Converting from Classical to Robotic Astronomy : The Lowell Observatory 0.8-m Telescope

Abstract EN

The Lowell Observatory 0.8-m (31-in) Telescope was augmented by the addition of a robotic mode of operation in early 2001.

This system executes any predetermined sequence of observing instructions without supervision.

Described herein is a general description of the system, lessons learned from the conversion, and a few general algorithms for focusing, collecting twilight flat field images, and scheduling standard star observations.