Slide 1

Shem Livai Institute for Astronomy Mentor: Colin Aspin Advisor: Bo Reipurth Home Institution: University of Hawaii at Manoa Funding provided through the Center for Adaptive Optics, a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center (STC), AST-987683 Slide 2 Outline Intro Design goals and challenges Elements of the All-Sky Camera Project Importance and benefits Conclusion Acknowledgments Slide 3 Intro Built three for Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Cerro Armazones in Chile Cloud coverage Collect and store images Monitor weather conditions Slide 4 Design Goals and Challenges goalschallenges INEXPENSIVE Efficient Withstand altitude Reliable Ventilation Lens fogging Snow buildup Wind resistance Lightning Water proof Slide 5 Elements of the All-Sky Camera Project Camera Hardware Housing Operation Slide 6 Camera Hardware StellaCam III camera StellaCam III control box Controls gain, frame, gamma Fujinon lens Automatic iris Slide 7 Design Process 1. Brainstorming 2. Researching and sketching 3. AutoCAD 4. Get approval Slide 8 AutoCAD Drawings Slide 9 Design Process for Housing 1. Brainstorming 2. Researching and sketching 3. AutoCAD 4. Get approval Slide 10 Design Process Cont. 5.Cutting, sanding, polishing, gluing, and bolting 6. Install camera, lens, sensor, and fans 7. Wiring Slide 11 Housing Junction box Two fans Heat sensor Fish-eye lens Metal ring Rubber gasket Brackets Spacers and aligner Slide 12 Slide 13 Slide 14 Finished Products Slide 15 Operation Seeing real-time images Observing cloud coverage Get 1440 perfect images over a year No cloud and moon Take an image every minute Slide 16 All-Sky Images Day Time Cloudy Night Clear Night Full Moon Night Slide 17 Importance and Benefits Better understanding of observing conditions Clearer images of the night sky Reliable data for archiving Accessible to every telescope on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and Cerro Armazones in Chile Slide 18 Conclusion Planning and brainstorming was important to ensure us that our finishing product would be successful Team work was the key to success Gained a lot of real-life experience and knowledge to apply in my future endeavors Satisfying to see working camera as a result of my work Slide 19 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following: Mentor- Colin Aspin Advisor- Bo Reipurth Collaborators- Richard Shelton, Nathan Huisman, and Ed Sousa IfA staff for their hospitality Akamai interns and coordinators for their support Center for Adaptive Optics for the opportunity of a life time