Coude Auxiliary Telescope: A Low Cost Telescope At European Southern Observatory

K. Klim; M. Ziebell

doi:10.1117/12.7973486

1 April 1985 Coude Auxiliary Telescope: A Low Cost Telescope At European Southern Observatory

K. Klim, M. Ziebell

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 24, Issue 2, 242363 (April 1985). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.7973486

Abstract

The 1.4 m Coude Auxiliary Telescope (CAT) was designed for spectroscopy and will be used in coude focus. The telescope was designed as an "alt-alt" mounting ( i.e., altitude-altitude, which means that when the telescope is vertical, both axes about which it rotates are horizontal), which gives, mechanically, an attractive and inexpensive structure without any need for big counterweight systems. The optical configuration is of the Nasmyth type, with a flat, movable third mirror mounted in the center of the telescope. The main mirror has an f-ratio of f/3. The exit f-ratio is f/120. The telescope, situated in a tower separate from the operating center, is completely remote controlled. Guiding is performed via a low-light-level TV camera on the slit of the Coude Echelle Spectrograph (CES). The identical drive systems for the two axes in the alt-alt mounting are of the direct-drive type, with a torque motor, tacho generator, and encoder connected directly to the shaft without any reduction gear. The positioning system is based to a great extent on microprocessors.

Citation Download Citation

K. Klim and M. Ziebell "Coude Auxiliary Telescope: A Low Cost Telescope At European Southern Observatory," Optical Engineering 24(2), 242363 (1 April 1985). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.7973486

Published: 1 April 1985

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