Status and performance of the Discovery Channel Telescope from commissioning into early science operations

William T. DeGroff; Stephen E. Levine; Thomas A. Bida; Frank Cornelius; Peter L. Collins; Edward W. Dunham; Ben Hardesty; Michael Lacasse; Mike Sweaton; Alex J. Venetiou; Saeid Zoonemat Kermani; Philip Massey; M. Lisa Foley; Heidi Larson; Jason Sanborn; Susan Strosahl; Ron Winner; Teznie Pugh

doi:10.1117/12.2057015

22 July 2014 Status and performance of the Discovery Channel Telescope from commissioning into early science operations

William T. DeGroff, Stephen E. Levine, Thomas A. Bida, Frank Cornelius, Peter L. Collins, Edward W. Dunham, Ben Hardesty, Michael Lacasse, Mike Sweaton, Alex J. Venetiou, Saeid Zoonemat Kermani, Philip Massey, M. Lisa Foley, Heidi Larson, Jason Sanborn, Susan Strosahl, Ron Winner, Teznie Pugh

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9145, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes V; 91452C (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057015
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Lowell Observatory's Discovery Channel Telescope is a 4.3m telescope designed and constructed for optical and near infrared astronomical observation. It is equipped with a cube capable of carrying five instruments and the wave front sensing and guider systems at the f/6.1 RC focus. We report on the overall operations methods for the facility, including coordination of day and night activities, and then cover pointing, and unguided and guided tracking performance of the mount. We also discuss the implementation and performance of the open loop model for, and manual wavefront sensing and correction with the active optics system. We conclude with a report on the early integrated image quality and science performance of the facility using the first science instrument, the Large Monolithic Imager.

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William T. DeGroff, Stephen E. Levine, Thomas A. Bida, Frank Cornelius, Peter L. Collins, Edward W. Dunham, Ben Hardesty, Michael Lacasse, Mike Sweaton, Alex J. Venetiou, Saeid Zoonemat Kermani, Philip Massey, M. Lisa Foley, Heidi Larson, Jason Sanborn, Susan Strosahl, Ron Winner, and Teznie Pugh "Status and performance of the Discovery Channel Telescope from commissioning into early science operations", Proc. SPIE 9145, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes V, 91452C (22 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057015

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