A Wide-Field Camera and Fully Remote Operations at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory

TL;DR

This paper describes comprehensive upgrades to the Wyoming Infrared Observatory, enabling fully remote operations, enhanced imaging capabilities, and supporting advanced sky surveys for astrophysical research.

Contribution

The paper introduces a fully remote operational model with new hardware and software systems, expanding the observatory's capabilities for modern astrophysical applications.

Findings

Achieved fully remote operations with high-speed data transfer.

Implemented a wide-field imaging system with improved pointing accuracy.

Supported new science campaigns in time-domain astronomy.

Abstract

Upgrades at the 2.3 meter Wyoming Infrared Observatory telescope have provided the capability for fully-remote operations by a single operator from the University of Wyoming campus. A line-of-sight 300 Megabit/s 11 GHz radio link provides high-speed internet for data transfer and remote operations that include several real-time video feeds. Uninterruptable power is ensured by a 10 kVA battery supply for critical systems and a 55 kW autostart diesel generator capable of running the entire observatory for up to a week. Construction of a new four-element prime-focus corrector with fused-silica elements allows imaging over a 40' field-of-view with a new 4096x4096 UV-sensitive prime-focus camera and filter wheel. A new telescope control system facilitates the remote operations model and provides 20'' rms pointing over the usable sky. Taken together, these improvements pave the way for a new generation of sky surveys supporting space-based missions and flexible-cadence observations advancing emerging astrophysical priorities such as planet detection, quasar variability, and long-term time-domain campaigns.