Projects

The AllSky7 camera is an all-sky viewing camera designed by the American Meteor Society. AMS is attempting to give their meteor-tracking camera network more coverage, and UMBC turns out to be in the perfect location to complement other AllSky7 installations. The Observatory Group will be able to use the camera’s data further to explore live and historical cloud-cover trends.

skyBot is a Discord Bot that helps the Observatory Group schedule observing sessions. skyBot periodically scrapes weather forecasting data from a variety of sources and determines which nights in the near-term forecast are optimal for observing. Major development of skyBot was undertaken by Brayden Rosling over the 2024 summer. Future improvements might include direct integration with scheduling software and including additional forecasting tools.

The Research Team is in cooperation with the Operations Team to develop a data management solution for UMBC Observatory data. The new storage system is currently accessible through command line, but the Research Team will implement a website interface which will make it easier for telescope operators to organize and send observing data. This system will additionally make UMBC Observatory operations more accessible to researchers requiring specific data parameters, and to outside parties interested in the data we collect.

There are a set of four mirror doors that cover the primary mirror of the main telescope when the telescope is not in use. As of 2022, these motors were 20+ years old and had finally started to fail. These motors along with other various pieces of the mirror door assembly were replaced in 2022.  As of mid-2023, this maintenance is complete, but we continue to keep an eye on how the seasonal heat cycles may impact the new components.

The restoration and repair of the Guide Acquire Module (GAM) for our DFM telescope is a priority. The GAM is essential for both scientific and research purposes, providing useful functions and features. Its advanced features include the ability to support multiple instruments at any given time, thanks to its translating and rotating diagonal mirror that allow us to mount and seamlessly switch between up to five different instruments. This includes photometers, spectrographs, and direct imaging cameras, ultimately enhancing the versatility of our observational setups. Additionally, the GAM integrates filter wheels for precise photometric studies and supports off-axis guiding, which is crucial for maintaining the stability and accuracy of long-exposure observations.

There are many optical components that allow the telescope to operate normally. The primary mirror, the secondary mirror, the light baffle, filters, and the CMOS itself need care and maintenance as humidity and dust combine over years to degrade the surface quality of these components. Each requires different cleaning practices, so training and careful cleaning are ongoing projects.

The computer that facilitates the motor and encoder control of the entire facility is a 10+ year old Windows PC. The machine was last updated in 2016 to Windows 7. The machine provides software control interfaces to the hardware, and some of these hardware interfaces are outdated and hard to replace. The investigation into best practices for modernizing these interfaces comprises this project and will likely continue through to 2026.