How to turn a small observatory into a multi-instrument facility for photometry, long slit, and échelle spectroscopy

Authors:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Observatories of class up to 1m are commonly provided with COTS cameras for imaging and photometry. This is especially true for didactic, outreach, and private telescopes, although they are also successfully used for scientific purposes. Spectroscopy is generally relegated to larger, institutional facilities and their corresponding professional instruments. However, semiprofessional solutions exist. How to integrate them in small observatories? We present the first light of Cerberus, a three-headed instrument for the 80cm OARPAF telescope in Northern Italy: a new Nashmyth interface flange allows connecting not only the existing SBIG CCD camera, but also a LHIRES III long slit and a FLECHAS ´echelle spectrograph. Moreover, the photometry mode is upgraded with a tip-tilt lens to correct for tracking and vibrations up to 10Hz rate. The three instruments are alternatively selected through a linear stage provided with mirrors, and are remotely operated by a custom web-based graphical interface.