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Je présume que cela a déjà du vous trotter dans la tête, vu les conditions météo de plus en plus épouvantables avec des passages de plus en plus longs, est ce qu'il ne serait pas envisageable de mettre un spectro collectif en remote dans le Sud de l'Espagne ou dans le ciel chilien ?

Bon c'est peut être un projet utopique mais plutôt que de sortir le matériel peu souvent et d'observer les mêmes étoiles, ne serait ce pas l'occasion de faire une association pour rentrer dans les frais car c'est pas gratuit... et utiliser un spectro le plus souvent possible ? Un endroit sous latitude plus basse serait aussi intéressant pour de nombreuses cibles.

Qui y a déjà pensé ? Seul c'est trop couteux je penses.. Bon je lance l'idée, c'est peut être pas la priorité du moment... mais j'en ai un peu marre de ce ciel toujours bouché...

On est déjà plusieurs à y réfléchir que ce soit vers l'Espagne ou au Chili. Après il faut de mon point de vu 4-5 personnes sur un set up car :
- Il faut diviser le cout total avec plusieurs personnes car à moins d'avoir les moyens, la location mensuelle est assez couteuse et encore plus pour le Chili sans compter l'investissement initial de tout le matériel (monture, télescope, spectro, PC, etc..)
- Profiter de toutes les nuits possibles. Seul c'est presque pas possible à moins de ne faire que cela.... Donc se répartir les nuits sur 4-5 personnes c'est très bien.

Après cela pose pas mal de problèmes si l'on est à plusieurs : créer une structure du style associative, voir comment est fait l'apport en matériel, la répartition du nombre de nuits par observateurs, quel matériel, en particulier quel spectro, quel manip, etc...

Et prévoir tout les cas de figure entre les personnes dans se regroupement : que faire si l'une des personnes décide de partir ? En cas de décès, au niveau de l'investissement initial, dans le cas ou une des personnes ne paye plus le loyer, etc....

I think with a remote spectrograph a big problem could be having someone on site who understands spectrographs to look after them. AAVSO bought several eShels to put on some of their remote robotic telescopes but as far as I know none of them are being used.

In 2013
https://www.aavso.org/spectroscopic-activities-aavso
and in 2015
https://www.aavso.org/aavsonet-news-2015-04-04
and in 2016
https://www.aavso.org/spectrograph-oc61

Robin

Bonjour Olivier,

Je partages ta réflexion. Au niveau du nombre de membres je pensais peut être à plus de monde car il faudrait participer aux frais de création et de maintenance mensuelle. Un groupe de 20 personnes permettrait de bien réduire les couts.
Aussi les spectres seraient en libre utilisation et comme ce spectro serait particulièrement prolifique, un grand nombre de membres permettraient de déléguer le traitement des spectres car il va en moissonner...
L'idée est bien sympa !
Une location au chili est quand même onéreuse, j'ai lu, sauf erreur, à quelques chose comme 800€/mois... ça fait quand même beaucoup.
Au niveau du spectro tu penses à un Lhires ?

I thinks such a project is possible. However, to be productive I feel the whole system could need to be designed with this task in mind.

Telescope, spectrometer, coupling, finding and guiding, control software etc. and most important what type of target - magnitude limits, resolution, spectral range etc etc. In addition there is the management of the process scheduling, level of automation etc.

My own semi-remote echelle system only requires me to open the roof and switch on the kit. While I have not added code for managing if things that go wrong, I just have to launch the control program and it cycles through observations without my intervention. The parts I have not done have been done on by many remote photometrists.

Robin, makes a good point about management but a robust fibre coupled spectrometer needs little or no maintenance.

Regards Andrew

Robin, Andrew,

You are right. And for the choice of the spectrograph, a solution with a fiber is from my point of view the most stable setup, but the most expensive too...

At home, I drive everything in remote on a short distance of about hundred meters (so I can check very quickly if necessary), but this configuration is very stable and no problem on several hundred nights.

And for me a remote setup in Spain or Chile we have to give solution for :
- a small group of amateur (let say 4 or 5, no more)
- The good setup : low resolution or high resolution ?
- The right place
- The choice of the targets

Hello All,

How you know I have REMOT, one remote observatory from 8 years ago in Santa Maria de Montmagastrell, a small village about only 25 habitants. I can tell you shortly forme my experiences. With a supportable liminic contamination, the sky in it is well with a very good seeing and slow wind for most of the year.

First I want tell, that I live in Piera, about 70 Km. to Sta. Maria, and I've working her telescope and echelle LINX from all places by internet, ( from L'Aquila, Italy, for example ), usually for 8 years ago I used it the REMOT from my home in Piera.

Certainly on the first times there are some problems, small problems that became a bigger problems for the distance. I could overcome this things with the great help by Antoni Jové, he was working by software, hardware, mechanical parts, etc. Without him, I couldn't have done the project. Antoni lives in Tàrrega only 8 Km. to Sta. Maria. Another important thing, he know how make a telescope in station.

I agree Robin's message, and this is the possible raison that why don't work the remotes echelles own AAVSO. For all is very important there are a person near remote telescope. I can explain you similar and bitter experiences by Mallorca Astronomical Observatory, OAM, whit their remotes telescopes in La Sagra, Almeria, South of Spain.

In Sta. Maria I could observe, 179 nights in 2016, 209 nights in 2017 and 173 nights in 2018. The main problems are, persistent fog in Desember, January and February, ( I'm writting this message today on Saturday night in Sta. Maria, in outside there is a persistent fog since 4 days ago ), and one slow rural internet.

If someone of us or other people, want going to Sta. Maria I would be very happy to show all things and we'll can observe with REMOT and make spectroscopy.

I attached two cards with roads, motorways and times, taking to reference Toulouse and Narbonne for one trip by car. But if you prefer to plane, it's very easy for me pick up at Barcelona Airport and then return to the return flight.

Cheers, Joan.

If people are serious in wanting to do this then I would certainly be interested if the site were in Europe.

Indeed I would be happy to offer some of my kit. I could provide a OO CDK16 (400mm) on a Paramount ME II with The Sky X software. In addition I have attached an FLI Atlas focuser with Innovations foresight ONAG couple to a Shelyak guide head all with suitable cameras, computer etc.

I would also offer my temperature controlled R~10,000 echelle / calibration system although it would need some modification depending on the ambient temperature and provide robust automation.

I have considered doing this myself but the cost was too high, but I find I get so few good nights for the long exposures needed at high resolution my kit is wasted.

I would be happy to hear others ideas. Could we get a list of people seriously interested? Would anyone like to lead the initiative?

Regards Andrew

Hello,

Today, when January is almost finished, I've can observed wiht the REMOT telescope in Santa Maria from my home in Piera, during 14 nights, and 48 stars, I repeat many of these for their monitoring.

I believe, that for remote telescopes, for diverse reasons is better only two people for telescope, I think you're find a place than you can put it various telescopes and models of spectrographs. I don't know if the optical fiber can be good results wiht spectrographs some LISA, my experience in this sense didn't be very good.

I keep my offer to everyone now or later in another time want visit Santa Maria.

Cheers, Joan.