The Berkeley Automatic Imaging Telescope

Abstract

We describe the design and control system of the Berkeley Automatic Imaging Telescope (BAIT), an observatory that performs all its tasks with minimal human intervention. We concentrate on the system's software, especially that which communicates with astronomers at remote sites and that which schedules targets during the night. BAIT has been in nearly continuous operation since January, 1992; we present an analysis of its performance during its first eight months. 1. INTRODUCTION The nature of astronomical observing has undergone several great changes: the detector of choice has progressed from the human eye through photographic plates to electronic devices, telescopes have evolved from refractors to reflectors to multiple-segment or spincast reflectors, and the subject material has expanded from visible optical photons to include the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Inextricably intertwined with these has been the role of the observer. A minority of astronomers now endure long night...