The research potential of the UTSO telescope was enhanced dramatically by the purchase in 1987 of a high-quality Photometrics CCD system, including an image-processing computer and software. The CCD was installed in May, 1987, and began producing data within a few days. In 1993, the control computer for the CCD was replaced with a PC running IBM's OS/2 operating system. This control computer was fully integrated into the network on the mountain and to the outside world. The CCD died in 1997. The dewar is now in Toronto at DDO.
In addition to the direct-camera CCD, there were 3 photometers and a classification spectrograph (67 and 120 Å/mm). The spectrograph has a new camera and MPP CCD giving 40 and 109 Å/mm. All of these instruments were shipped to Argentina with the telescope.
John Pimentel at the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) built a new readout system for the telescope, including a new set of high-precision gears designed to minimize backlash, with a new set of encoders. A new telescope control console was built at DDO, significantly improving the guiding and operation of the telescope.
An autoguiding system was installed in 1994, and a tip/tilt secondary, based on piezo-electric crystals, was installed in 1995.
Helen Sawyer Hogg 60-cm Telescope
University of Toronto Southern Observatory (UTSO)
Written and Compiled by
Felipe Mac-Auliffe P.
Alternate Resident UTSO
1995 June
Revised by
R.F. Garrison and Toomas Karmo 2002 April 10
01.- Telescope Instruments
The 60-cm telescope was equipped with the following instruments:
- Direct CCD camera system (now decommissioned).
Chip : PM512 CCD
Pixel Size : 20 microns, 0.45 arcsec/pixel
Size : 512 x 512 pixels
Field : 4 x 4 arcmin
Coating : METACHROME-coated to give
improved blue response
Cooling : LN2-cooled at -100°C
MPP Mode : no
Filters : uvby beta, UBVRI
- The Garrison Classification Spectrograph (a grating
instrument, now in Argentina).
Chip : CCD Photometrics 512 x 512 pixels
Pixel Size : 20 microns (yielding dispersions of
0.85 Å and 1.7 Å per pixel
with the two respective gratings)
MPP Mode : yes (inverted)
Cooling : glycol cooled at -46°C
Coating : METACHROME-coated to give
improved blue response
- Visual photometers (photon-counting system;
now in Argentina).
Photometer #1
Old (Racine Model; UBV, 1P21 tube) coldbox.
Photometer #1 dates back to the earliest days of UTSO.
It was originally interfaced with an HP9815A
calculator, and later with Osborne computers. The control
software ran under OS/2 on the main PC in the dome.
Photometer #1 contains a 1P21 photomultiplier tube, operating
at a nominal potential of around 800 V.
Photometer #2
Decommissioned.
Photometer #3
Fernie Model (UBVRI, EMI tube) coldbox.
Photometer #3 operates at a nominal potential of around 1300 V.
It is similar in design and operation to two photometers at DDO
used in the Fernie Twin-Photometer System. The optical
system is very sensitive, permitting observations of faint stars.
When using this system, one must ensure that the diaphragm
illumination is off before opening the dark slide. The prism
is moved out of the light path by pulling on the eyepiece
assembly.
Photometer #4
Rucinski-Beattie Model (UBVRI, Hamamatsu tube).
Photometer #4 operates at a nominal potential of around 1500 V.
A stepper motor, controlled by software optimized for the photometer,
selects the position of the filter wheel. This is the only
photometer with a built-in thermoelectric cooling system.
(The two older instruments require dry ice.)
- Available filters: UBV, UBVRI, uvby beta, DDO.
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