BCSCO Scope Remote

 

 

 

 

 

Banner Creek
Science Center
& Observatory

 

RCOS 20-Inch Telescope
(click image to enlarge)

 

 

 

Our Mission:  To provide hands-on scientific education in harmony with the ecosystem and Native American culture.

 

Our Vision:  BCSCO will operate as a premier natural and physical sciences educational and research facility to attract students, scholars and tourists to the region.

Come for the Stars, stay for the Science.  Our astronomy and science Mini-Classes and Seminars are designed to convey why science matters; to ignite flames of curiosity; to stimulate an interest in the STEM fields; to have fun making discoveries along the way; to create an attitude of "Wow! I've got to find out more about this!"

~ Observatory Remote Operations ~

This page is for students, post-grads, and professionals who are working on research projects in Astronomy, or for aspiring amateur astronomers who would like to experience CCD imaging.  Schools, and anyone who loves astronomy, are encouraged to schedule imaging jobs.

The Banner Creek Observatory contains a fully automated and remote-controlled telescope -- a 20-inch Ritchey-Chreiten built by Brad Erhorn at RC Optical Systems.  The telescope is equipped with a digital CCD camera supplied by Santa Barbara Instrument Groups, (SBIG) model STXL-11002 with an 11 megapixel CCD chip.

The camera is also equipped with an internal filter wheel with either LRGB or UBV filters for research. The telescope, camera and observatory dome are controlled and synchronized by Astronomers Control Panel (ACP) software, which was written and engineered by Bob Denny.

Anyone submitting imaging jobs to the observatory must have a *GOOD* working knowledge of ACP Planner (job scripting), The Sky Professional, CCD Soft, and MaxIm DL software packages. All images will be created in FITS format, which can later be reformatted to JPG using another program.  Please click [ HERE ] to learn more about the ACP Planner software, and to download a free copy.

For Jackson County student astronomers:  please submit imaging jobs to the BCOSC Observatory Director, Mike Ford, at mford2001@gmail.com.

For all other astronomers, Imaging Tickets are required.  Please click [ HERE ] to go to our Box Office and purchase an Imaging Ticket. 

• Observatory All-Sky Cam -- coming soon -- click [ HERE ] after camera is activated.

• Telescope Remote Control Program -- By permission only -- contact Observatory Director, Mike Ford, at mford2001@gmail.com, or call 785-364-2641.