Sierra Remote Observatories works closely with several professional organizations, including those who build telescopes, design software/hardware/accessories for telescopes and organizations which support astronomical research. We are honored to list some of these organizations below.
At SRO, we have installed numerous PlaneWave Instruments telescopes over the past decade. We have been extremely impressed by the scope and quality of their work, and for their excellent support services. Over the past several years, the vast majority of our clients have installed these telescopes and have been very satisfied by their performance. As you will see below, PlaneWave builds meter class and smaller telescopes, mounts, focusers, rotators and excellent software for imaging. In our opinion, PlaneWave Instruments is, without exception, the premier manufacturer of astronomical telescopes and direct drive mounts for both amateur and professional astronomers.
Founded in 2006 by former Celestron engineers Richard Hedrick and Joseph Haberman, PlaneWave Instruments provides customers with the finest equipment, following the most exacting standards, and innovative design practices. All of their products—whether for backyard viewing, or exploring the heavens at the observatory level—are created with the same attention to detail and functionality that has come to be a PlaneWave hallmark. Their mission is the pursuit of the perfect telescope. PlaneWave is an industry trendsetter, developing the revolutionary Corrected Dall-Kirkham (CDK) telescope optical system. This apparatus, which works with large-format CCD/sCMOS cameras to capture sharp, detailed images of the sky, is also a great tool for visual observation. More recently, PlaneWave has introduced the DeltaRho fast-Cassegrain optical system, another revolutionary design that offers large angular fields at a focal ratio of f/3. PlaneWave also produces a range of longer focal-ratio RC designs, optimized for lessened field-curvature and smaller central-obscuration at focal ratios between f/10 and f/12.
PlaneWave also completes your needs with a selection of mounting apparatus, including direct-drive fork mounts. These precision platforms give you the flexibility and stability you need to focus on the work of discovery and enlightenment. Capturing photographic and video records of your observations is another area in which PlaneWave excels. With Andor, FLI, and SBIG cameras, PlaneWave instruments provide the means to document your findings in the highest clarity. The optical resolution of these devices affords you the best possible imaging, in every application.
Rounding out PlaneWave’s product repertoire, are a wide selection of accessories to complement your equipment, from counterweights to focusers, for a full, one-stop source that meets all your everyday and long-term astronomy requirements.
PlaneWave Instruments has a proven track record of experience at all levels of the industry, including low-earth-orbit (LEO) collision-avoidance projects, and equipping major observatories, such as the Great Basin facility. Notable PlaneWave clients include Harvard University, CalTech, NASA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the Smithsonian Institution. This has enabled PlaneWave to attract the top talent in the industry, chosen from among the best electrical, mechanical, and software engineers in the world.
Founded in 2006 by former Celestron engineers Richard Hedrick and Joseph Haberman, PlaneWave Instruments provides customers with the finest equipment, following the most exacting standards, and innovative design practices. All of their products—whether for backyard viewing, or exploring the heavens at the observatory level—are created with the same attention to detail and functionality that has come to be a PlaneWave hallmark. Their mission is the pursuit of the perfect telescope. PlaneWave is an industry trendsetter, developing the revolutionary Corrected Dall-Kirkham (CDK) telescope optical system. This apparatus, which works with large-format CCD/sCMOS cameras to capture sharp, detailed images of the sky, is also a great tool for visual observation. More recently, PlaneWave has introduced the DeltaRho fast-Cassegrain optical system, another revolutionary design that offers large angular fields at a focal ratio of f/3. PlaneWave also produces a range of longer focal-ratio RC designs, optimized for lessened field-curvature and smaller central-obscuration at focal ratios between f/10 and f/12.
PlaneWave also completes your needs with a selection of mounting apparatus, including direct-drive fork mounts. These precision platforms give you the flexibility and stability you need to focus on the work of discovery and enlightenment. Capturing photographic and video records of your observations is another area in which PlaneWave excels. With Andor, FLI, and SBIG cameras, PlaneWave instruments provide the means to document your findings in the highest clarity. The optical resolution of these devices affords you the best possible imaging, in every application.
Rounding out PlaneWave’s product repertoire, are a wide selection of accessories to complement your equipment, from counterweights to focusers, for a full, one-stop source that meets all your everyday and long-term astronomy requirements.
