The VYSOS Automatic Telescope Project

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Variability of young (pre-main sequence) stellar objects is a good probe of various star formation-related events, such as mass accretion as material from circumstellar disks falls onto the stars along magnetic funnel flows. The variability is also caused by giant star spots and by occultations due to orbiting debris. Two telescopes have been purchased with the intent to build fully automated remote observing stations (one in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere) to monitor variability in young stars, and to create the Variable Young Stellar Objects Survey (VYSOS). The telescopes are each 16.25 inch in diameter, and will be located on Haleakala mountain in Maui and Cerro Tololo in Chile. The southern telescope is already funded for complete installation. The northern telescope has been purchased but not installed, and the present funding will be used to install the telescope on Haleakala and to create a fully automated observing capability through hardware and software development and acquisition. The combined remote observing facilities will be used in high school science education classes in Hawaii, where the time difference between the telescopes will allow real-time observing on the southern telescope during school hours in Hawaii. The project will also involve undergraduate and graduate student participation in the operation of the telescopes.