An upgraded 0.4-meter telescope fleet for Las Cumbres Observatory's Educational and Science Programs
Daniel-Rolf Harbeck, Brook Taylor, Annie Kirby, Mark Bowman, Steve, Foale, Kal Kadlec, Curtis McCully, Matthew Daily, Jon DeVera, Dave Douglass,, Mark Willis, Ian Baker, Nikolaus Volgenau, Patrick Conway, Brian Haworth,, Jesus Estrada, Edward Gomez, Sandy Seale, Alice Hopkinson

TL;DR
LCOGT upgraded its global network of 0.4-meter telescopes with off-the-shelf components to enhance scientific and educational programs, including support for the TESS mission, completing deployment in March 2024.
Contribution
This paper details the design, performance, and modifications of a newly upgraded 0.4-meter telescope fleet for LCOGT's educational and scientific initiatives.
Findings
Successful deployment of 10 upgraded telescopes by March 2024
Enhanced data processing handling CMOS noise and camera modifications
Support for diverse science projects including TESS follow-up observations
Abstract
Las Cumbres Observatory (LCOGT) operates a global network of robotic 0.4, 1.0, and 2.0-meter telescopes to facilitate scientific research and education in time-domain astronomy. LCOGT's flagship educational program, Global Sky Partners (GSP), awards up to 1500 hours per year of telescope time to individuals and organizations that run their own, fully supported, educational programs. The GSP has a presence in 40 countries and 45% of the Partners target under-served, under-represented, and developing world audiences. The degradation and obsolescence of the original 0.4-meter telescope network prompted LCOGT to update the fleet of 10 telescopes to a new system consisting of predominantly off-the-shelf products. New PlaneWave DeltaRho 350 telescopes with Gemini Focuser/Rotators, LCOGT filter wheels, and QHY600 CMOS cameras, complement the original, custom-built mount. The deployment of all…
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsAstronomy and Astrophysical Research · Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing · Astronomical Observations and Instrumentation
