6533b860fe1ef96bd12c2e0c

RESEARCH PRODUCT

RTS2: Lessons learned from a widely distributed telescope network

Petr Kubánek

subject

business.industryComputer scienceSoftware developmentComputerApplications_COMPUTERSINOTHERSYSTEMSAstronomy and AstrophysicsPython (programming language)Modular designSoftware packagelaw.inventionTelescopeSoftwareOpen sourceSpace and Planetary ScienceObservatorylawSystems engineeringbusinesscomputercomputer.programming_language

description

RTS2 (Remote Telescope System 2) is a highly modular open source telescope and observatory management software package. It evolved from RTS, which was developed in Python to control a telescope aimed at observing optical transients of γ ray burts. The development of a network system capable of operating robotic telescopes is both difficult and complicated. Along with continued software development one must be concerned with maintaining operations and obtaining results. This is a review of experiences gained building a network of robotic telescopes. It focuses on describing which issues are important during development of the robotic observatory software and requirements for future development of the RTS2 package. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

https://doi.org/10.1002/asna.200710936