2007/04/18 by Masahiro Suganuma, M. Suganuma, Y. Kobayashi +15 · 6 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing #Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Cloud computing #Infrared #Infrared telescope #Sky #Telescope #Thermal infrared #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/518697
published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 119(855), 567-582 (Institute of Physics) · 18 pages, 15 figures, 7 tables, accepted for publication in PASP
arxiv created 2007/04/18 · openalex publication_date 2007/05/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We present the most successful infrared cloud monitor for a robotic telescope. This system was originally developed for the MAGNUM 2-m telescope, which has been achieving unmanned and automated monitoring observation of active galactic nuclei at Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Maui since 2001. Using a thermal imager and two aspherical mirrors, it at once sees almost the whole sky at a wavelength of λ∼ 10μ\rm m. Its outdoor part is weather-proof and is totally maintenance-free. The images obtained every one or two minutes are analysed immediately into several ranks of weather condition, from which our automated observing system not only decides to open or close the dome, but also selects what types of observations should be done. The whole-sky data accumulated over four years show that 50-60 % of all nights are photometric, and about 75 % are observable with respect to cloud condition at Haleakala. Many copies of this system are now used all over the world such as Mauna Kea in Hawaii, Atacama in Chile, and Okayama and Kiso in Japan.