Testing at the AO facility
The AO laboratory is now accessible for visiting instrumentation allowing for direct on-sky testing by instrument teams using their own stand-alone instruments and providing a scientific or technical test bench for new instrumental concepts, which may eventually be incorporated later in other instruments. This facility is intended for the implementation of dedicated equipment so optical experimentation can be carried on for relatively short periods of time.
The laboratory at the Coudé Room is enclosed in a light tight room measuring approximately 20 m2. The room can be darkened as needed with dimming lights and is thermally insulated, so optics are kept under stable temperature control. An optical bench of dimensions 2400x1200mm is present, on which users can set up their own instruments.
The final transmitted beam at the Coudé focus has the following characteristics: a F/20 aperture ratio with a maximum unvignetted field of view of 2.4 arcmin and a scale of 5.6 arcsec/mm. A folding mirror (F4) redirects the beam parallel to the optical bench with a height of about 15cm between the bench and the optical axis (with the possibility of adjusting it through the insertion of folding mirrors). One of the main characteristics is that of the beam being telecentric, thus giving the system a versatile configuration that allows for a large range of optical set-ups to be arranged for on-sky testing. By analysis based on the system tolerances, the maximum non-telecentricity angle of a star in the field with respect to the optical axis is expected to be <2 arcmin.
The system is currently equipped with an auto-guiding camera that compensates for drifts of the image caused by tracking errors and flexures. A summary of the system specifications is given in the Table.
Coudé Focus Specifications
| Telescope diameter | 1820 mm |
| Coudé F/# | 20 |
| Plate scale | 5.6 arcsec/mm |
| Unvignetted FoV | 2.4 arcmin |
| Flight height | 150 mm |
| Maximum non-telecentricity angle | 2 arcmin |
| Focal extraction (from BS) | ~290 mm |
A sketch of the workbench set-up is shown in the Figure above, together with the optical components in the current configuration. The approximated available space on the workbench for the host instrumentation is shown, taking into account all the mounting components, dimensions are expressed in mm. The Coudé focal plane (FP) is at a distance from F4 of 710mm, with a focal extraction from the last surface of beam splitter (BS) of ~290mm. Precise focusing can also be done, if necessary, by moving the secondary mirror.
How to reach the Asiago – Cima Ekar site
The Copernico Telescope is located at the Observational station of Cima Ekar, in the Asiago plateau (Vicenza), in northern Italy, at an altitude of 1376 m (Mt. Ekar, 11°34′08′′ E, 45°50′54′′ N). Easily reachable, located at 90km distance from Padova, 120km from Venice airport.
Detailed directions here.
Request for information and time allocation should be addressed to simonetta.chinellato@inaf.it
Publication policy: It is mandatory that publications based on Ekar-Asiago proprietary or archive observations shall have in a footnote on the first page of the article or in the Acknowledgments section the following citation: "based on observations collected at Copernico telescope (Asiago, Italy) of the INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova."
2018 10 11
After First Light In January 2018 and Commissioning, the Opening of the AO Facility at Cima Ekar took place in October with the participation of the ADONI community.