PlaneWave Instruments has a proven track record of experience at all levels of the industry, including low-earth-orbit (LEO) collision-avoidance projects, and equipping major observatories, such as the Great Basin facility. Notable PlaneWave clients include Harvard University, CalTech, NASA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the Smithsonian Institution. This has enabled PlaneWave to attract the top talent in the industry, chosen from among the best electrical, mechanical, and software engineers in the world.
At SRO we are proud to host one of the largest telescopes offered by itelescope, their Planewave 24" on an L350 mount. This telescope is one of their busiest, imaging virtually every clear night. Our clients who have previously used itelescope have universally been impressed by the efficiency and ease of imaging over the internet with their telescopes and software, and have noted their excellent support services. As you'll see below, they pioneered internet imaging and have made it painless and seamless for the imager. The have several telescopes available at sites all over the world. We highly recommend itelescope for remote imaging and data collection.
Since 2004, itelescope has led the field in developing public Internet based astronomy. From a humble start with a single telescope in both California and Australia and just 5 members, itelescope has since expanded the iTelescope network to telescopes around the globe providing digital imaging services to professional and amateur astronomers worldwide. Today iTelescope has over 1,000 active members and we have provided this membership community with over 300,000+ observing missions across 280,000+ imaging hours, current as of December 2017.
How it Works
Put simply itelescope allows members of the public to access our telescopes across the Internet. You can book telescope time in advance, or use the telescopes on demand.
Once you log on to the network, you have access to the 'Launchpad' which provides up to date information about the availability of each telescope, day/night map, weather information and All Sky camera images of each observatory, along with your imaging rates for each of the telescopes.
From here you can log on to a telescope directly and immediately start observing, or book a reservation, schedule an observing session to start unattended, and or even make a observing plan for a future sessions.
Once you start observing, the telescope will commence your plan either on demand or at a predefined time. If you wish, you can watch your observing session play-out in real time.
After the observing session is complete, your digital image files (FITS, TIFF, or JPEG) will be automatically transmitted from the telescope to our digital download server, where you can log-on and collect your image files, ready for processing.
For the more technical minded, we also provide image data as pre-calibrated and non-calibrated data sets (Bias, Darks and Flats). We also provide a library of raw calibration data for you to download & process if desired.
Also, itelescope provides an automated refund system. If you are not happy with the quality of your image data, you can simply request a refund for the session in question. This may be because of a wind gust, atmospheric seeing or high cloud may ruined some images.
Our Mission
As a not-for-profit organization itelescope strives to satisfy by providing high quality research-grade telescope systems and always expanding when possible with more observatories and instruments for our growing community of members. Finally, itelescope is a service for astronomers operated by astronomers.
Since 2004, itelescope has led the field in developing public Internet based astronomy. From a humble start with a single telescope in both California and Australia and just 5 members, itelescope has since expanded the iTelescope network to telescopes around the globe providing digital imaging services to professional and amateur astronomers worldwide. Today iTelescope has over 1,000 active members and we have provided this membership community with over 300,000+ observing missions across 280,000+ imaging hours, current as of December 2017.
How it Works
Put simply itelescope allows members of the public to access our telescopes across the Internet. You can book telescope time in advance, or use the telescopes on demand.
Once you log on to the network, you have access to the 'Launchpad' which provides up to date information about the availability of each telescope, day/night map, weather information and All Sky camera images of each observatory, along with your imaging rates for each of the telescopes.
From here you can log on to a telescope directly and immediately start observing, or book a reservation, schedule an observing session to start unattended, and or even make a observing plan for a future sessions.
Once you start observing, the telescope will commence your plan either on demand or at a predefined time. If you wish, you can watch your observing session play-out in real time.
After the observing session is complete, your digital image files (FITS, TIFF, or JPEG) will be automatically transmitted from the telescope to our digital download server, where you can log-on and collect your image files, ready for processing.
For the more technical minded, we also provide image data as pre-calibrated and non-calibrated data sets (Bias, Darks and Flats). We also provide a library of raw calibration data for you to download & process if desired.
Also, itelescope provides an automated refund system. If you are not happy with the quality of your image data, you can simply request a refund for the session in question. This may be because of a wind gust, atmospheric seeing or high cloud may ruined some images.
