ASTEP

Visite IPEV

Karim Agabi — 2009-10-16T14:15:10Z

Départ ASTEP

Karim Agabi — 2009-10-16T13:53:25Z

ASTEP

Yan Fantei-Caujolle — 2009-10-01T15:20:29Z

Tests a Nice d'ASTEP

Jean-Pierre Rivet — 2009-09-16T11:01:13Z

En quelques images, la jeunesse Nicoise du telescope ASTEP

Pour etre mis au point sur le ciel avant son depart pour le Dome C, une base de test a ete installee sur le site du Mont Gros de l'Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur (anciennement appele "Observatoire de Nice"). Du premier coup de pioche a la premiere lumiere, voici l'histoire, en quelques images, de la jeunesse nicoise du telescope ASTEP...

ASTEP: Present status / Assessment

Tristan Guillot — 2009-09-09T17:05:00Z

October 10, 2009: Last day at the Observatoire de Nice for ASTEP 400 !

After one last observation night, ASTEP 400 has been dismantled and put in a box to be shipped to Concordia. All the operations went very smoothly. The instrument is now in charge of IPEV. It should get to Concordia at the end of November.

Notice that the camera box is protected in a thermal enclosure, and fixed to the telescope through a 3 point system that allows an easy removal. This should greatly facilitate any work on the camera, lenses or thermal system at Concordia. Any future improvements should be easy to implement.

July to October 2009: Tests at the Observatoire de Nice

ASTEP 400 has seen its first light, and tests of the telescope have been ungoing in Nice from July to September 2009.

See more pictures here

Tests performed:

September-October 2009: A few observations of transiting planets (HAT-P-5b, HD189733b, HAT-P-7b), and an asteroid: Daphne - Unfortunately, the presence of trees(!) on the observation site limited the observation time and we were able to retrieve only partial transits.

August-September 2009: Software tests (data acquisition, pointing, guiding)

View of the man-machine interface

July-August 2009: Image quality (Roddier test, CCD acquisitions, tests of PSFs homogeneity)

In July, tests in the climatic chamber installed at the observatoire de Nice were performed. The camera enclosure was thermalized and shown to function at temperatures from -30°C to -70°C without any problem.

Installation of the climatic chamber

May-June 2009: Assembling the telescope and camera box

After a long wait, the pieces necessary to assemble the camera box are ready.

The image above shows the mirror that splits half of the light to send the red channel to the scientific camera and the blue to the guiding camera. The light from telescope would come from the table on this image.

ASTEP Meeting III Revue de design finale

Tristan Guillot — 2008-07-17T10:18:00Z

ASTEP Meeting III

Revue de design finale

17 juillet 2008

Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Parc Valrose,

Bâtiment Fizeau, Niveau 4

Les temps incluent une partie importante ( 1/3) de discussion

09:50-10:00: Présentation/buts du meeting (T. Guillot)
10:00-10:20: Nouvelles d’ASTEP Sud & du Dome C (K. Agabi)
10:20-10:35: Premières analyses préliminaires d’images ASTEP Sud (N. Crouzet)
10:35-11:00: Présentation des recommendations des hivernants & discussion (T. Guillot)

Pause

11:10-11:25: Le point sur les découvertes actuelles de planètes en transit. Les apports de ASTEP Sud & ASTEP 400. (F. Fressin)
11:25-11:35: Les specs scientifiques (T. Guillot)
11:35-12:15: Solution optique et procédure de réglage pour ASTEP 400 (C. Gouvret)
12:15-12:35: Validation par simulations (Simphot) (N. Crouzet)
12:35-12:50: Discussion

Repas

14:00-14:30: Design mécanique du télescope (JB Daban)
14:30-14:45: Discussion: fabrication & montage du télescope à l’OHP (M. Mezrougui)
14:45-15:15: Thermique de la boîte caméra (S. Ottogalli, T. Guillot...)
15:15-15:45: Préparation des tests à Nice (JP Rivet, F. Fressin, T. Guillot)
15:45-16:00: Procédure d’installation à Concordia (K. Agabi)

Pause

16:30-17:00: Le software ASTEP (L. Abe)
17:00-17:15: Le planning (K. Agabi)
17:15-17:30: Le budget (T. Guillot)
17:30-18:00: Discussion

Documents: cliquez ici (accès restreint)

Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (UMR 6110)

Jean Baptiste Daban — 2008-03-13T14:05:47Z

PNRA

Jean Baptiste Daban — 2008-03-13T12:58:22Z

Italian National Program for Antarctic Research

IPEV

Jean Baptiste Daban — 2008-03-13T12:56:17Z

Optique & Vision

Jean Baptiste Daban — 2008-03-11T14:36:22Z

Optique & Vision

Optique & Vision is a private partner of A STEP. It will supply:

the 400 mm diameter F/5 primary mirror.
the primary mirror barrel, from its own design.
the secondary mirror spider, designed by Fizeau laboratory.
the "antarctized" Astro-Physics 3600 equatorial mount.

Moreover, Optique & Vision is the private partner of the "doctor-engineer" scholarship of Nicolas Crouzet.