МОДЕРНІЗАЦІЯ АСТРОНОМІЧНОГО КОМПЛЕКСУ СПОСТЕРЕЖНОЇ СТАНЦІЇ ЛІСНИКИ

Abstract

The Lisnyky observation station (international code 585) is actively used for observations of small bodies and for educational purpose. The station operates two telescopes AZT-8 (D=700 mm, F=2830 mm, D/F=1:4) and AZT-14 (D=480 mm, F=7715 mm, D/F=1:16). They have an outdated design and need to be modernized to meet the modern requirements of observational astronomy. The world practice of modernizing optical telescopes is reduced, as a rule, to installing new modern light receivers, changing the optical system, improving optical characteristics by aluminizing mirrors. Light receivers are now CCD image sensors, the use of which allows you to significantly increase the penetrating power (to observe fainter objects) and the temporal and spatial resolution of telescopes. Modern light receivers are equipped with automatic filter units with various sets of astronomical filters. Different sets of light receivers are used for different tasks of observational astronomy. The concept of modernization of the observation complex based on the AZT-14 and AZT-8 telescopes was developed according to these modern requirements. A new Moravian C4-16000ES CMOS camera (4096 × 4096 pixels, 9 × 9 μm) with a UBVRI light filter unit of the Johnson-Cousins photometric system was installed at the main focus of the AZT-8 telescope in 2021. In this version, the telescope is used to monitor small bodies and search for new comets and asteroids, photometric and positional observations of comets, observations of active galactic nuclei. An optical reducer (4.5 times reduction focal length) with a block of broadband light filters BVRI light filters was developed and manufactured for the AZT-14 telescope in order to increase the field of view on the CCD array, reduce the size of star images and increase the light power of the telescope. A new block of 8 comet narrowband filters, which is used with the Apogee Alta U47 CCD camera, was designed and manufactured for observations of comets. An electronic control system, which includes the following main electronic components: a light filter position sensor board, an electronic board, a stable frequency generator, a stepper motor driver, a controller for controlling all electronic components and for communication with a personal computer, was developed and manufactured for control the unit.