Application of Imaging Methods to Enhance Observatory Operation

The West Point Observatory is looking to completely automate the Observatory to enable nighttime operation (beyond the curfew present at USMA). This is very experimental and consists of three broad tasks that are designed to be built on over time: complete the remote-in system needed to operate the dome without being present, gauge the effects of temperature on the focal length of the OTA, and streamline the workflow of taking pictures to make the operation of the dome easier for future cadets. This will be done using an attached temperature sensor, the SkyX Program, Deep Sky Stacker, and Adobe products like Lightroom and Photoshop.