Fan Mountain Observatory 24-inch
Rapid Response Robotic Telescope
The RRRT will be a fully automated 24-inch f/8.0 Ritchey-Chretien telescope dedicated to the study of astronomical transient phenomena. Current projects include the photometry and polarimetry of Gamma-ray Bursts optical afterglows, compact stars, near-earth objects (NEOs), Blazars and searches for supernovae and exo-planets.
The telescope will have a slew rate of 6 degrees/second to allow rapid response to GRB afterglow. The telescope will be equipped with an SBIG ST-1001E CCD, with a 24 arcminute (diagonal) field of view, yielding 1 arcsecond pixels. The dome is a 16-foot AstroHaven clamshell, and the telescope and mount are from Optical Guidance Systems (OGS).
Partners with Norfolk State University on the RRRT operation are the Department of Astronomy at the University of Virginia and the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers.
