Katzman_Automatic_Imaging_Telescope
The Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) is an automated telescope used in the search for supernovae.
The telescope had a first light in 1998, and is a noted robotic telescope.[1] It had first recorded data in August 1996, and was formally dedicated late that year.[2] It was used for the Lick Observatory Supernova Search.[2]
The KAIT is a computer-controlled reflecting telescope with a 76 cm mirror and a CCD camera to take pictures. It is located at the Lick Observatory near San Jose, California.
KAIT can take close to 100 images per hour and observe about 1000 galaxies a night.
The Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope is a robotic telescope designed to look for supernova.[2] The telescope uses 76 cm (30 inch) diameter mirror that feeds a CCD imager with 20 slot filter wheel.[2] The telescope is also supported by an electronic weather station, that can feed data to the robotic telescope control system.[2] Several computers run software that controls the telescope and take in the data from the sensors.[2]
The telescope's development was funded by the NSF at private donors since 1989, turning 30-inch (~760 mm) telescope in a computer controlled super nova huntress.[3] The telescope can also monitor the brightness of variable stars.[3]