Infrastructure at SRO
Our site has excellent intrinsic characteristics, such as sky darkness, transparency and seeing. We have 1 arcsecond summer seeing, sub-arcsecond peak seeing (after astronomical darkness), dark skies at >21.78 mag/sq arcsecond, 290 clear nights/year with average wind speeds of only 1 mph and no summer monsoons. We have unusually easy access for a site with these characteristics. We are only one hour from the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport with year-round access. However, without a sound infrastructure, these characteristics are of little consequence. Key aspects of our infrastructure at SRO includes the structural characteristics of the observatories, technical support, internet service (including internet security and backup), local networking, weather/sky telemetry and roof control. We’ll discuss these in more detail.
Observatories
There are 8 individual roll-off roof observatories and 4 larger multi-telescope buildings which each house 12-16 telescopes. We currently have over 70 telescopes operational at SRO. Telescope sizes range from small refractors to 28” PlaneaWave CDK-700 telescopes. The floors are intentionally wooden to decrease the slow nighttime release of heat seen with concrete floors. All the multi-telescope buildings have 9-10 foot ceilings designed to make it impossible for the telescopes to contact the roof, regardless of the position of the telescope, so that the roof can open or close at any time without damage occurring. The roll-off roof model is typically used at SRO because we have little or no wind and the thermal equilibrium is very fast with these structures. For those with meter class telescopes, individual domes or roll-off roof observatories can be placed at SRO. Also, we have a close association with PlaneWave Instruments, allowing for turnkey installations of telescopes up to a meter or larger in size at SRO (fully equipped telescopes which are fully operational after installation).
Technical Support
At SRO technical support is available daily for onsite upgrades, repair and maintenance. We have two experienced full time technicians at SRO. The owners are also frequently on site as well. Most issues can be solved without shipping equipment out. On-site machine shop services are provided by SRO and by local businesses. Because we are relatively close to a major metropolitan area, we have access to local computer and machine shop services in addition to our own.
Internet Service
When SRO was first founded in 2007 we initially had T-1 internet service. As the number of clients exponentially increased, we became aware that this might eventually prove to be inadequate. On request, our Internet Service Provider upgraded SRO to fiber optic internet and additionally eased their internet throttling bringing our available bandwidth to even higher rates than would normally be possible. Currently we have standard speeds of 1 Gbps, full duplex. Dedicated (private) fiber optic cable with higher Gigabit speeds is available.
We have automatic satellite internet backup with Starlink, in the unlikely event of the fiber optic internet failing. We have endeavored to make all our critical systems at SRO redundant or backed up, so that our clients will not lose contact with their telescopes.
We have taken measures to make our site safe and secure. Those changes remain proprietary and we do not share information regarding our security systems. There is a private and secure dual (redundant) VPN firewall.
Telemetry
Currently we have two AAG CloudWatcher units, RainWise and SkyRoof weather systems. These are professional grade IR cloud and humidity/rain sensors (with computer bypass). Telemetry information is used to signal the roof to open or close based on local weather conditions. In addition, a rain sensing bypass will send a signal directly to the roof to close with a rain event, even if the site software fails. This is another example of redundancy of systems at SRO.
For sky quality we have a Unihedron/Knightware sky quality meter for measuring site darkness. Sky transparency is also measured.
There are two seeing monitors, the Alcor Systems Cyclope seeing monitor and SBIG Seeing Monitor. The Cyclope seeing monitor is a professional grade seeing monitor from Alcor Systems, which is being used at a number of professional observatories. It is a robust and sealed system with built in temperature and humidity detectors which allow it to clear any dew from it’s window. It is reliable and accurate. You can learn more about the unit at Alcor’s website.
Web cameras with passive (no IR contamination) ultra-sensitive night vision are posted throughout the observatory. Imaging is also stored off-site 24/7 for security perposes. We have 24/7 surveillance.
We have three All-Sky cameras on site with associated video and Keogram composite images.
