Ground Instrumentation
W1m (WGT)
1-metre robotic telescope for observing exoplanet transits and determining their main properties
The W1m (Warwick 1-metre) is a 1 m diameter robotic telescope enclosed in a 6 m diameter dome and mounted on a platform located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma in the Canary Islands.
The main objective of the W1m telescope is the exploration of exoplanetary systems, using high-precision photometry of transiting exoplanets to determine their main properties, such as their dimensions and orbital characteristics.
The W1m works in parallel with the SuperWASP experiment, which searches for planets with wide-angle imaging. The W1m telescope looks in detail at selected stars previously identified with SuperWASP to confirm the nature of their exoplanets and study their properties with high precision.
The telescope is designed in a way that allows fully automated operation thanks to its robotic mode, using a sophisticated software suite and a series of environmental sensors. The W1m is equipped with a camera capable of providing high-resolution, high-precision images. It has the ability to record simultaneous images in two different colours, which greatly increases its efficiency compared to other telescopes of its type.
THE IEEC CONTRIBUTION
The IEEC has carried out various aspects of the project, both in terms of hardware and software. In particular, these aspects are:
- The two-armed instrument, including the optical and mechanical design and construction, and the supply of the infrared filter and camera. This camera contains a state-of-the-art CCD detector using sophisticated deep-vision technology that enhances its sensitivity to infrared light.
- A closed-loop autoguiding system that uses the camera images to correct for drifts in the tracking motion of the telescope. This is one of the key elements that enables the highest possible accuracy in photometry.
- The robotic control software package that should ensure the safe operation of the telescope in a fully automatic way. In this case, the IEEC has developed the technology used and it has already been implemented at the Montsec Observatory (OdM).