Department of Physics AstroLab

Rules for the Use of the AstroLab Facilities

These rules are in addition to those already given in the Department's Safety Policy, the use of the teaching laboratories and the Roof Area. In the interests of safety all rules must be obeyed and any contravention may result in the withdrawal of authorisation to use particular departmental facilities and may result in the matter being referred to the University's Discipline Committee.

Students will be given out-of-hours access to the Physics Building via their Campus Cards for the period of their project work. Keys will be issued which will allow access to Room 201 and the domes. These keys will only be issued on the written instructions of the AstroLab Supervisor after students have shown that they are proficient in the safe use of the telescopes and ancillary equipment at night. The keys are for the sole use of the student to whom they are issued, i.e. the authorised user. They must not be lent, or used to give others access to Room 201 or the domes.

Using the Telescopes from the Domes

  • Two Users must present at ALL TIMES for EACH telescope. There must be at least two users associated with EACH telescope when in use. These users must be either together in the dome or together in Room 201 (or very close by, i.e. the Physics Coffee Room) at all times. Other authorised user(s) being in another dome or in Room 201 does not count.

    Note that this means that

    • whenever you go to the Physics roof area you must go as a pair,

    • you as an individual cannot go to a dome and start setting up even if your lab partner is apparently expected to arrive shortly; you must wait until your lab partner arrives before you can go up to the domes,

    • similarly you must both be present in the dome when shutting down; one of you leaving early before the shutdown is not allowed,

    • when a dome is open do not leave it unattended, e.g. don't leave the building. As a pair you must be available at all times to close down your telescope and dome if for example it starts raining, etc. Hence starting a long set of exposures and then one or both of you going off somewhere (e.g. Library, New Inn, College, etc) is not allowed.

    • using more than one telescope at the same time is not allowed unless authorised by the AstroLab supervisor. .

  • General Safety. When visiting the domes you must
    • be on the lookout for slippery conditions
    • take care when entering/leaving the domes because of the restricted entrance height (particuarly the Far-East Dome!)
    • note that when entering/leaving the domes there is a step-up/down
    • be aware how the telescopes and domes move
    • take care when using a ladder in a dome
    • note that the dome doors can slam shut and hence students must ensure that their dome keys are about their person at all times in order to avoid being locked out of an open dome
    • not open any dome when the Sun is above the horizon unless authorised by the AstroLab supervisor. Looking at or near the Sun with the telescopes, even for the shortest fraction of a second, will cause instant and irreversible eye damage.

  • Wind limits. The telescopes must not be used when the 60-sec average wind speed exceeds 20 mph.

  • Using the Domes after High Winds. After high winds (~greater than 50 mph) the dome shutters may have become "disloged" from their usual close position and therefore careful inspection is required before any attempt is made to open a dome. On such occasions the Astrolab Supervisor must be contacted before any dome is used.

  • Working after midnight. Using the telescopes after midnight is only allowed after prior agreement with the Astrolab Supervisor.

  • Room 201. When leaving Room 201 ensure that the door is locked.

  • Only authorised users are allowed in the domes. No visitors are allowed.

The lab and dome telephones are for AstroLab business only. A list of emergency numbers is also provided. The numbers are:

AstroLab (Room 201) (0191 33) 43524
West Dome (West-14) (0191 33) 43742
Far-East Dome (Far-East-16) (0191 33) 43747
East Dome (East-14) (0191 33) 43748
University Security (0191 33) 42222
University Emergencies (0191 33) 43333
External Emergency Services (9) 999

If there is a major problem with a telescope, a dome, etc, a phone call to the AstroLab Supervisor can be made at any hour.

Using Telescopes Remotely from Room 201.

Special rules apply to using the telescopes remotely from Room 201:

  • A student pair is only allowed to use a telescope remotely without supervision after they have been signed off to do so by the AstroLab supervisor. Permission will only be granted after the student pair has demonstrated that they fully understand the various issues associated with using these telescopes remotely. Permission will only be granted after the student pair has completed several (~5) successful observing sessions from the domes.

  • Two students must be present at ALL TIMES when remotely observing from Room 201. This means that a student pair must stay together in Room 201 (or very close by) or leave Room 201 together. This is essential in case access to a dome is required to deal with a technical problem. For example if a problem arises with the system startup, the two authorised users can visit the dome together and investigate the problem directly. The problem may be as mundane as the flip mirror being in the telescope beam or the lens cap being on the telescope tube. Similarly if a problem arises during a shutdown the pair can be visit together to investigated. (A pre-programmed shutdown when there are no users in Room 201 only has the potential to damage equipment!).

  • Before a telescope is programmed for a late shutdown, the student pair must check that reliable data is being obtained before they depart Room 201; e.g. for a monitoring project examine the quality of data being taken for ~30 minutes. If no useful data is being obtained the telescope should not be left running.

  • A telescope must not be left running if bad weather is forecast, i.e. windy and/or wet conditions.

  • A programmed shutdown time must be carefully determined, e.g. at what time will the telescope reach various limits (HA, altitude)?

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