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iTelescope.Net is the world’s premier network of Internet connected telescopes, allowing members to take astronomical images of the night sky for the purposes of education, scientific research and astrophotography. (more)

iTelescope.Net is a self-funding, not for profit membership organisation; we exist to benefit our members and the astronomy community. Financial proceeds fund the expansion and growth of the network. iTelescope.Net is run by astronomers for astronomers.

The network is open to the public; anyone can join and become a member including students, amateurs and even professional astronomers.

With 13 telescopes, and observatories located in New Mexico, Australia and Spain, observers are able to follow the night sky around the globe 24x7.

iTelescope.Net puts professional telescopes within the reach of all, with systems ranging from single shot colour telescopes to half metre (20”) research grade telescopes.

Astronomy Research

Having access to professional telescopes means that doing real science has never been easier – great value for schools, educators, universities, amateur and professional astronomers. (more)

Exo-planets, comets, supernova, quasars, asteroids, binary stars, minor planets, near earth objects and variable stars can all be studied. iTelescope.Net can also send your data directly to AAVSO VPhot server for real-time online photometric analysis.

iTelescope.Net allows you to respond quickly to real-time astronomical phenomena such as supernova and outbursts events, gaining a competitive edge for discoveries. With more than 240 asteroid discoveries iTelescope.Net is ranked within the top 50 observatories in the world by the Minor Planet Center.

Get involved: members have used the network to provide supportive data for go/no-go decisions on Hubble space telescope missions.

Education and Astronomy Schools

With science and numeracy at the forefront of the education revolution, iTelescope.Net provides the tools, along with research and education grants, to support the development of astronomy or science based curriculums in schools. Contact iTelescope.Net about a grant for your school or research project. (more)

Professional observatories use iTelescope.Net to supplement current research projects. The network provides alternate observatory sites in both southern and northern hemispheres and is a good way to continue research when seasonal poor weather hits your observatory.

Astrophotography

Take stunning images of the night sky, galaxies, comets and nebula. Have access to the best equipment from the comfort of your computer and without the huge financial and time commitments. (more)

The network has everything from beginner telescopes with single shot colour CCDs to large format CCDs with Ha, SII and OII and LRGB filter sets. Check out the member image gallery – the results speak for themselves.

Depending on your own image processing skills, you can even land yourself a NASA APOD.

How?

All you need is a web browser and an Internet connection; iTelescope.Net takes care of the rest. Our web-based launchpad application provides the real-time status of each telescope on the network as well as a host of other information such as a day-night map, observatory all-sky cameras and weather details. (more)

From the launchpad you can login to any available telescope, and once connected, you’re in command. Watch in real time as the telescope slews, focuses and images your target.

The image files (in FITS format) are then transmitted to a high-speed server ready for your download. All image data taken is your data – iTelescope.Net doesn’t hold any intellectual property rights.

Reserve and schedule observing plans in advance, even have them run while you are away from iTelescope.Net and have the image data waiting for you ready for download.

New and Starting Out?

A number of telescopes are fitted with colour cameras; these systems have been designed for ease of use. It’s as simple as selecting an astronomical target from the menu, watching the telescope image your target, and have the resulting image sent to your email address as a jpeg attachment. (more)

The image file is also sent to our high-speed server and can be downloaded in its raw image format, for post image processing if you want more of a challenge.

Already a Pro?

iTelescope.Net offers a large range of telescopes, fields of view and image scales, and NABG and ABG CCD camera combinations. Select from a large range of filters including narrowband, LRGB and UBVRI, as well as control pointing, filter selection, focusing, exposure times, image counts, repeat loops etc. All data is offered in its raw FITS format calibrated and non-calibrated.

Support and Service

With remote astronomy observing plans can be interrupted from time to time, by clouds, wind gusts and even a rare equipment failure.

iTelescope.Net has you fully covered with our satisfaction guarantee; we will return your points if you are unsatisfied with your results. Help is just a click away. (more)

A dedicated team of professionals are working around the clock to keep the network operating. This includes local ground crews at each observatory, sophisticated monitoring systems and remote observatory administrators monitoring the quality of data coming off the network.

Our dedicated support website allows members to seek answers to frequently asked questions. Formal support can be requested by lodging a support ticket, which can be viewed, tracked and managed through to completion. Go to http://support.itelescope.net or simply email support@itelescope.net.

Our contact details are also available. You can phone or Skype us if you want to speak to a person directly; you can also contact us via Skype instant message, email and fax.

How much does this cost?

Rates vary based on your membership plan and the phase of the moon. Rates start as low as 17 to 100+ points per imaging hour, which is billed per minute of imaging time used; typically one point equals $1. Make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter for special offers. Please visit our pricing page for more information on telescope operating rates. (more)

Each telescope has its imaging hourly rate displayed in real time in the launchpad before you login. At the end of each session you are also sent a detailed usage receipt which includes the costs, weather data, preview jpeg images and your observing session log file.

Membership Plans

We have a range of plans catering for everyone from the amateur to the professional astronomer. Each plan provides unrestricted access to each telescope and includes the plan’s dollar value in points, which is credited to your account each time the membership renews. (more)

Membership plans set the usage rates for each telescope on the network, expressed in points per operating hour. The entry level plans provide maximum flexibility on our single shot colour systems, and the heavy usage plans focus more on the large research grade systems. Memberships start from $19.95 and range to $999.95 per 28 day period.

