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Sierra Remote Observatories: An Ideal Site for Astronomers, Space Industry Professionals and Astrophotographers
An Introduction to Sierra Remote Observatories
SRO is a group of remote observatories located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and dedicated to remote and robotic data acquisition, imaging, satellite tracking and communications. At SRO we have been hosting telescopes continuously since 2007. We are uniquely located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in an area with excellent imaging conditions including:
• one arcsecond summer seeing
• dark skies
• a very low incidence of thunderstorms
• no summer monsoons
• average wind speeds of only 1 mph
• maximum wind gusts averaging only 10 mph
• an average of 290 clear nights per year.
We have easy access, being only one hour from the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport and 4 hours from Los Angeles or San Francisco, by car. We have robust, secure and fast fiber optic internet with satellite back up, network redundancy and 24/7 security. Our standard internet speed is 1 Gbps (full duplex) with higher gigabit speeds and dedicated fiber available. We have on-site technicians for daily repair and assistance. Roof control is based on on-site live weather telemetry. Clients have access to roof position files so they can optimize their imaging time and also have access to weather/seeing condition files (Boltwood files) which can be embedded into their fits files. Our systems are redundant, including dual secure firewalls, an industrial grade Generac all-site generator and fiber optic internet backup with Starlink satellite internet access. Our clients include astrophysicists, space industry professionals, astronomical institutes and advanced amateur imagers. Contact us if you have any questions or if you are looking for a unique site to place your telescope. Our email address is [email protected].
Keith Quattrocchi
President and Founder
Sierra Remote Observatories
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• one arcsecond summer seeing
• dark skies
• a very low incidence of thunderstorms
• no summer monsoons
• average wind speeds of only 1 mph
• maximum wind gusts averaging only 10 mph
• an average of 290 clear nights per year.
We have easy access, being only one hour from the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport and 4 hours from Los Angeles or San Francisco, by car. We have robust, secure and fast fiber optic internet with satellite back up, network redundancy and 24/7 security. Our standard internet speed is 1 Gbps (full duplex) with higher gigabit speeds and dedicated fiber available. We have on-site technicians for daily repair and assistance. Roof control is based on on-site live weather telemetry. Clients have access to roof position files so they can optimize their imaging time and also have access to weather/seeing condition files (Boltwood files) which can be embedded into their fits files. Our systems are redundant, including dual secure firewalls, an industrial grade Generac all-site generator and fiber optic internet backup with Starlink satellite internet access. Our clients include astrophysicists, space industry professionals, astronomical institutes and advanced amateur imagers. Contact us if you have any questions or if you are looking for a unique site to place your telescope. Our email address is [email protected].
Keith Quattrocchi
President and Founder
Sierra Remote Observatories
Read More
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Construction of our new multi-telescope buildings (designated Buildings 13 and 14) as shown above. Each will house 8 - 12 telescopes of various size. We expect construction to be completed by late winter or early spring.
What's New at Sierra Remote Observatories
New Multi-Telescope Buildings 13 & 14 in Progress
Sierra Remote Observatories was founded in 2007 and has continued to grow, expand and improve itself. Initially there were just 8 small private observatories, with 4 large multi-telescope buildings added over the past several years. Currently nearly every spot at SRO is taken, with over 60 telescopes currently installed. As a result two additional mid-sized multi-telescope buildings are currently under construction at SRO. The progress of this construction can be seen at: https://www.sierra-remote.com/new-construction-buildings-13--14.html Other recent updates over the past few years includes our fiber optic internet upgrade. We now have standard 1 Gbps full duplex with higher gigabit speeds and dedicated fiber available. We have an on site industrial grade Generac generator, redundant and secure firewall/VPN access, and Skylink as our satellite internet backup. Our roof control continues to utilize a modified version of the highly reliable and well designed SkyRoof and SkyAlert. Weather condition and roof position files are available to our clients. www.sierra-remote.com |
Continued Growth and Expansion at SRO When SRO saw first light in 2007 there were only 8 individual observatories, three of which were used by the original owners and founders of Sierra Remote Observatories. With SRO's excellent seeing conditions we were producing high quality images and within months the 8 observatories were leased with requests for more space. As a result we put up our first two multi-telescope observatories, each designed to house up to 14 telescopes. Within a few years these filled with continued demand. As a result we have constructed two additional new multi-telescope buildings and added a new headquarters building. These multi-telescope buildings can house scopes with apertures up to 0.75 meters. These are now completed and operational, with more than 95% of space currently filled. Two additional medium sized multi-telescope buildings are currently under construction and should be operational by late winter or early Spring. Each will house an additional 8 telescopes In addition, larger meter class telescopes can be placed in dome or roll-off roof observatories on site. Our SRO headquarters is located in an adjacent property. We will continue to upgrade and improve the infrastructure of SRO in order to provide an efficient, robust and comfortable environment for remote data acquisition, imaging, satellite tracking and space communications. www.sierra-remote.com |
Infrastructure Updates
At SRO we are continually improving and updating the infrastructure that allows uninterrupted data collection and imaging. We have fast fiber optic internet recently upgraded to a standard 1 Gbps full duplex with higher gigabit speeds and dedicated fiber available. Our fiber is backed up by Starlink. VPN access is performed through or dual (redundant) firewall. There is now 24/7 surveillance at SRO. SRO has full time technical support with technicians on site every day of the year and available for emergency services 24/7. Most technical problems can be fixed on site or shipped out and reassembled by our staff. We supply two hours per month of free support with additional support available, and will, without charge, assist you with your telescope installation and updating your equipment. Thereafter our staff will be your "eyes, ears and hands" on-site. Our goal is to make your remote data acquisition and imaging experience as trouble free as possible. We have added a whole site industrial grade Generac generator so that power will be present in the event of a PG&E power failure. In addition, we have acquired a new on-site headquarters with amenities for our clients.. At SRO, we are continuously improving the extent and quality of our infrastructure so that you can focus on trouble free satellite tracking, space communications, data collection and astronomical imaging. Read More |
SRO Updates and Improvements
SRO is currently at 98% capacity, with only a few spots currently available. In view of our rapid growth, we have embarked on the construction of two additional multi-telescope building, which should be available by late Winter or early Spring. In addition we are planning for additional buildings so that our clients so not have to wait for spaces to become available. Our unique 15 acre site makes this possible.