Our Mission
As a not-for-profit organization itelescope strives to satisfy by providing high quality research-grade telescope systems and always expanding when possible with more observatories and instruments for our growing community of members. Finally, itelescope is a service for astronomers operated by astronomers.
Roof control is critical to the functioning of an astronomical observatory, and has therefore been critical to the efficient running of SRO. We tried other systems, but have found SkyRoof (roof control system) and SkyAlert (weather system) to be the best option available, and much more efficient than our earlier 'in house" system. We trust it to keep our clients equipment safe and help them avoid imaging under poor conditions.
The SkyRoof system is a hardware based PC control designed for roll-off roof observatories. The system consists of a microprocessor controlled relay board, desktop software, an ASCOM driver and magnetic sensors. SkyRoof will interface with most roof control motor systems* and is specifically designed to connect to an Aleko Motor System. SkyRoof can process standard one-line weather data files (i.e. “Clarity”, “Weather Data”, etc.) generated by most weather monitoring systems (including SkyAlert) and issue weather alerts and roof closure commands based on weather conditions. With the included SkyRoof ASCOM driver, SkyRoof can interface with most imaging automation software to facilitate roof closure based on automation software settings and commands. The system also includes automatic dew heater control and user adjustable weather alerts and actions along with optional text message and email alerts.
The SkyRoof system is a hardware based PC control designed for roll-off roof observatories. The system consists of a microprocessor controlled relay board, desktop software, an ASCOM driver and magnetic sensors. SkyRoof will interface with most roof control motor systems* and is specifically designed to connect to an Aleko Motor System. SkyRoof can process standard one-line weather data files (i.e. “Clarity”, “Weather Data”, etc.) generated by most weather monitoring systems (including SkyAlert) and issue weather alerts and roof closure commands based on weather conditions. With the included SkyRoof ASCOM driver, SkyRoof can interface with most imaging automation software to facilitate roof closure based on automation software settings and commands. The system also includes automatic dew heater control and user adjustable weather alerts and actions along with optional text message and email alerts.
At SRO we have been using the Alcor System Cyclope Seeing Monitor for several years. It is a high quality, reliable, and highly accurate seeing monitor which has supplanted some of the earlier models we depended on. The Cyclope Seeing Monitor measures the physical seeing (angular radius of the airy disc of Polaris) at 50-60 Hz, comparing well to DIMM measurements and being highly accurate, especially with seeing below 1.5 arcseconds. We highly recommend this system for anyone seriously interested in their seeing conditions.
Alcor System manufactures scientific astronomical products, such as mounts (Series Nova 120/200), seeing monitors (Cyclope Seeing Monitor, DIMM Systems or Micro-Cyclope) or systems measuring optical performance (Shack Hartmann), and all sky cameras (such as the ALL-Sky). Alcor System has also developed the PRISM software, which can control virtually all the functions of a locally controlled or remote telescope, including imaging, automation and much more. Also, Alcor-System participates in acting as a consultant or contractor in the building and equipping of astronomical observatories.
Alcor System manufactures scientific astronomical products, such as mounts (Series Nova 120/200), seeing monitors (Cyclope Seeing Monitor, DIMM Systems or Micro-Cyclope) or systems measuring optical performance (Shack Hartmann), and all sky cameras (such as the ALL-Sky). Alcor System has also developed the PRISM software, which can control virtually all the functions of a locally controlled or remote telescope, including imaging, automation and much more. Also, Alcor-System participates in acting as a consultant or contractor in the building and equipping of astronomical observatories.
Our Clients Include
Astronomers and Astrophysicists
Astrophotographers
Astronomical Institutes
Government Space Organizations such as JPL, Caltech,
and NASA
Space Industry Professionals
Astronomical Activities Include:
Astrophotography
Extrasolar Planetary Search
Supernova and Variable Star Studies
Black Hole Research
NEO Search
Satellite Tracking
Space Communications
LIGO
And much, much more...
Astronomers and Astrophysicists
Astrophotographers
Astronomical Institutes
Government Space Organizations such as JPL, Caltech,
and NASA
Space Industry Professionals
Astronomical Activities Include:
Astrophotography
Extrasolar Planetary Search
Supernova and Variable Star Studies
Black Hole Research
NEO Search
Satellite Tracking
Space Communications
LIGO
And much, much more...