The Remote Observatory for Variable Object Research (ROVOR)
Abstract
The Remote Observatory for Variable Object Research (ROVOR) is an 0.4m RC Optical telescope on a Paramount ME pier located in Central Utah 100 miles south of the BYU campus. It has been in remote operation since the summer of 2008. Principle research has been monitoring blazars, x-ray binaries, AGN, and an occasional gamma ray burst. Originally conceived as a prototype to use in teaching remote observing to undergraduate astronomy majors, ROVOR has become a useful scientific tool for monitoring brighter sources. We present the basics of the observatory with an emphasis on 1) its economics, 2) the control system, 3) its unique dome, and 4) lessons learned.
- Publication:
-
Telescopes from Afar
- Pub Date:
- March 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011tfa..confE...5M
- Keywords:
-
- Remote observing;
- blazars;
- AGN