2025-12 (December): How Robotic Telescopes Revolutionized Binary Star Research by Dr. Russ Genet

Описание: Astronomer Russ Genet will talk about the advances in robotic telescope imaging. Fairborn Observatory, founded by Dr Genet, installed their first robotic telescopes in a fully automated observatory on Arizona’s Mt. Hopkins in 1985. By 1989, a “farm” of seven robots was remotely accessible via 9600 baud modems. The Alt-Az Initiative explored whether the technology of large mountaintop alt-az, direct drive, research telescopes could be scaled down to improve smaller robotic telescopes. This led to the development of the PlaneWave Instrument’s 0.7-meter CDK-700 robotic research telescope now used by Astronomy Research Seminar teams. Seminar students, supported by amateur astronomers, obtain and analyze original data on a binary star and publish the results. More than 200 team papers have been published. Observations have evolved from using astrometric eyepieces on 6-inch telescopes, to remote observations using speckle interferometry on robotic telescopes such as the CDK-700. Gila Community College currently offers introductory and advanced astronomy research courses where several student teams collaborate in their research and paper writing. TAAA members would be most welcome to become team members. With the proper equipment, the TAAA’s 0.8-meter (32”) DFM telescope, recently installed at CAC, could be a major contributor to similar amateur and student published research.

Biography:

Russell (Russ) Genet is an Astronomy Instructor at Gila Community College. He has a BS in electrical engineering and a PhD in astronomy. Russ founded the Fairborn Observatory in 1979, pioneered the development of robotic telescopes in the 1980s, was the 52nd President of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1993-1995), and initiated the Astronomy Research Seminars in 2007. He is a member of the American Astronomical Society, the International Astronomical Union, and the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. An active instrument-rated pilot, Russ lives in Payson, Arizona with his wife, Cheryl, who teaches philosophy and world religions. Russ is the author or coauthor of many books and papers. See https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8020-3459 or visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell...