ISGC contributes to successful
remote telescope program at U of I

An image of M17, a star-formation region, sometimes called the Swan Nebula, in the constellation Sagittarius, taken by Rigel, the third generation of remote telescope at the University of Iowa

From its beginnings in the early 1990s to the present day, the remote telescope program at the University of Iowa has evolved from demonstrating that an image could be produced to actually producing thousands of quality images, according to Robert Mutel, professor of physics and astronomy and director of the program. Through several grants from 1992 to 1996, the Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) played a significant role in funding the program in its formative stages.

One of the major goals of the program, now called the Iowa Robotic Telescope Facilities, has been to provide a connection between knowing how science is done and actually doing it. "Instead of working with an image in a workbook exercise, students in astronomy labs work with images they have obtained themselves," said Mutel. "This gives them a sense of ownership." This goal of making science more immediate has been consistent throughout the program.

When the Automated Telescope Facility (ATF) began during the 1990-91 academic year, anyone with Internet access could select, observe and analyze astronomical images. External educators, scientists and anyone with an interest in astronomy were allocated about 20% of total observing time, with the balance going to the University of Iowa. The fact that the telescope was automated greatly increased the number of observations that could be made. "In those days," said Mutel, "we were more concerned about actually producing the image: Would the hardware and software do what we wanted them to do?"

The Automated Telescope Facililty, the first remote telescope, on the roof of Van Allen Hall at the University of Iowa

Some of the major limitations of the ATF, located on the roof of Van Allen Hall on the University of Iowa campus, are the low number of clear nights in the Midwest, poor atmospheric seeing and sky brightness in an urban area, and the small aperture size of the telescope.

These limitations led to the next chapter in the evolution of the remote telescope program: the Iowa Robotic Observatory (IRO), located at Winer Observatory in southern Arizona, where the annual number of clear nights is more than 200. (As part of a cooperative ISGC grant with the University of Northern Iowa, Siobahn Morgan, UNI professor of astronomy, developed a lab manual in 1996 for introductory astronomy courses but not specifically to be used with the IRO.)

The Iowa Robotic Observatory, in service from 1998 to 2003, located at Winer Observatory in southern Arizona

Designed and built at the University of Iowa, the IRO was installed in the roll-off roof structure of the Winer Observatory in the fall of 1997, but at Christmas that year a fire caused by a welder working near highly flammable insulation resulted in computers, cameras and all of the IRO's electronics being shorted out. The damage was tallied at more than $20,000.

Funding for the repairs was pieced together, and less than one year later, in fall 1998, the IRO was once again ready for start up. Featuring a fully computerized telescope and enclosure, a large-format imaging CCD camera with photometric filters, the IRO operated successfully, producing 500-700 images per night, until September 2003, when ownership was transferred to the Winer Observatory, which uses it for observing near-Earth objects.

Rigel, a 37 cm f/14 classical Cassegrain reflector, located at Winer Observatory

The third generation of telescopes is Rigel, a research-quality instrument now in its second year of operation. Also located at the Winer Observatory, the Rigel is a 37 cm f/14 classical Cassegrain reflector. Although smaller than the IRO, it produces higher quality images and a higher volume of images. The Rigel is completely robotic and is scheduled in advance at a central control facility at the University of Iowa. Per year, the Rigel telescope serves about 700 users and produces some 60,000 images. Use is now limited to University of Iowa students, due to time and cost constraints. Because the telescope's high productivity does not compensate for the lack of hands-on experience, students are still required to do exercises with binoculars and telescopes on the roof of Van Allen Hall.

"Over the last 10 years," Mutel reflected, "we seem to have found our niche. At first our focus was on students in large non-major astronomy courses, but many of these students were not as interested in doing research as we had hoped. Gradually, we have shifted the focus to juniors and seniors who are astronomy majors. For this high-level, energetic and motivated group, the robotic telescope has given them their own instrument to do original, publication-quality research."

The IRO, the telescope supported by the ISGC, was only in service for five years, but with technology of this type, a limited lifespan is not unexpected, according to Mutel. "What's important to remember is that this is an evolutionary process," he said. "What you learn from one generation of an instrument you apply to the next one."

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