Additional points can be purchased at any time to supplement your account balance.

Hosting and Affiliates

iTelescope.Net offers a range of telescope hosting solutions to members with special projects, allowing you to host your own telescope at any one of our three observatory locations. Conditions and approvals apply. Contact us for more information.(more)

Affiliate membership allows you to connect your own telescope to iTelescope.Net with reasonable rates of return. Limited availability exists and is subject to telescope network balance.

Please contact us for more information.

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iTelescope South - Siding Spring Observatory

News & Updates Regarding the New Australian iTelescope Site.

Join our iTelescope.Net Facebook Page for more updates. SSO SkyCam LIVE.

Entries in Australia (3)

Thursday
May172012

Great Foundations for iTelescope South

DateThursday, May 17, 2012 at 8:41AM | AuthorPete - Admin

This week we are very happy to release images of the finished concrete foundations for the iTelescope observatory at Siding Spring.

It was a massive dawn with several truck loads of concrete mix climbing the mountain during the very early hours. Some of the trucks had been on the road since well before dawn and had traveled over 100 kilometers to the site.

It was perfect day for pouring concrete and the final result is stunning. A smooth, strong and stable concrete construction that will be the base upon which many telescopes will be installed in the coming months.

During th next 14 days of 'rest & cure' period,  the prefabricated steel frames and walls of the observatory will be constructed. It is currently being manufactured in our workshop in Coonabarabran.

 

Also Check our Facebook page for the latest news and some member images.

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Tuesday
Jan032012

iTelescope.Net - Australian Telescope Systems Confirmed

DateTuesday, January 3, 2012 at 9:00AM | AuthorPete - Admin

As work continues in Australia on the construction of the new iTelescope.Net Southern Observatory, we are pleased to announce some of the telescopes to be installed at the site during October 2012.

The new observatory will be able house up to 16 fully remote telescopes, many are to be 'hosted' telescopes used by dedicated astronomers and institutions from around the world. But of course we will have a wide selection of research grade telescope platforms for the iTelescope members to choose from.

Some are familiar to experienced iTelescope users, but there will also be some new telescopes awaiting installation into the large roll off observatory on top of Siding Spring mountain.

Along with the current Australian systems based in southern Australia T12 (FSQ-ED Takahashi) and T9 (317mm RCOS), 2012 will see the return of T13 and T8. But will also feature the new T30.

T13 is a Takahashi Sky90 which will be teamed up with an SBIG ST2000XMC color CCD camera. T13 will provide amazing wide angle images of the southern skies in full color. It will be the southern skies outreach telescope and be available to the general public. 

T8 is a veteran RCOS 12.5" (317mm) reflector fitted with an SBIG STL11000M CCD. It will be a pure imaging system fitted with a full house of imaging filters including narrow band and LRGB. 

T30 will be a major itelescope in the southern observatory. Its a Planewave 20" (510mm) CDK reflector and be equiped with an FLI 6303 CCD with Photometric and imaging filters.

T17 has been relocated from Nerpio, Spain to Australia as well.  It should be installed by late 2012. It will have a full tune-up and optimization.  It is expected that this amazing Telescope will have its original FLI Proline 'Extended Red Sensitive' CCD fitted.

T17 in its FLI Proline configuration is the current distance record holder for amateur telescopes.

PLUS - TWO NEW LARGE aperture telescopes are also sheduled for installation into iTelescope SSO during late 2012 or early 2013. More details Soon!

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Thursday
Feb242011

iTelescope Australia. Under the Southern Cross

DateThursday, February 24, 2011 at 8:12AM | AuthorPete - Admin

iTelescope has been searching far and wide for the very best location to build our new remote telescope facility in Australia. The Moorook site we had been using was abandoned for various reasons. We currently have our southern systems based at our 'backup' location at Officer in Victoria. Being a backup site it is not ideal, but its functional and safe.

Many candidate sites have been examined and then rejected, failing to match our rather strict criteria. Locations such as the highlands near Canberra, northern Victoria, Toowoomba in Queensland, Western Australia and even the Moorook district of South Australia yet again, but these options simply could not tick all the boxes on our long "must have" list.

  • Best Dark skies- priority
  • High Speed communications- priority
  • Best Elevation - priority
  • Best clear night statistics- priority
  • Best Local Seeing conditions- priority
  • Clear horizons
  • Security for equipment
  • 3 Phase 240v power
  • Close to major transport
  • Close to support services
  • Accommodation for support staff
  • Budget constraints

 

The good news is that iTelescope has now found a candidate site that fills all our needs and ticks all the boxes.

Although we are still in earnest mediations with the site owners, we feel confident that we have located a premier location for iTelescope South. iTelescope will be travelling to the area for meetings and inspections at the  site often in the next few months.

The new telescope enclosures will be very high tech. We are seeking approvals for an 18 meter, all steel 'Roll Off' structure similar to those at our New Mexico Skies facility. It will be home for 14-16 large aperture remote telescopes all under the one roof.

The iTelescope facility will also feature high speed internet connections, automated roof control, weather/sky monitoring systems along with a small workshop / warm room for onsite support. It will be the new home for T8, T9, T12, T13, T15 and a few new iTelescope.net systems.

We are pleased to announce that iTelescope will also be offering private remote telescope hosting at what will, without doubt, be the finest possible location for remote astronomy in Australia.

Its early days and we will update you as our iTelescope South proposal develops.

 

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