Sierra Remote Observatories
place Location
| latitude | 37° 04' 13" N |
| Longitude | 119° 24' 47" W |
The Sierra Nevada Mountains of central California offer a superb location for remote imaging. The atmospheric conditions allow the seeing to hover around an incredible 1 arc-second for the majority of the time. The site offers a low incidence of thunderstorm activity and an unusually high number of photometric nights each year.
At 4,610 feet, the site is above the fog and thermal inversion layer that hangs over most parts of California. The site is not too high as to interfere with access in the Winter. "Sierra Remote" is located on top of Bald Mountain and is about an hour's drive from Fresno Yosemite International airport.
devices Instruments
0.7m CDK700 Telescope System
- Pinpoint stars out to a 70mm image circle
- Dual Nasmyth focus, allowing simultaneous mounting of two instruments or easy switching between visual and imaging use
- Direct-drive motors on each axis for smooth, fast, and virtually silent movement of the telescope
- High resolution encoders on each axis for precise positioning
- Zero backlash
- Zero periodic error
- PointXP mount modeling software
- Field de-rotator / rotational field framing
| Optical Design | Corrected Dall-Kirkham (CDK) |
| Aperture | 700 mm (27.56 inch) |
| Focal Length | 4540 mm |
| Focal ratio | 6.5 |
| Central Obstruction | 47% of the Primary Mirror Diameter |
| Back Focus | 305 mm (12 inch) from Mounting Surface |
| Weight | 1,200 lbs |
| Optical Tube | Dual truss structure with Nasmyth focus |
| Optical Performance | 1.8 micron RMS spots [25mm on-axis] (400 to 900nm) 4.4 micron RMS spots [21mm off-axis] (400 to 900nm) 6.8 micron RMS spots [35mm off-axis] (400 to 900nm) Spot Diagram |
| Dimensions | 93.73" H x 43.25" W x 39" D |
| Optimal Field of View | 70 mm (0.86 degrees) |
| Focus Position | Nasmyth Focus |
| Fully Baffled Field | 60 mm |
| Image Scale | 22 microns per arcsecond |
CCD Camera
PlaneWave is an authorized dealer for Finger Lake Instruments Cameras and can provide all the most popular cameras including the ProLine Series.
ProLine sets the standards in key performance areas that include: Download Speeds, Cooling, Low Noise Operation, Anti-Ghosting Technology, Image Quality, and Linearity. ProLine download speeds are fast while maintaining low-noise frame quality. ProLine achieves outstanding cooling without water assist. Simply set the ProLine cooling where you want it and the camera will do the rest – quickly and without worries. ProLine frame quality is second to none thanks to careful design, implementation and setup. All cameras are assembled in our clean room under exacting conditions and must pass a battery of tests before being shipped.
Camera 1 ProLine PL16803 Monochrome CCD Camera
Camera 2 Andor’s iKon-M 934 BV CCD Camera
| PL16803 Specifications | iKon-M 934 Specifications | |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor | KAF-16803 | CCD42-40 |
| Array Size | 4096 x 4096 | 1024 x 1024 |
| Pixel Size | 9 μm | 13 μm |
| Typical Maximum Cooling | -60º C Below Ambient | -100º C Below Ambient |
| Typical Download Speeds @ 16-bit | 1 MHz, 8 MHz (other speeds available) | 5, 3, 1, 0.05 MHz |
| Typical System Noise | 10 e- RMS @ 1 MHz | 2.9 e- RMS @ 500 kHz |
| Nonlinearity | <1% | |
| Operating Environment | -30º C - 45º C | 10% - 90% Relative Humidity | |
| Sensor Manufacturer | Kodak | NIR broadband |
| CCD Type | Front Illuminated | Back Illuminated |
| Mega Pixels | 16.8 | 1.0 |
| Sensor Diagonal | 52.1 mm | 27.6 mm |
| Linear Full Well | 100,000 e- | |
| Typical Dark Current | <0.07 e-/pixel/sec. @ -35º C | 0.2 e-/pixel/sec. |
| Blooming Protection | >100X Saturation Exposure | None |
| Available Shutters | 65 mm | |
| Shutter MTBF | 1,000,000 | |
| Power | 12v | |
| Interface | USB 2.0 | |
| Dimensions | 6.2 x 6.2 x 3.8 (157.48 x 157.48 x 96.52) | |
| Filter Wheel | FLI CL1-10 CFW | FLI CFW-5-7 |
FLI CL1-10 CFW
CENTERLINE COLOR 10 POSITION COLOR FILTER WHEELM
The first FLI CenterLine to be released is the model CL1-10 which holds up to ten 50mm x 50mm square filters in two independently operated wheels. It is powered by two internally mounted stepper motors and two TruMotion synchronous belts. The internal wheels are supported by radial ball bearings that provide a smooth, quiet and repeatable operation.
- Number of Filter Wheels: 2
- Number of Filter Positions: 10 (5 per wheel)
- Filter Thickness Range: 3mm - 5mm
- Size: 11" x 13.625"
- Filter Size: 50mm Square
- Body Thickness: 1.1"
- Mechanical Connection: Zero Tilt Adapter
- Interface:: USB 2.0
- Weight: 5.3lbs
Filter Available : Blue,Green,Red,Lum,Ha,OIII,SII
CFW5-7 (7 positions for 50mm square)
Filter Available : No Filter, U,B,V,R,I