Inuksuit: robotic astronomical site-testing stations in the Canadian High Arctic

Eric Steinbring; Brian Leckie; Paul Welle; Tim Hardy; Bruce Cole; Dell Bayne; Bryce Croll; David E. Walker; Raymond G. Carlberg; Gregory G. Fahlman; Brad Wallace; Paul Hickson

doi:10.1117/12.789531

10 July 2008 Inuksuit: robotic astronomical site-testing stations in the Canadian High Arctic

Eric Steinbring, Brian Leckie, Paul Welle, Tim Hardy, Bruce Cole, Dell Bayne, Bryce Croll, David E. Walker, Raymond G. Carlberg, Gregory G. Fahlman, Brad Wallace, Paul Hickson

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7012, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes II; 70121V (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789531
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2008, Marseille, France

Abstract

Coastal mountains at Canada's northern tip possess many of the desirable properties that make the Antarctic glacial plateau attractive for astronomy: they are cold, high, dry, and in continuous darkness for several months in winter. Satellite images suggest that they should also benefit from clear skies for a fraction of time comparable to the best mid-latitude sites, and conventional site-selection criteria point to good seeing. In order to confirm these conditions, we are testing three mountain sites on northwestern Ellesmere Island, in Nunavut. On each we have installed a compact, autonomous site-testing station consisting of a meteorological station, a simple optical/near-infrared camera for sensing cloud cover, and - at one site - a more advanced all-sky viewing camera. The systems were deployed by helicopter and run on batteries recharged by wind (a compact methanol fuel cell is under study as a supplementary power source). Effective two-way communications via the Iridium satellite network allows a limited number of highly compressed images to be transferred. The full-winter dataset is stored at the site on flash-drives, thus requiring a return visit to retrieve, but day-to-day station performance can be assessed using telemetry and a computer model. Based on site-testing results, the plan is to select one site for the addition of a seeing monitor and a small but scientifically productive telescope.

Citation Download Citation

Eric Steinbring, Brian Leckie, Paul Welle, Tim Hardy, Bruce Cole, Dell Bayne, Bryce Croll, David E. Walker, Raymond G. Carlberg, Gregory G. Fahlman, Brad Wallace, and Paul Hickson "Inuksuit: robotic astronomical site-testing stations in the Canadian High Arctic", Proc. SPIE 7012, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes II, 70121V (10 July 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789531

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available