The Montsec Astronomical Observatory: a 0.8-m robotic telescope in Catalonia (Spain)
D. Fernández1,2, J. Isern3, X. Palau4, J. Torra2,3
1
Consorci del Montsec, Plaça Major 1, E 25691 Àger (Lleida), Spain
Dep. d’Astronomia i Meteorologia, Univ. de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, E 08028 Barcelona, Spain
3 Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya, Gran Capità 2-4 (Edifici Nexus), E 08034 Barcelona, Spain
4 Fundació Joan Oró, Travessera de les Corts 272, E 08014 Barcelona, Spain
2
The Montsec Astronomical Observatory (Observatori Astronòmic del Montsec, OAM) is the research infrastructure of the Montsec Astronomical Park (Parc
Astronòmic Montsec, PAM). The PAM is a project pioneered by the Consorci del Montsec, an institution run by the Catalan government. The OAM is located at 1570m height at the Montsec mountain, 50 km South of the central Pyrenees, in the province of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain). The Observatory location was chosen after a
site-testing campaign. The OAM is endowed with the first robotical telescope in Catalonia (0.8-m), installed in March 2004. The post-focus instrumentation at a first
stage is a 2048 x 2048 CCD camera. The Observatory management is conducted through the TALON software, which runs the telescope and the dome, as well as the
weather station and the GPS. The OAM is also equipped with a storm-detector, which evaluates the risk of lightning, and an energy generation system, which feeds
the whole building. The OAM scientific programme will be extensive, embracing variable star observation, solar-type star activity monitoring, extrasolar planet
search, novae and supernovae follow-up and transient phenomena observation, among others.
The PAM project
Site testing
The PAM project
Site testing campaigns (1999-2002)
• The Montsec Astronomical Observatory (OAM) is the research infrastructure of the
Montsec Astronomical Park (PAM).
Seeing
• Seeing and atmospheric extinction observations from
CCD camera images and photometer measurements.
• Values of the seeing between 0.6 and 1.8”.
• Extinction coefficient in V of 0.22 and 0.31 in B.
• The project is led by the Consorci del Montsec, an institution run by the Catalan
government.
• The project also includes a museum (the so-called COU) devoted to the astronomy and
geology teaching.
• The PAM is placed at the very best location for astronomical observation in Catalonia:
the Montsec mountain (at 1570-m height), in the province of Lleida, about 50 km at South
of the central Pyrenees.
Light pollution
• Light pollution derived from CCD absolute photometry
Artificial night sky brightness in Catalonia and OAM
in V,B Johnson bands.
• Sky brightness at zenith of 22.0 mag arcsec-2.
• 1st stage: starting-up of a 0.8-m robotical telescope.
• At a height of 45°, between 21.5 and 20.6 mag
arcsec-2.
• 2nd stage: construction of a larger telescope (around 1.5-2.0-m).
location. Colours correspond to ratios between the
artificial sky brightness and the natural sky
brightness of: <0.11 (black), 0.11-0.33 (blue), 0.33-1
(green), 1-3 (yellow), 3-9 (orange), >9 (red). From
Cinzano et al. 2000, MNRAS 318, 641.
• The OAM location is protected by a light pollution law
of the Catalan Parliament.
Funds
Weather
FEDER
FEDER
European
European
Union
Union
DURSI
DURSI
Catalonia
Catalonia
Government
Government
• Automatic weather station installed in 1999, obtaining
data every 30 minutes.
Investment
4 M€
OAM
1.5 M€
• Humidity is below 80% (90%) the 64% (77%) of the
time. 81% of useful astronomical nights.
COU
2.5 M€
• Nocturnal temperature between –(10-5)°C (winter)
and 20-25°C (summer).
InterReg IIIA
IIIA
InterReg
European
European
Union
Union
Own funds
funds
Own
Consorci
Consorci
del Montsec
Montsec
del
• Wind speed always below 15 m s-1 (mean gusts).
• 84% of time with cloudless sky.
Sky brightness at the OAM location. The sky was
divided in segments of 15º in azimuth and altitude.
The zenith is at the centre of the image, whereas
the horizon is at the border.
Instrumentation and building
Building
Telescope
• Observation
area:
6.15-m robotic dome.
• Working area: control
room, workshop, store
and power supply area.
• Services: rooms for
astronomers, kitchen,
classroom and stores
(2nd stage) .
T-80 main characteristics
• Optics: Ritchey-Chrètien at f/9.6 and λ/16
(OTA).
• Image quality (at 500 nm): 80% (90%)
encircled energy diameter <0.7 arcsec (<0.9
arcsec).
• Mechanical tracking error: <0.005 arcsec
sec-1.
• Focus resolution: <6 µm per step. Focus
variations due to temperature changes
automatically corrected.
Post-focus instrumentation and support systems
• Standard pointing accuracy: better than 5
arcsec.
• Filter wheel: robotically controlled, 12
position, 3-inch filters (U, V, B, R, I JohnsonCousins).
Post-focus instrumentation
• Maximum slew velocity: >10 deg sec-1.
• Unvignetted FOV of 27 arcmin.
CCD camera: FLI IMG42-40
• 2048 x 2048 back illuminated.
• FOV: 12.4 x 12.4 arcmin.
• 13.5-µm pixel.
• 0.36 arcsec pixel-1.
FLI IMG42-40 CCD camera.
Support systems
• Server, router, workstation, PCs.
• Detector of lightning phenomena.
• Radio link for broad-band Internet
access (10 Mbps).
• Automatic backup devices.
• Weather stations.
• GPS
• Telescope software: TALON.
10-Mbps radio link.
Science case
Astronomy
Meteorology
• Stellar variability.
• Novae.
• Compact objects.
• Stellar outbursts.
• Atmospheric CO2.
• Solar-type stars, activity cycles.
• Supernovae.
• Gamma-ray bursts.
• Transitory phenomena.
• O3 layer.
• Extrasolar planet search.
• Solar System objects.
• Stellar evolution: last stages.
• Active galaxy nuclei.
• UV solar radiation.
Teaching
Popularizing astronomy