Telescope Offered to Public Via Internet

Those with a favorite spot in space can now capture that image by accessing and operating an 8-ton robotic telescope.

On Dec. 15, Case Western Reserve University’s telescope went online, allowing amateur and professional astronomers to ask for specific images of celestial bodies.

“To our knowledge, it’s the only one the general public will have access to. There were others, but they are no longer online,” said Earle Luck, chairman of the school’s astronomy department.

Astronomers can have free access to the telescope by filling out a form on the university’s Web site. They must provide the name of the celestial body, exposure time and if they want colored filters to be used. After the pictures are taken at the Nassau Astronomical Station, they are automatically sent via e-mail to those who requested them.

No images of the moon or sun are allowed because they are too bright and can damage the telescope. The equipment can focus on faraway stars but isn’t designed yet to take snapshots of planets or comets.

Processing requests can take anywhere from days to months, depending on how many people ask for images and how difficult they are to obtain, according to directions on the Web site. Fifteen percent of the observing time will be devoted to the public, 20% to secondary schools and the rest is for Case Western faculty and students, Luck said.

The 36-inch telescope sat idle for more than a decade before Luck came up with the idea three years ago for its current use. The astronomy department spent more than $200,000, some from private donors, to modernize it and get the computer system running.

When all goes well, teachers will be able to introduce their students to the mysteries of the universe through the telescope, not just through books, Luck said.

But the location of the observatory could affect how many requests are processed. The telescope is perched high on a hill in Geauga County just east of Chardon, a traditional Snowbelt area.

The telescope starts operating after an outside camera indicates that it has kept the North Star in sight for 30 minutes straight, meaning the weather is clear. The weather is monitored every two minutes because humidity, rain, snow, extreme cold or winds of 40 mph can damage the telescope’s mirrors.

It has an electronic device to melt snow automatically.

Next year, Luck plans to add a spectrograph, which measures the speed, temperature and chemical combustion of stars.

The telescope Web site is https://astrwww.astr.cwru.edu