Papers
2
Total Citations
52
H-Index
1
About
Jon Nation is a leading figure in robotic astronomical instrumentation, with his work centered on the development and operation of global, autonomous telescope networks. His most significant contribution is the design and implementation of the Network of Robotic Echelle Spectrographs (NRES), a system of four identical, high-resolution optical spectrographs deployed across the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT). This groundbreaking infrastructure allows for simultaneous, fiber-fed observations from up to two 1-meter telescopes and a calibration source, enabling precise, time-critical stellar spectroscopy on a global scale. Nation’s work on NRES, detailed in his most-cited paper (51 citations), has revolutionized the ability to conduct long-baseline monitoring of exoplanet hosts and variable stars. He has also developed sophisticated robotic acquisition algorithms, ensuring that targets are precisely and autonomously positioned onto spectrograph slits across LCOGT’s diverse telescope network—from 1.0m to 2.0m apertures. By creating a fully automated, globally distributed spectroscopic observatory, Nation has provided the astronomical community with a powerful new tool for high-cadence, long-duration studies, dramatically expanding our capacity for discovery.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1NRES: the network of robotic echelle spectrographs51 citations · 2018
- 2