Telescope Control Tool

Telescope Control window is divided into the following, described below, areas:

1. Menu Bar
2. Time Display
3. Telescope Position
4. Telescope Offset

• Menu Bar with the pull-downs:
  • File
    • Quit button for quiting application.
  • Help button which starts HTML help facility.
• Time Display line displays current date, local time, local Siderial Time and Universal Time (GMT). Currently all timing is done using the computer clock - it may be wrong by some tens of seconds.
• Telescope Position
  • Equinox Selector. When new equinox is selected both displayed telescope coordinates and input object coordinates will be recalculated to the new equinox. So when entering new object coordinates for equinox different from the displayed one, user has two choices:
    1. Change equinox before making any input - causing previous coordinates to be recalculated;
    2. Change equinox when the input window is red; i.e. before you hit RETURN or click on MOVE button.
  • Cassegrain Rotator Position input window. This should be display showing actual Cass position, but unfortunately is not (no feedback from telescope's software). Instead user must provide this value if he wants to use du,dv offset mode and have correct keyword in the FITS header.
  • Alpha - right ascension display/input window.
    • Small Dial opens Dial Input window. Click and drag dial hands to change coordinates.
    • Telescope Position - current telescope position.
    • Requested Position - input window for entering requested position. During typing digits turn red. Hit RETURN to confirm input and get them black again or hit MOVE.
  • Delta - declination display/input window.
    • Small Dial opens Dial Input window. Click and drag dial hands to change coordinates.
    • Telescope Position - current telescope position.
    • Requested Position - input window for entering requested position. During typing digits turn red. Hit RETURN to confirm input and get them black again or hit MOVE.
    • Down Arrow is used to fill Requested Position with the Telescope Position (e.g. to locate the telescope position on the Map).
  • Move button that as three states:
    • OK - telescope and requested position are the same.
    • MOVE - telescope and requested position are different. Click on the button to move telescope to the requested position.
    • Moving - small animation telling that the telescope is moving.
• Telescope Offset window for offseting the telescope.
  • Offset System Selector. Three offset systems can be used:
    1. dx,dy - Cartesian system. Offsets are given in arc seconds both in alpha and delta direction.
    2. du,dv - rotated Cartesian system. Both offsets are given in arc seconds, but rotated according to the Cassegrin Rotator Position.
    3. dx,dy - equinox system. Offsets are given in time minutes and seconds (in the format mm:ss) in right ascension and in arc minutes and seconds in declination.
  • Equatorial Offset window has:
    • Label showing units and input format.
    • Offset Integrator that integrates all offsets done since the last Clear button (see Meridional Offset) click.
    • Offset Step input window. Arrow panel (to the right) will uses this value as a size of the equatorial move.
  • Meridional Offset window has:
    • Label showing units and input format.
    • Offset Integrator that integrates all offsets done since the last Clear button click.
    • Offset Step input window. Arrow panel (to the right) will uses this value as a size of the meridional move.
    • C - clear Offset button. Sets origin (clears memory) of the Offset Integrator.
  • Arrow Panel. Clicking on the arrow causes the telescope to move in the indicated direction by one step of the size given in the equatorial and meridional windows. 0,0 button sends the telescope to the current origin of the Offset Integrator.

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  You may now return to System Overview or select Tutorial, Frequently Ask Questions, Feedback, Technical Refernce Manual.

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  Grzegorz Pojmanski / gp@sirius.astrouw.edu.pl