Sistema de localização automática de objetos celestes para telescópio dobsoniano

Abstract

The automation of telescopes allows more convenience and agility to locate celestial objects, providing a more accurate and prolonged observation, aiding in studies, observation of phenomena and data collection. There are several motorized telescope models on the market with object tracking systems. However, such equipments are expensive and not accessible to everyone. In order to allow a greater number of people to have access to more advanced equipment, this project aimed to develop a low-cost control system to be attached in dobsonian telescopes and locate a given celestial object, informed by the user, positioning the telescope to observe it. Due to the mounting type of the telescope, it was necessary to calculate the position of the object in horizontal coordinates. For the calculation it’s necessary to know the position of the celestial body in equatorial coordinates, position of the observer, date and time at which the observation is made, which are obtained with the software Stellarium. The positioning was done with an arduino board, and a set of stepper motors. The choice of the Dobsonian telescope is due to its altazimuth mount, which has a simpler construction and is easier to position.