Analysis of errors in the tracking mechanisms of the 1.25-m telescope of the Crimean Laboratory of the SAI and the 1.5-m telescope of the Maidanak Observatory

Abstract

Low-frequency (0–0.5 Hz) errors in the positions of stars in the focal plane of the ZTE 1.25-m telescope of the Crimean Laboratory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute and the AZT-22 1.5-m telescope of the Maidanak Observatory in Uzbekistan are analyzed using data obtained during the operation of two optical compensators designed to correct the tilt of incoming wave fronts. A spectral analysis is used to identify possible origins of these errors. The amplitudes of periodic errors in the main worm-and-worm gears of the tracking mechanisms have been measured to be 1.5″ (a period of 240 s) for the 1.25-m telescope and 0.15″ (167 s) for the 1.5-m telescope. The rates of constant drifts have also been determined.