telescope-net.com

Frequently Asked Questions

1.	What is the difference between a "faster" request and a "better" request?
2.	I use ACP. How do I plug my telescope in?
3.	I don't use ACP. How do I plug my telescope in?
4.	What is a telescope network?
5.	What telescope networks are currently defined?
6.	How do I submit a request for an image?
7.	What happens when I request an image?
8.	More soon...

Question 1.	What is the difference between a "faster" request and a "better" request?
Answer	When submitting an observation request, you will in some cases be asked to choose whether the observation should be "faster" or "better". A value of "faster" requests that this observation be scheduled as early as possible. Additionally, the Moon must lie a certain minimum angular distance from the target object. This distance varies with the Moon's phase and can be up to 20 degrees if the Moon is full. Formally, the separation of the target object from the Moon must exceed x degrees, where x = 20 / ( 1 + (( 2 (1 - phase)) ^ 2 ) )* and phase is the phase of the Moon, varying from 0 (new Moon), to 1 (full Moon). A value of "better" requests that this observation be scheduled as close to transit (i.e., as high in the sky) as possible. A minimum altitude of 30 degrees is required, and the Moon must be below the horizon.

Question 2.	I use ACP. How do I plug my telescope in?
Answer	First, we need to know some information about your telescope. In particular, we need: The telescope's location (latitude, longitude, and approximate altitude), A URI to access the telescope's ACP interface; e.g., https://my.domain.name.com/ This can be either http or https. Because using ACP requires authentication credentials to be passed over the network, https is preferred where possible. The username and password of an ACP account on your telescope. The system will use this account to attempt to connect to your telescope. The ACP version you use. The aperture size and type of mount that your telescope uses. Any declination limits that might apply to your telescope. Horizon limit of your telescope (altitude or zenith angle). Our system can accommodate horizons which vary with azimuth if necessary. Any T-point parameters which you might like to apply to your observations. Pointing modelling is typically handled in recent versions of ACP, so this is usually not necessary. Our system was developed when this was not the case, however, and as such retains the capacity to use T-point parameters if required. Estimates of the maximum slew speed of your telescope on each axis. This information can assist in optimising schedules generated for your telescope. Any minimum or maximum exposure times you'd like to enforce (larger values might cause trailing, for instance). The image scale you will be using (e.g., arcsec per pixel). This information is useful for the automated image analysis system, and particularly for "calibration" observations. More soon...

Question 3.	I don't use ACP. How do I plug my telescope in?
Answer	At the moment, telescope-net only supports ACP for telescope control. However, if your telescope has a reasonable, web-accessible interface then there is no reason that this cannot be supported. This sort of integration is not trivial, so you might need to make a case as to why we should support your interface - you might also need to be willing to alpha- and beta-test the system with your telescope. That said, we're committed to making this system as available as we reasonably can, so don't be afraid to ask us!

Question 4.	What is a telescope network?
Answer	A telescope network is a logical association or grouping of telescopes. Telescopes comprising a given network usually have something in common, such as general type (e.g., small fields of view), access restrictions (e.g., public or private), or purpose (e.g., development or testing networks). Observing requests submitted to a particular network can potentially be serviced by any member telescope. Additionally, requests initially allocated to one member may be automatically reallocated to a different telescope in the network.

Question 5.	What telescope networks are currently defined?
Answer	Currently-defined telescope networks are as follows:
	>> Network "standard":This network is the network for public use. It consists of telescopes with medium- to wide-field cameras (with fields typically some tens of arcminutes across).
	>> Network "testcities":No real telescopes here. This network is for testing and debugging SAROS software, so we can test that everything works correctly for telescopes placed anywhere in the world.
	>> Network "usq":This network is for use by users from the University of Southern Queensland. At the moment, the USQ network will also service requests submitted to the standard network, but at a lower priority. USQ users should select the usq network, so that their requests are given the highest priority.
	>> Network "development":A development network, for commissioning of telescopes and associated systems.

Question 6.	How do I submit a request for an image?
Answer	Go here. This page lists the methods available to you for submitting requests. Please click on one of the links on that page and proceed from there.

Question 7.	What happens when I request an image?
Answer	When a request is submitted, it initially passes through a "planning" phase, taking up to a minute, after which it will be processed by the scheduler (this may take up to five minutes). The request will then be built in to the current schedule. You can examine current schedules by clicking here. Your request will be observed some time after that (possibly as little as ten minutes after that), then retrieved from the remote telescope, analysed and an image emailed to you. You can log in to the website to see your image in various formats and sizes, including FITS, JPEG and possibly a KMZ archive for viewing in Google Earth.