NRES: the network of robotic Echelle spectrographs

Jason D. Eastman; Timothy M. Brown; John Hygelund; Julian van Eyken; Joseph R. Tufts; Stuart Barnes

doi:10.1117/12.2054699

8 July 2014 NRES: the network of robotic Echelle spectrographs

Jason D. Eastman, Timothy M. Brown, John Hygelund, Julian van Eyken, Joseph R. Tufts, Stuart Barnes

Proceedings Volume 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V; 914716 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2054699
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Network (LCOGT) is building the Network of Robotic Echelle Spectrographs (NRES), which will consist of six identical, optical (390 - 860 nm) high-precision spectrographs, each fiber-fed simultaneously by two 1 meter telescopes and a thorium argon calibration source, one at each of our observatory sites in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Thus, NRES will be a single, globally-distributed, autonomous observing facility using twelve 1-m telescopes. Simulations suggest we will achieve long-term precision of better than 3 m/s in less than an hour for stars brighter than V = 12. We have been fully funded with an NSF MRI grant, and expect our first spectrograph to be deployed in Spring of 2015, with the full network operation of all 6 units beginning in Spring of 2016. We discuss the NRES design, goals, and robotic operation, as well as the early results from our prototype spectrograph.

Citation Download Citation

Jason D. Eastman, Timothy M. Brown, John Hygelund, Julian van Eyken, Joseph R. Tufts, and Stuart Barnes "NRES: the network of robotic Echelle spectrographs", Proc. SPIE 9147, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V, 914716 (8 July 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2054699

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