OMI Astro OMI Astro

Observatory and Remote Telescope Guide

I. Observatory Location and Weather

1. The observatories’ addresses and the nearest cities(weather forecast reference):

  • Gemini Observatory: Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, China.
  • Virgo Observatory: Pingliang City, Gansu Province, China.
  • Auriga Observatory (partner): at Gemini Observatory, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, China.
  • Cygnus Observatory (partner): near Castilléjar, Granada, Andalusia, Spain.
  • Lyra Observatory (partner): Pie Town, New Mexico, United States.
  • Crux and Centaurus Observatories (partner): Hakos Farm, Khomas Region, Namibia.
  • Carina Observatory (partner): Yass, New South Wales, Australia.
  • Pavo Observatory (partner): Swan Reach, South Australia, Australia.
  • Phoenix Observatory (partner): Atacama, Chile.

2. Time zone:

  • Gemini, Virgo and Auriga Observatories (local time): UTC+8
  • California: UTC-8 (PST), UTC-7 (PDT)
  • New York: UTC-5 (EST), UTC-4 (EDT)
  • Spain (Cygnus): UTC+1 (CET), UTC+2 (CEST)
  • New Mexico (Lyra): UTC-7 (MST), UTC-6 (MDT)
  • Namibia (Crux, Centaurus): UTC+2
  • New South Wales (Carina): UTC+10 (AEST), UTC+11 (AEDT)
  • South Australia (Pavo): UTC+9:30 (ACST), UTC+10:30 (ACDT)
  • Chile (Phoenix): UTC-4, UTC-3 (daylight saving)

3. Rainy Season:

  • Gemini and Auriga Observatories: the rainy season runs May 15 – September 30. Telescopes cannot be rented during it, and every rental must end before it begins.

4. The observatory long/lat, elevation, all-sky camera and local weather info:

II. Power and Remote Monitoring

  1. Install the ‘Xiaomi Home’ app on your mobile device and provide your account to the administrator. You will then have access to the live monitor camera and may check the telescope status anytime. Please disable night-vision mode after viewing to avoid infrared interference with other imaging systems.
  2. Install the ‘BroadLink’ app and share your account credentials including the password with the administrator. This allows smart-plug control of power for the mount, computer, camera, and related hardware.
  3. Please set a daily power schedule in the app — typically ON at 18:00 (local time) and OFF at 07:00 (local time).

III. Dome / Roof Operation

  1. On clear nights, the roof will normally be opened after 18:00 local time. A notification email will be sent when this occurs.
  2. The roof will typically close after 07:00 local time in the morning. Usually, an email will also be sent to notify users.
  3. If weather conditions deteriorate overnight (e.g., increasing cloud cover or humidity), the observatory will automatically close the roof to protect equipment and notify users by email.
  4. When weather improves again later in the night, the roof currently does not reopen automatically. This functionality is under development. Fortunately, weather transitions from unsuitable back to suitable conditions are relatively uncommon at this location.

IV. Remote Desktop Access

  1. Please install TeamViewer – Remote Desktop Client on your computer or mobile device. Email the administrator your TeamViewer ID(s) so we can authorize access. Once setup is complete, we will provide the ID and password for the telescope control computer.
  2. The telescope PC will be preconfigured with common astrophotography software such as NINA, SGP, autofocus routines, PHD2 guiding, site information, filter setup, etc. You can directly create an imaging sequence to begin. Adjustments to autofocus, exposure strategy, or other software parameters are welcome. Additional software may be installed upon request.

V. Data Download

  1. At Gemini and Virgo Observatories you do not need to download images from the telescope PC. An automated synchronization system uploads your data to a shared Dropbox folder approximately every 5 minutes.
  2. Your folder is created when your rental starts, and NINA / SGP is already set to save into it. Keep that save path, or save anywhere under the folder — subfolders are fine:

D:\OMI\ImageData\<RIS name>\<Your folder>

For example, on Gemini-A3: D:\OMI\ImageData\Gemini-A3\Your_Name — spaces in your name are written as underscores.

Only image files are synced (.fit, .fits, .xisf, .zip, .ser). Files saved anywhere else — another drive, the desktop, or directly in the RIS folder — are not synced.

At partner observatories, data delivery is arranged by the observatory; we confirm how you will receive your data before your rental starts.

VI. Calibration Frames

  1. We can provide fresh calibration frames if needed, though we recommend capturing your own to ensure settings (gain/offset, etc.) match your imaging data.
  2. Dark frames can be taken at any time. Email the administrator, and we will confirm once the telescope is covered.
  3. Flats are taken using a flat-panel light source. Please point the telescope to the zenith in advance and notify us so local staff can position the flat panel and adjust brightness. So some coordination is required to complete flat-frame acquisition.

VII. On-site Support

  1. Occasionally hardware connection issues may occur. Most can be resolved by reconnecting cables. Please note on-site support is available only until midnight local time. Issues occurring later will be addressed the following day.