software) #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Real-time computing #Software #Telescope #Transient (computer programming) #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/508366
published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 118(848), 1396-1406 (Institute of Physics) · Accepted in PASP; 26 pages, 7 figures; high resolution version at http://www.srl.caltech.edu/~cenko/public/papers/p60.ps
arxiv created 2006/08/15 · openalex publication_date 2006/10/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We have converted the Palomar 60 inch (1.52 m) telescope from a classic night‐assistant‐operated telescope to a fully robotic facility. The automated system, which has been operational since 2004 September, is designed for moderately fast (t≲3 minutes) and sustained (R≲23 mag) observations of gamma‐ray burst afterglows and other transient events. Routine queue‐scheduled observations can be interrupted in response to electronic notification of transient events. An automated pipeline reduces data in real time, which is then stored on a searchable Web‐based archive for ease of distribution. We describe here the design requirements, hardware and software upgrades, and lessons learned from roboticization. We present an overview of the current system performance as well as plans for future upgrades.