In addition to the two buildings under construction, we have 9 private observatories (buildings 1-8 and 15) and four large custom designed multi-telescope roll-off roof buildings (each 30 x 40 feet with 10 foot ceilings, housing 14 telescopes each), designated building 9-12. The large multi-telescope buildings were constructed for larger telescopes, with nearly 10 feet of space between each telescope and 9 to 10 foot ceilings. This allows us to easily handle larger telescopes, such as 28" or 32" telescopes in equatorial or Alt-Az configuration. We are able to put up custom domes or custom roll-off roof observatories for meter class telescopes. All of our buildings are built off the ground (for below the floor airflow) with wooded floors (no concrete slabs), in order to allow for more rapid thermal equilibrium.
SRO has its new Headquarters in a property adjacent to SRO. The owner lives there and our on-site technicians also live nearly in Auberry. This greatly simplifies our ability to provide support 365 days each year.
In addition to these new and established buildings, we continue to update our infrastructure. Currently we have fast fiber optic internet with standard 1 Gbps full duplex and the option of dedicated fiber at higher gigabit speeds. We have an improved and standardized roof control system, emergency satellite internet backup (now using Skylink) and 24/7 security. We have two full time technicians on site 7 days a week, with emergency help available 24 hours a day. Our firewall is redundant with a dedicated fail over backup. We have an on-site Generac Generator with a thousand gallon tank, which can supply power in the event of a power failure.
Our goal at SRO has always been to build a site which is as trouble free and seamless as possible, so our clients can focus on unencumbered satellite tracking, space communications, data acquisition and astronomical imaging. We continue to strive to be the premiere site for astronomical data collection and imaging for astronomers, space industry professionals and astrophotographers.
Keith Quattrocchi
President and Founder
Sierra Remote Observatories
Above: SRO with two additional multi-telescope observatories (two large observatories in right foreground). All buildings are fully operational, with over 70 telescopes in use. The site has been continuously operational since first light in 2007.
Contact Information and Images from SRO
Fisheye view of SRO with the 4 larger multi-telescope buildings in the foreground and some of the 8 smaller private observatories in the background.
The Astronomical Telescope of the University of Stuttgart (ATUS) was established by the University's Institute of Space Systems with support of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and funded by the DLR Space Administration.
The Korean Astronomy and Space Sciences Institute (KASSI's) 24" OGS. They are conducting polarimetry of the moon's surface.
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The SRO newsletter is sent out semiannually. Our goal is to keep clients and interested professionals aware of changes, updates and projects at SRO. Feel free to contact us by phone or email at any time and with any questions you may have. Our phone numbers and email are listed below : Contact Information: Corporate Address Sierra Remote Observatories 42120 Bald Mountain Road Auberry, CA 93602 Corporate: 559-855-2473 Cell: 530-401-0643 (PST) [email protected] Observatory Location: Auberry, California General Inquiries: [email protected] President & Founder Keith Quattrocchi [email protected] 530-401-0643 (PST) Technical Support: Evan Cornelson [email protected] & Sam Miller [email protected] Website: www.sierra-remote.com |
The iTelescope.Net's 24" Planewave CDK.
The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand's (NARIT's) 0.7 meter Planewave telescope (CDK 700).
Dr. Fred Ringwald's 16" DFM Ritchey-Chretien Telescope. Dr. Ringwald, an astrophysicist at Fresno State University, has published several peer reviewed articles on cataclysmic variables with data from SRO. These papers have been cited in refereed scientific journals 123 times as of January of 2023.
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SRO® and Sierra Remote Observatories® are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Banner images by Keith Quattrocchi, Eric Coles and Mel Helm
Banner images by Keith Quattrocchi, Eric Coles and Mel Helm