First light (at ING): March 1984.
De-commissioned: 1994.
Description: To take advantage of the high astrometric
performance of the f/8 Harmer-Wynne optical system the JKT is provided
with a wide-field photographic camera which provides an unvignetted field
of 90 arc mins diameter on 250 × 200 mm plates. First light, the
globular cluster M3 exposed for 60 minutes on unbaked unfiltered IIao plate
by R. W. Argyle, took place on March 23/4 1984. The camera has an autoguider
developed by D. Thorne very similar to those on the 2.5m telescope. The
wide band filters are the same size as the plates and the useful field
is inscribed to one end of the plate leaving the other end free for the
plate number and sensitometer spots. The sensitometer is of the "Kitt Peak"
design and shines light through the filter in use to the photographic plate.
The camera is also provided with three fiducial lamps which expose small
images on the plate which record the registration of the plate relative
to the telescope. Thus the tangent point to the sky is known in principle
which removes two degrees of freedom from astrometric reductions. Another
novel feature of the camera is a roller shutter which always closes in
the same sense as it opens so that all points on the plate receive equal
exposure. The camera allows for nitrogen flushing so that the volume between
the emulsion and filter is filled with dry nitrogen during the exposure,
thus guarding hypersensitized plates against degradation.
The WPC can also be used in combination with fiber optics and CCD to image
individual objects. This was first used by a group of astronomers from Leeds
Astrophysics Group in 1987. They used a photograph as a template for placing
fibre optics in the image plane of the JKT and fibres placed over the clear
images of the stars. The positive plate with its fibres is replaced in the
telescope, and the starlight disappears down the fibres as the telescope is
aligned into its original position. Compared with other telescopes the JKT
is very well suited to fibre optics. The Cassegrain focus accessible and
rotatable unlike a Schmidt telescope.
Time allocations:
Nights scheduled since semester 2007B
More:
Wide Field Camera manual
Research impact:
Publications (2 from ING paper count)
