Robotic Telescopes - Help File
Scroll down this page to find the help you require.
A specialised camera used in modern astronomical telescopes to photograph the night sky. All the light gathered by the telescope falls onto a micro-chip only the size of a postage stamp. These chips are Charged Coupled Devices, also known as CCD chips, and are extremely expensive.
The CCD chip used in the Liverpool Telescope digital camera uses a 2048 by 2048 pixel array (4,194,304 pixels in total). Each pixel being a light sensitive element.
Astronomical images contain a lot more information than normal images on computers, such as those you see on webpages. In order to store all this information, a special computer file format has been created called the FITS file (which stands for Flexible Image Transport System).
Section of the Schools' Observatory website where schools enter requests to observe a chosen object in the night sky using one of the Schools' Observatory Telescopes.
On these pages of the NSO website you can also check to see if your request has been carried out and download your image data when it is ready.
A database of all the objects the NSO telescopes can observe in the night sky.
The database is updated all the time as new objects are added for schools to observe.
All the necessary information a computer needs to display a digital telescope picture and all the important data needed for scientific analysis.
Computer software necessary for display and analysis of telescope image data. Image processing software provides the user with many tools for displaying telescope images (image data) to best advantage and providing a means of accurate measurement for analytical purposes.
The Liverpool Telescope (LT) is a professional astronomical telescope commissioned by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). It is a research instrument looking into the mysteries of novae and supernovae (exploding stars), gamma ray bursts (the greatest known sources of energy in the Universe), extra solar planets (search for earth-like planets) and much more . . .
It is located high on an extinct volcano on the island of La Palma in the Canary Isles.
Special image processing software written by Liverpool John Moores University for schools to display and analyse telescope image data. Only available to schools registered with the National Schools' Observatory.
A computer language used to control the 'Virtual' Liverpool Telescope which is a software simulation of the JMU Liverpool Telescope. The software (LTRobot) is available to all schools registering with the National Schools Observatory.
The language uses a lot of the key features of Logo and like this control language you can build procedures to perform tasks, use variables, loops and conditional statements.
Computer data files that represent the night sky use a file name coded in the following way:
lt (Liverpool Telescope) 97 (year) 11 (11th month) 13 (13th day) _ 18 (1800 hrs)
An archive containing all the image data gathered by the JMU Liverpool Telescope that has been requested by schools.
Image data associated with an observing programme has a six month proprietary period. During this time a school has sole access but after this period it is placed in the NSO Image Data Archive for all registered schools to use.
A number of observations made with a telescope to discover something new about how the universe works.
A telescope observing schedule is the sequence of observations carried out by a robotic telescope.
If conditions, such as the clarity of the atmosphere, change during the night the observing schedule is altered automatically and substitution observations made.
Provides limited access to the Schools' Observatory Telescopes to request observations of planets, comets, asteroids and other interesting objects in the Universe beyond. This password also gives access to the NSO Image Data Archive.
The student password can also be used to find out if an observing request has been carried out and to download the resulting telescope image data.
The password used by teachers to communicate requests for observations using the Schools' Observatory Telescopes.
The teacher password also provides access to the complete range of observations available through the Go Observing pages of the NSO website.
This password also gives access to the NSO Image Data Archive.
Telescope Management Centre (TMC)
A Telescope Management Centre manages the operation of a telescope.
Two-way communication between the TMC and telescope is carried out using the internet. The TMC oversees applications from astronomers to use the telescope and the day to day running of the instrument. The centre also ensures maintenance is carried out and that any faults are diagnosed and corrected.
The TMC monitors the operation of the telescope in real-time via the internet and in many cases can correct faults remotely. If not an engineer is sent to the telescope itself.
The TMC for the JMU Liverpool Telescope is at Liverpool John Moores University.
Required before requests for observations, monitoring status of requests and downloading of image data can be accomplished.
A suffix is added to your allocated User name to distinguish between Student and Teacher.
A further suffix is added if if you wish to have more than one student or teacher user.
For example if your User name is xxxxxxxx000 then:
- adding t indicates a teacher User name
- adding s - indicates a student User name
A User name, such as xxxxxxxx000s4, indicates one of the "additional" student users (number 4 in this case).
NSO software simulation of the Liverpool Telescope demonstrating control and operation of a robotic telescope. This NSO software (LTRobot) is available to all schools registering with the National Schools Observatory.
