Planning & Instrumentation

Planning & Instrumentation#

Atmospheric Windows: Which Wavelengths Are Best for Observing Different Targets?#

  • Blackbody Radiation

  • Earth’s Atmosphere

Science Goals: What and Why to Observe#

Planning: How to Observe the Target#

  • Ground-based and Space-based Observations

  • Observing Constraints

    • Where is it? Coordinates

    • Is it observable tonight? Rising and Setting Times

    • North and South Hemispheres

    • Weather: Cloud, Humidity, Turbulence

    • Moon

    • Satellite Trails

  • Signal-to-Noise

    • Exposure Time

    • Filters

Engineering: Science vs Cost#

  • Telescope Design and Operation

    • Tracking and Auto-guiding

  • Instrumentation

    • From Analog to Digital: Photographic Plates and CCD

    • Pixel Sensitivity

    • Pixel Scale

    • Field-of-View

    • Total Telescope-Instrument Throughput