Weather telemetry is obtained with the RainwiseMK-III-LR weather station and the AAG cloud and rain detector. We have an intelligent roof management system from SkyRoof (http://interactiveastronomy.com/skyroof.html) that will close the roof under adverse weather conditions and then reopen it when the weather permits. When the roof closes because of high humidity, SRO clients can go to the weather section of the SRO web site and find out what happened. Boltwood weather and roof position files are produced and can be saved in the FITS file and the roof position (open or closed) can be used to script an imaging session. If you are interested in historical data, you can see the RainWise data at the following sites: http://www.rainwise.net/weather/sro and http://www.wunderground.com/q/zmw:93602.1.99999?sp=KCAAUBER13
All telemetry data is available on SRO website at www.sierra-remote.com.
Roof Control
SRO uses an intelligent roof management system utilizing a number of weather telemetry capture devices. Currently we use a specially modified version of the SkyRoof system for roof automation with weather. Current weather conditions are then evaluated once every few seconds for any kind of actionable changes in conditions, such as cloud cover, humidity, dew levels, and/or precipitation. Should an actionable weather change be detected, the roof will then be closed to protect our clients’ equipment from any kind of adverse conditions. Once good observing conditions have been re-established, the roof will then re-open to provide optimal client access to productive observing time.
New SRO Headquarters
SRO Headquarters is located on a contiguous 5 acre site at SRO. Client amenities are available. Amenities include a work station with computer, internet access, bunk bed, refrigerator and restroom.
Back-Up Generator
Although power outages are rare at SRO, and battery backup is present, a dedicated whole site Generac generator is operational as required at SRO. This will be helpful in the event of a prolonged power outage or rolling blackouts. This will ensure uninterrupted imaging and data collection for our clients.
Summary and Other Infrastructure Updates
We have added hardware to our local network that offers both Network Time Protocol (NTP) and Precision Time Protocol (PTP). This has been helpful for those engaged in precision astrophotography, such as those involved with occultation studies and satellite tracking. We have also written informational packages on how to get set-up and running at SRO. These documents have made startup at SRO much less complicated.
We hope this review has given you a sense of our attention to the details of a seamless and efficient infrastructure.
Our site has excellent intrinsic characteristics, such as sky darkness, transparency and seeing. We have 1 arcsecond summer seeing, sub-arcsecond peak seeing (after astronomical darkness), dark skies at >21.78 mag/sq arcsecond, 290 clear nights/year with average wind speeds of only 1 mph and no summer monsoons. We have unusually easy access for a site with these characteristics. We are only one hour from the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport with year-round access. However, without a sound infrastructure, these characteristics are of little consequence. Key aspects of our infrastructure at SRO includes the structural characteristics of the observatories, technical support, internet service (including internet security and backup), local networking, weather/sky telemetry and roof control. We’ll discuss these in more detail.
Observatories
There are 8 individual roll-off roof observatories and 4 larger multi-telescope buildings which each house 12-16 telescopes. We currently have over 70 telescopes operational at SRO. Telescope sizes range from small refractors to 28” PlaneaWave CDK-700 telescopes. The floors are intentionally wooden to decrease the slow nighttime release of heat seen with concrete floors. All the multi-telescope buildings have 9-10 foot ceilings designed to make it impossible for the telescopes to contact the roof, regardless of the position of the telescope, so that the roof can open or close at any time without damage occurring. The roll-off roof model is typically used at SRO because we have little or no wind and the thermal equilibrium is very fast with these structures. For those with meter class telescopes, individual domes or roll-off roof observatories can be placed at SRO. Also, we have a close association with PlaneWave Instruments, allowing for turnkey installations of telescopes up to a meter or larger in size at SRO (fully equipped telescopes which are fully operational after installation).
Technical Support
At SRO technical support is available daily for onsite upgrades, repair and maintenance. We have two experienced full time technicians at SRO. The owners are also frequently on site as well. Most issues can be solved without shipping equipment out. On-site machine shop services are provided by SRO and by local businesses. Because we are relatively close to a major metropolitan area, we have access to local computer and machine shop services in addition to our own.
