Kilo-galaxy Surveyor
in the northern Hammy-sphere (KSH)
The Kilo-galaxy Surveyor in the northern Hammy-sphere ("Hemisphere") (KSH) is an active remote telescope. This telescope system is based at the Starfront Remote Observatories (SFRO) in Rockwood, Texas, United States (31.5480 N, 99.3829 W). As its name suggests, it's designed to survey thousands of galaxies in the northern hemisphere. We have recently upgraded the equatorial mount to a 10micron GM1000HPS, which features absolute encoders, enabling us to achieve unguided exposures for up to 600 seconds with an 80% success rate.
Key Instruments
Telescope
TS-Optics
0.25-m Ritchey-Chretien
Focal Length = 1.61m (F/6.4)
Camera
Player One
Poseidon-M
Native Pixel Scale 0.49"/pix
Field of View 49 x 33 arcmin
Filters
Antlia LRGB Imaging Filters
SII/Ha/OIII
Narrowband FWHM=5nm
Planned Target List
Useful links:
Starfront Observatories Clear Sky Chart - the most up-to-date weather forecast.
Starfront Observatories - Observatory Status - observatory status; our telescope is located in Building 3.
1. The Mount: 10-micron GM1000HPS
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This telescope mount has a maximum imaging weight capacity of 55lbs and is equipped with one of the best consumer-level absolute encoders in the world. Under excellent atmospheric conditions, it can achieve 10 minutes of unguided single exposures with ease.
2. The Telescope: TS-Optics 10-inch Ritchey–Chrétien Telescope
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Aperture: 254mm
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Focal Length: 1612mm
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This telescope is a medium to long focal length astrograph. So far, the collimation of the telescopes holds well, allowing the telescope to achieve great image quality under good atmospheric conditions.
3. The Camera: Player One Poseidon-M
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Pixel Size: 3.76 micrometers (resolution: 0.49 arcseconds per pixel)
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Readout Noise: ~1.5 electrons
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Dark Current: ~0.008 electrons/second/pixel
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Full-Well Capacity: ~17,000 electrons
The camera is paired with an Electronic Filter Wheel. Its highly sensitive monochrome sensor can record faint celestial objects while maintaining low noise levels. The statistics above are provided at Gain = 125, Offset (Bias level) = 25, and Sensor Temperature = -10C.
4. The Filters
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Filter Types:
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Luminance (L)
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Red (R), Green (G), Blue (B)
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Narrowband: Hydrogen-alpha (Hα), Sulfur II (SII), Oxygen III (OIII)
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All narrowband filters have a Full-Width Half-Maximum (FWHM) of ~3 nm.
5. Field of View
Our setup excels at wide-field imaging with a field of view of 0.83° x 0.55°. This enables us to capture medium- to large-sized galaxies and smaller nebulae.
6. Guiding System
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Guide Scope: Player One Off-Axis Guider
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Guide Camera: ZWO ASI 220MM-Mini
With an off-axis guider, guiding is performed at a focal length of 1612 mm.