[Aavso-photometry] AAVSO robotic telescopes

[arne]

Steven Orlando wrote:
> Arne,
> 
> I see the option on my Blue and Gold page:
> 
> "Request to use the Sonoita Robotic Telescope for observing (Coming Soon)"
> 
> Is that the scope you are talking about?
> 
> How will the "requesting" work?
> 
That is the one.

Only members of the AAVSO are given the opportunity to use our
alloted time on the robotic telescopes.  The documentation to
effectively understand the limits of the telescopes has not been
written, which is why it says "coming soon."  However, you can
use the telescopes now.  The
procedure is to write me a one-paragraph statement of why you
want to use SRO, what object(s) you want to observe, including
RA, DEC, and magnitude range, what filters you want, what cadence
(the usual observing information), etc.  I'm the Telescope
Allocation Committee, and I will look at your proposal and see
whether I think it is doable with the telescope.  We have had
several members already go through the process, and I turn down
very few proposals.

The time on Sonoita is heavily subscribed for photometric conditions,
as highest priority for the AAVSO is calibration.  During nonphotometric
conditions, time is more available.  BVRIC filters are available,
and the telescope tracks really well up to about 5 minutes.  Its real
strong feature is flexibility - the ideal program is an object or two
a night, or every few nights, as these observations get
inserted easily into the schedule.
I discourage time series unless there is a specific unique need, as
that ties up the telescope all night long.  What you get is fully
processed images (dark subtracted and flatfielded), placed on our
website on a daily basis.  We can also (or alternatively) give you
fully extracted and processed starlists.  We ask in return that you
actually use the data, publishing papers if possible.  You will be
more likely to get additional time on the telescopes if we see that
you are using your alloted time wisely.

We have the Mt. John University Observatory (New Zealand) 60cm telescope
coming online this Spring.  During the summer we are hoping to have a
telescope on HQ itself, along with another telescope in Australia.
In the Fall, another 60cm telescope will come available, if we can
get funds to refurbish it.  These telescopes will all be for AAVSO
members and for variable-star observing only.
Arne