The 3towers Observatory:
The History of a Modest Suburban Observatory
by Tim Hunter
V. The 3towers Observatory: imaging with the Apogee AP7 CCD
Camera
In April 2000, a Finger Lakes Instrumentation Dream Machine CCD
camera system was ordered for the Grasslands Observatory, and
the AP7 camera that had been in operation at the Grasslands
Observatory was relocated to the 3towers Observatory in early
September 2000. The Dream Machine CCD camera system at the
Grasslands Observatory has a similar quantum efficiency as the
AP7, but it has a larger 1024 x 1024 24-micron chip giving it
twice the field of view of the AP7 camera. This larger field of
view is especially useful for asteroid discovery and astrometry.
While the KX260 CCD camera was a pure joy to use at the 3towers
Observatory, it did not have the quantum efficiency of the AP7
or the Dream Machine. The AP7 had a somewhat longer readout time
making centering and focusing more difficult. However, it made
up for this disadvantage by permitting greatly reduced exposure
times and fainter limiting magnitudes in comparison to the
KX260.
