Performance Of The Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) VI. MMT Telescope Coalignment System

Jacques M. Beckers; Chad Poland; Bobby L. Ulich; J. R. P. Angel; Frank J. Low; William Wyatt

doi:10.1117/12.933502

4 November 1982 Performance Of The Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) VI. MMT Telescope Coalignment System

Jacques M. Beckers, Chad Poland, Bobby L. Ulich, J. R. P. Angel, Frank J. Low, William Wyatt

Proceedings Volume 0332, Advanced Technology Optical Telescopes I; (1982) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.933502
Event: 1982 Astronomy Conferences, 1982, Tucson, United States

Abstract

A crucial feature of large telescopes using multiple objectives is the ability to align the optics so that the different star images coincide to within a fraction of the image size. Initially this was intended to be done in the MMT with the "laser active optics" system in which the six telescopes were coaligned by means of artificial laser-star images generated by a seventh guide-alignment telescope. That system was found to be less than satisfactory mostly because of internal seeing and scattered light effects. Instead we have constructed the Telescope Coalignment System (or TCS) in which the telescopes are co-aligned on stellar images. The TCS is an autoguider which works simultaneously on six telescopes and which therefore automatically coaligns the telescopes and tracks them on a field star. When a field star is not present in the small 4 arc minute field of view of the MMT the TCS system coaligns the MMT on a nearby star and then tracks and maintains co-alignment of the six telescopes under computer control using separate flexure corrections for each one.

Citation Download Citation

Jacques M. Beckers, Chad Poland, Bobby L. Ulich, J. R. P. Angel, Frank J. Low, and William Wyatt "Performance Of The Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) VI. MMT Telescope Coalignment System", Proc. SPIE 0332, Advanced Technology Optical Telescopes I, (4 November 1982); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.933502

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available