What is it?

The telescope and charged-coupled device (CCD) camera will be operated remotely via the Internet. Images will be downloaded to a remote user of the telescope in five minutes or less (the time depends upon the speed of the user's connection). These images can be stored in the user's computer for later image processing and study.

Anyone who is interested in using the telescope will be able to reserve observation time on the South Australia Telescope for any evening of the week. Observation sessions can last from one hour to an entire night. Arrangements can be made for projects requiring special observation times or long-term, repetitive observing runs.

Plans of the South Australia Telescope

The South Australia Telescope will be used to observe and image deep sky objects including planets, galaxies, nebulae, variable stars, and eclipsing binaries. Users of the telescope will also be able to conduct asteroid and comet searches, and develop other astronomical projects.

The South Australia Telescope is mainly aimed at students of all ages, from Kindergarten to University, although access will also be provided to any other interested groups in the community including researchers, amateur astronomers, and to show the general public the beauty of the astronomical objects in our skies.