The STELLA robotic observatory

Abstract

Abstract STELLA is a robotic observatory with two fully automatic telescopes (STELLA‐I and STELLA‐II) located at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, Spain. Not only the telescopes are automatic but also the entire observatory, no human presence is needed for observing ‐ not even in remote control. STELLA‐I supports a high‐resolution, fiber‐fed and benchmounted echelle spectrograph and a wide‐field CCD imaging photometer while STELLA‐II feeds a similar but wide‐band imaging photometer and a testbed for prototype adaptive optics for robotic telescopes. The first telescope is scheduled for first light in November 2004, the second telescope for March 2005. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)