The Virtual Telescope - Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory


	History The Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory, as a permanent facility, started its activities on Nov. 1997, when a C11- f/10 OTA and a Losmandy G-11 mount were permanently installed under a sliding roof. The astronomical experience and the activities of the author, however, are definitely older: the first telescope used there, a small 60mm refractor, dates 1983 and helped discovering the Sun, the Moon, a few double stars and some deep-sky objects. In 1985, while waiting for comet Halley, a new telescope arrived, a 150mm-f/5 Vixen Super Polaris R-150S: it was a very good one, with technologically advanced electronics. It made possible to start a very intensive observing season, which included a large number of deep-sky objects: the first observing reports started to be published on the Italian magazine "l'Astronomia". In 1988, astrophotography was introduced: all the films and prints were personally developed, to achieve the best results. Special films, like the hypered Technical Pan 2415, were commonly used and the images were routinely hosted on magazines and books. After 5 years, in 1993 the author started experimenting the first CCD imaging systems at Campo Catino Astronomical Observatory, being a member of its staff since 1988. The possibilities of this revolutionary techinque, suitable of serious scientific applications, looked truly impressive. Since then, astrophotography was dismissed. From 1993 to 1997 the observing activities were stopped, mainly because the author was not at the site, being a student in Astrophysics at the University of Rome "La Sapienza". In 1995 something happened: on July 22, Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp discovered a comet, destinated to leave a deep sign in the astronomical history: it promised a memorable show on the 1997 Spring. The perspective of such a scientific event pumped new life into the activities of the author, who contacted the Santa Barbara Instrument Group (SBIG) for the loan of one of their CCD cameras and contribute to the study of that new comet. In Dec. 1996 Richard Schwartz (SBIG) arranged the loan by means of their Italian distributor Auriga of a ST- 7. It was intensively used since the very beginning and during the first half of 1997 it provided excellent results, of course including the comet Hale-Bopp (its images were published by NASA and JPL on their own websites). Just to make all those images available to the community, on 30 Apr. 1997 the author launched the Bellatrix Observatory website, becoming one of the most autoritative astronomical websites in Italy. On Aug. 1997 the first great astronomical discovery: a new variable star in Vulpecula, very close to the famous M27 "Dumb-bell" Nebula. At that point, a larger telescope (the C-11 + Losmandy G11) arrived, able to further support the scientific needs of what, since Nov, was going to become the Bellatrix Observatory. An impressive upgrade! Since then, it is almost impossible to mention the many developments occurred. In 1998 the observatory became the Italian station of the Center for Backyard Astrophysics (Columbia University, New York) and of the VSNET Collaboration Team and a new field, destinated to have a great importance in the scientific carrier of the author, is started: the observation of asteroids and comets, especially near-Earth objects (NEOs), since then having a dominant importance in his professional life. About 15 asteroids were discovered, some of them already named. However, the scientific activity is quite wide, ranging from asteroids to variable stars, from comets to transient phenomena. Over the last 10 years, the Observatory had several very intense periods like July 2001, when the famous cataclysmic variable WZ Sge erupted, promoting the largest observing campaign ever seen (with the Observatory being the leader). To date, the main activity are asteroids and variable stars photometry and the photometric observations of transits by exo-planets. On Jan. 2006 the whole instrumentation was fully upgraded, only keeping the C11 OTA. It is now installed on a robotic Vixen New Atlux Mount, which is controlled with its Skysensor 2000PC thanks to a software suite by Software Bisque: the telescope is remotely accessible from any place on the planet via the internet. Now, the bigger (fully robotic) telescope is based on a C14 Fastar OTA installed on a Software Bisque's Paramount ME mount. Each of these telescopes is equipped with a SBIG's ST8-XME, Class 1, NABG CCD camera, with a 10-positions filter wheel. A Takahashi's FS-102NSV Fluorite Apo refractor and a Coronado PST (H-alpha) are installed on a Vixen GPD2 mount and equipped for solar observing. A fourth platform, based on a Vixen's SP mount and a 15cm-f/5 Newtoniam is being installed too, sporting a third SBIG ST8-XME CCD camera. The Virtual Telescope project is the last enterprise the Observatory decided to start. Gianluca Masi

History

C11

The Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory, as a permanent facility, started its activities on Nov. 1997, when a C11- f/10 OTA and a Losmandy G-11 mount were permanently installed under a sliding roof.