Internet Service
When SRO was first founded in 2007 we initially had T-1 internet service. As the number of clients exponentially increased, we became aware that this might eventually prove to be inadequate. On request, our Internet Service Provider upgraded SRO to fiber optic internet and additionally eased their internet throttling bringing our available bandwidth to even higher rates than would normally be possible. Currently we have standard speeds of 1 Gbps, full duplex. Dedicated (private) fiber optic cable with higher Gigabit speeds is available.
We have automatic satellite internet backup with Starlink, in the unlikely event of the fiber optic internet failing. We have endeavored to make all our critical systems at SRO redundant or backed up, so that our clients will not lose contact with their telescopes.
We have taken measures to make our site safe and secure. Those changes remain proprietary and we do not share information regarding our security systems. There is a private and secure dual (redundant) VPN firewall.
Telemetry
Currently we have two AAG CloudWatcher units, RainWise and SkyRoof weather systems. These are professional grade IR cloud and humidity/rain sensors (with computer bypass). Telemetry information is used to signal the roof to open or close based on local weather conditions. In addition, a rain sensing bypass will send a signal directly to the roof to close with a rain event, even if the site software fails. This is another example of redundancy of systems at SRO.
For sky quality we have a Unihedron/Knightware sky quality meter for measuring site darkness. Sky transparency is also measured.
There are two seeing monitors, the Alcor Systems Cyclope seeing monitor and SBIG Seeing Monitor. The Cyclope seeing monitor is a professional grade seeing monitor from Alcor Systems, which is being used at a number of professional observatories. It is a robust and sealed system with built in temperature and humidity detectors which allow it to clear any dew from it’s window. It is reliable and accurate. You can learn more about the unit at Alcor’s website.
Web cameras with passive (no IR contamination) ultra-sensitive night vision are posted throughout the observatory. Imaging is also stored off-site 24/7 for security perposes. We have 24/7 surveillance.
We have three All-Sky cameras on site with associated video and Keogram composite images.
Weather telemetry is obtained with the RainwiseMK-III-LR weather station and the AAG cloud and rain detector. We have an intelligent roof management system from SkyRoof (http://interactiveastronomy.com/skyroof.html) that will close the roof under adverse weather conditions and then reopen it when the weather permits. When the roof closes because of high humidity, SRO clients can go to the weather section of the SRO web site and find out what happened. Boltwood weather and roof position files are produced and can be saved in the FITS file and the roof position (open or closed) can be used to script an imaging session. If you are interested in historical data, you can see the RainWise data at the following sites: http://www.rainwise.net/weather/sro and http://www.wunderground.com/q/zmw:93602.1.99999?sp=KCAAUBER13
All telemetry data is available on SRO website at www.sierra-remote.com.
Roof Control
SRO uses an intelligent roof management system utilizing a number of weather telemetry capture devices. Currently we use a specially modified version of the SkyRoof system for roof automation with weather. Current weather conditions are then evaluated once every few seconds for any kind of actionable changes in conditions, such as cloud cover, humidity, dew levels, and/or precipitation. Should an actionable weather change be detected, the roof will then be closed to protect our clients’ equipment from any kind of adverse conditions. Once good observing conditions have been re-established, the roof will then re-open to provide optimal client access to productive observing time.
New SRO Headquarters
SRO Headquarters is located on a contiguous 5 acre site at SRO. Client amenities are available. Amenities include a work station with computer, internet access, bunk bed, refrigerator and restroom.
Back-Up Generator
Although power outages are rare at SRO, and battery backup is present, a dedicated whole site Generac generator is operational as required at SRO. This will be helpful in the event of a prolonged power outage or rolling blackouts. This will ensure uninterrupted imaging and data collection for our clients.
Summary and Other Infrastructure Updates
We have added hardware to our local network that offers both Network Time Protocol (NTP) and Precision Time Protocol (PTP). This has been helpful for those engaged in precision astrophotography, such as those involved with occultation studies and satellite tracking. We have also written informational packages on how to get set-up and running at SRO. These documents have made startup at SRO much less complicated.
We hope this review has given you a sense of our attention to the details of a seamless and efficient infrastructure.