Robotic Design of the Montsec Astronomical Observatory
J.Colomé1, D.Fernández2,3, J.Isern1,4, X.Palau5, J.Torra1,2, F.J.Castander1,4, F.Figueras1,2, E.García-Berro1,6,
C.Jordi1,2, X.Luri1,2, I.Ribas1,4
1Institut
d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), Gran Capità 2-4 (Edifici Nexus), 08034 Barcelona
d’Astronomia i Meteorologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av.Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona
3Consorci del Montsec, Plaça Major 1, 25691 Àger (Lleida)
4Instituto de Ciencias del Espacio (CSIC), Gran Capità 2-4 (Edifici Nexus), 08034 Barcelona
5Fundació Joan Oró, Travessera de les Corts 272, 08014 Barcelona
6Escola Politècnica Superior de Castelldefels, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Av.Canal Olímpic s/n, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona)
2Departament
During the coming months, the Astronomical Observatory of the Montsec is expected to begin routine operations. The observatory, located in a moutain
range at an altitude of 1570 m, hosts the largest telescope in Catalonia (Northeastern Spain), which has a diameter of 80 cm. The telescope and
instrumentation have recently begun their comissioning phases, after the design and construction stages have been completed. The primary guideline of the
project is common to all three development stages: to guarantee the telematic operation of the observatory to carry out astronomical observations. Most of
the routine work will be done either by remote or robotic control. Here we present the design devised to ensure a reliable and efficient system in these two
operational modes and a description of the instruments, the software and the main characteristics of the operation of the observatory.
REMOTE CONTROL
TELEMATIC
OPERATION
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ROBOTIC CONTROL
Main requirements for the telematic operation:
Astronomical instrumentation automatically controlled
Housekeeping instrumentation automatically controlled
Communication system that ensures the remote control
operation in real time and data interchange
Reliable and robust computer system for hardware and
processing control
Highly reliable security systems
T
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T
Housekeeping instrumentation - automatic control
Weather station (Davis): weather data logging
Ê Serial PC connection and software Talon
GPS Garmin: time base determination
Ê Serial PC connection and software Talon
Redundant weather station and GPS:weather and
time base data logging and checking with the main
devices data
Ê Serial PC connections and complementary
software
Power supply: monitored motor generator, batteries
and UPS for computers and dome shutter secure
closing
Ê Serial PC connections and complementary
software
Storm detector Previstorm: general switches
Ê Serial PC connection and complementary
software
T
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FLI CCD camera
Filter wheel
CSIMC boards
Telescope
DEC axis motor
Dome and
dome motor
control box
Davis weather station and radio link antenna
T
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Communication: radio link of 10Mbps bandwidth
Dome
BAADER
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RC08-OMI
Filter wheel
Flats light.
Astronomical instrumentation - automatic control
Telescope OMI RC08: RA and DEC axis movement, secondary mirror movement
for focusing, filter wheel movement for filter selection, primary mirror covers aperture
Ê Computer control through four ethernet connected CSIMC boards placed on the
telescope fork, one of them with serial connection with the computer, and using
software Talon
CCD camera FLI IMG42-40: cooling, shutter, image download and processing
Ê Computer control through USB connection and software Talon
Dome Baader Planetarium GMBH: aperture and azimuth slew
Ê Computer control through one of the CSIMC boards (TTL protocol for
communication) and using software Talon
Switch T
CCD-FLI
Previstorm
Computer control system:
Hardware: server, 3 PC’s (PC-OMI,
PC-Control, PC-Windows), router
Ê Simultaneous control through LAN
and complementary software
Software: Talon, main program, and
complementary software to ensure the
total robotization
T
Software requirements:
Instrumentation control
Astronomical observation process
control
Image processing and management
Internal and external users
communication
Security and alerts management
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WE-DAVIS
GPS-O
Observatori Astronòmic del Montsec
T
OMI
Windows
WE-SMC
Control
Server
UPS-W
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UPS-S
LAN
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Router
Switch
Power supply
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Amplify, Convert
Previstorm
Antenna RF
Connection devices diagram
T
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GPS Garmin
Talon:
Open source GNU (GPL) software
Linux-based software
Includes telescope scheduling algorithms,
observatory instrument control
(telescope, filter wheel, CCD camera,
dome, weather station, GPS receiver and
UPS unit), and image analysis
Written primarily in classic 'C', with some
components in Perl and csh script, GUI
interface for user-level applications
Based on OCAAS (Clear Sky Institute)
and enhanced by OMI
Talon GUI program, XObs
Talon data flow
Security of the observatory:
Redundant system to stop the telescope (switch T) and close the dome shutter
Electrical security (UPS units, lightning conductors, ground connection, storm detector (Previstorm),
monitoring power generator and batteries, automatically controlled switching systems)
Computer and communication system security
Redundant systems for housekeeping instrumentation (weather stations and GPS receivers)
More information at:
colome@ieec.fcr.es
http://www.montsec.info/