The astronomical experience and the activities of the author, however, are definitely older: the first telescope used there, a small 60mm refractor, dates 1983 and helped discovering the Sun, the Moon, a few double stars and some deep-sky objects. In 1985, while waiting for comet Halley, a new telescope arrived, a 150mm-f/5 Vixen Super Polaris R-150S: it was a very good one, with technologically advanced electronics. It made possible to start a very intensive observing season, which included a large number of deep-sky objects: the first observing reports started to be published on the Italian magazine "l'Astronomia".

In 1988, astrophotography was introduced: all the films and prints were personally developed, to achieve the best results. Special films, like the hypered Technical Pan 2415, were commonly used and the images were routinely hosted on magazines and books.

After 5 years, in 1993 the author started experimenting the first CCD imaging systems at Campo Catino Astronomical Observatory, being a member of its staff since 1988. The possibilities of this revolutionary techinque, suitable of serious scientific applications, looked truly impressive. Since then, astrophotography was dismissed. From 1993 to 1997 the observing activities were stopped, mainly because the author was not at the site, being a student in Astrophysics at the University of Rome "La Sapienza".

In 1995 something happened: on July 22, Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp discovered a comet, destinated to leave a deep sign in the astronomical history: it promised a memorable show on the 1997 Spring. The perspective of such a scientific event pumped new life into the activities of the author, who contacted the Santa Barbara Instrument Group (SBIG) for the loan of one of their CCD cameras and contribute to the study of that new comet. In Dec. 1996 Richard Schwartz (SBIG) arranged the loan by means of their Italian distributor Auriga of a ST- 7. It was intensively used since the very beginning and during the first half of 1997 it provided excellent results, of course including the comet Hale-Bopp (its images were published by NASA and JPL on their own websites). Just to make all those images available to the community, on 30 Apr. 1997 the author launched the Bellatrix Observatory website, becoming one of the most autoritative astronomical websites in Italy.

On Aug. 1997 the first great astronomical discovery: a new variable star in Vulpecula, very close to the famous M27 "Dumb-bell" Nebula. At that point, a larger telescope (the C-11 + Losmandy G11) arrived, able to further support the scientific needs of what, since Nov, was going to become the Bellatrix Observatory. An impressive upgrade!

Since then, it is almost impossible to mention the many developments occurred. In 1998 the observatory became the Italian station of the Center for Backyard Astrophysics (Columbia University, New York) and of the VSNET Collaboration Team and a new field, destinated to have a great importance in the scientific carrier of the author, is started: the observation of asteroids and comets, especially near-Earth objects (NEOs), since then having a dominant importance in his professional life. About 15 asteroids were discovered, some of them already named. However, the scientific activity is quite wide, ranging from asteroids to variable stars, from comets to transient phenomena.

Over the last 10 years, the Observatory had several very intense periods like July 2001, when the famous cataclysmic variable WZ Sge erupted, promoting the largest observing campaign ever seen (with the Observatory being the leader). To date, the main activity are asteroids and variable stars photometry and the photometric observations of transits by exo-planets.

On Jan. 2006 the whole instrumentation was fully upgraded, only keeping the C11 OTA. It is now installed on a robotic Vixen New Atlux Mount, which is controlled with its Skysensor 2000PC thanks to a software suite by Software Bisque: the telescope is remotely accessible from any place on the planet via the internet. Now, the bigger (fully robotic) telescope is based on a C14 Fastar OTA installed on a Software Bisque's Paramount ME mount. Each of these telescopes is equipped with a SBIG's ST8-XME, Class 1, NABG CCD camera, with a 10-positions filter wheel. A Takahashi's FS-102NSV Fluorite Apo refractor and a Coronado PST (H-alpha) are installed on a Vixen GPD2 mount and equipped for solar observing. A fourth platform, based on a Vixen's SP mount and a 15cm-f/5 Newtoniam is being installed too, sporting a third SBIG ST8-XME CCD camera.

The Virtual Telescope project is the last enterprise the Observatory decided to start.

Gianluca Masi