Remote observing with the Keck telescopes from multiple sites in California

Robert I. Kibrick; Brian Hayes; Steven L. Allen; Albert Conrad

doi:10.1117/12.456587

27 November 2002 Remote observing with the Keck Telescopes from multiple sites in California

Robert I. Kibrick, Brian Hayes, Steven L. Allen, Albert Conrad

Proceedings Volume 4845, Advanced Global Communications Technologies for Astronomy II; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.456587
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2002, Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

Remote observing is now the dominant mode of operation for both Keck telescopesand their associated instruments. Over 90% of all Keck observations arecarried out remotely from the Keck Headquarters in Waimea, Hawaii. The majority of Keck observers, however, are affiliated with research institutions located on the U.S. mainland, primarily in California. To observe with the Keck telescopes, most of these astronomers currently travel several thousand kilometers in order to sit in a Keck remote control room located tens of kilometers from the telescopes. Given recent improvements in network infrastructure and facilities, many of these observations can now be conducted directly from California. This report describes the operation of a Keck telescope remote observing facility located at the UCO/Lick Observatory headquarters on the Santa Cruz campus of the University of California (UCSC). This facility currently enables remote operation and engineering of Keck optical instruments via Internet-2. The facility was initially located in temporaryquarters and became operational on a trial basis in September 2001. In June 2002, the facility moved to permanent quarters and became fully operational in July 2002. We examine in detail isssues of Internet network bandwidth and reliability, and describe the design, routing implementation, and operation of an automated fall-back network utilizing dialed ISDN telephone circuits and routers. This report also briefly describes the status of efforts to establish Keck remote observing facilities at other California sites, and how the fall-back network design could be expanded to support multiple sites.

Citation Download Citation

Robert I. Kibrick, Brian Hayes, Steven L. Allen, and Albert Conrad "Remote observing with the Keck Telescopes from multiple sites in California", Proc. SPIE 4845, Advanced Global Communications Technologies for Astronomy II, (27 November 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.456587

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