eShel spectrograph first light !

Now I'm getting toward the main goal of the observatory: to run our Shelyak Instruments products, with the eShel for high resolution work.

I have installed the eShel today and I ran all cables & fibers (the eShel is an optical fiber fed echelle spectrograph with a resolving power R~10000) through the tunnels below the concrete si I have no external cable anymore - much easier to operate.

The Losmandy Titan mount runs great (but still need some finetuning, lot of backlash), and I can control the Gemini v1 L4 throuh ASCOM Gemini.Net driver. I had a shortcut on the CR2032 battery inside and I fixed it. I also reduced the GoTo spedd at 400, no need to go too fast as the dome need time to move around (3 minutes for one complete rotation).

The PRISM v9 software control everything:
-the dome through our Shelyak Instruments Dome Tracker (direct driver in PRISM)
-the mount through Gemini.Net ASCOM driver
-the Atik Titan guiding camera through an USB hub
-the SBIG ST1603 camera that sits on the eShel spectrograph and gives the spectrum

I haven't connected the Thorium-Argon calibration unit yet as I am missing a power cable; I run it manually for the moment.

Below is the first 5min exposure on beta Lyrae (Shelyak) and a picture of the control room from where I control everything. Note the very bad star shape: telescope is not colimated yet and today's seeing is terrible, typical for my area.

It is surprising to see everything working very well about one week after starting installing the observatory!!!

I also have a camera inside the dome to check the telescope & dome position...

Targets of the night: beta Lyr, lam Cyg (reference), P Cyg & pi Aqr.