Prospects for satellite and space debris observations with Pi of the Sky

A. Ćwiek; T. Batsch; A. Majcher; L. Mankiewicz; G. Wrochna; A. Zadrożny; A. F. Żarnecki

doi:10.1117/12.2205923

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11 September 2015 Prospects for satellite and space debris observations with Pi of the Sky

A. Ćwiek, T. Batsch, A. Majcher, L. Mankiewicz, G. Wrochna, A. Zadrożny, A. F. Żarnecki

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Proceedings Volume 9662, Photonics Applications in Astronomy, Communications, Industry, and High-Energy Physics Experiments 2015; 96621E (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2205923
Event: XXXVI Symposium on Photonics Applications in Astronomy, Communications, Industry, and High-Energy Physics Experiments (Wilga 2015), 2015, Wilga, Poland

Abstract

Pi of the Sky is a system of wide field-of-view robotic telescopes designed for observations of short timescale astrophysical phenomena, especially for prompt optical GRB emission. The apparatus designed for autonomous operation follows the predefined observing strategy and adopts to the actual running conditions, monitoring a large part of the sky with time resolution of the order of 1 - 10 seconds and range 12^m-13^m. Observation strategy and system design was successfully tested with a prototype detector in Chile and starting 2013 the final Pi of the Sky detector system in operation at the INTA El Arenosillo Test Centre in Spain. For the analysis of the data from a wide field-of-view system a set of dedicated algorithms have been developed, which allowed us to reduce photometry uncertainty for bright stars to the level of 0.015^m– 0.02^m.

Design of the Pi of the Sky telescopes allows also for measurements of near-Earth objects as comets, asteroids, satellites and space debris. Precise determination of the orbit parameters of the geostationary satellites is possible when using a parallax measured with simultaneous observations from Spain and Chile. Dedicated tests have been performed recently to verify system capabilities for observation of objects on lower orbits, moving at higher speeds. First results are discussed in this contribution.

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A. Ćwiek, T. Batsch, A. Majcher, L. Mankiewicz, G. Wrochna, A. Zadrożny, and A. F. Żarnecki "Prospects for satellite and space debris observations with Pi of the Sky", Proc. SPIE 9662, Photonics Applications in Astronomy, Communications, Industry, and High-Energy Physics Experiments 2015, 96621E (11 September 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2205923

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