The Four College Automated Photoelectric Telescope

Abstract

For the past decade, astronomers from The Citadel, The College of Charleston, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and Villanova University have operated in Southern Arizona a 0.75-m automated telescope to obtain differential Strömgren uvby, Johnson BV, and Cousins RI photometry of a wide variety of stars. Each school averages the equivalent of about 40 nights/year of high quality photometry at a cost less than using observers. By mixing our programs we obtained observations of certain important stars on nearly every clear night they can be observed. Usually we request a star be observed only once per night. Still continuous coverage can be obtained. The stars are given priorities and scheduled using ATIS. The telescope selects targets from the groups with the highest priority by choosing the one closest to the western edge of the observing window. Some data has been analyzed by undergraduate and graduate students. We use internet to send requests for observations and to retrieve data. We believe our experiences are germane to others interested in automated photometric telescopes. We are open to the possibility of collaborations with other astronomers who are obtaining photometric and spectroscopic data. (Coauthors are: L. Boyd, R.J. Dukes Jr, E.F. Guinan, G.M. McCook and D.M. Pyper, all of the U.S.A..)