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Assemble and mount instrument

 The goal of this section is to install the etalon, a camera lens, and possibly the shutter in the instrument and mount it on the telescope. You will then be able to power up the etalon, verify its operation, and give it time to stabilize before observations. This should be done while the CCD dewar is cooling, since the etalon plate separation drifts for some time (i.e., hours) after the etalon is powered up. (See the Queensgate etalon documentation for more information on this.) Figure 1 roughly illustrates the components of the instrument.


  
Figure 1: The primary components of the Palomar Fabry-Perot instrument.
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In preparation, remove the instrument body from its case and lie it on its side on the table. Be careful that it isn't so close to the edge of the table that it rolls off, or that it pivots on the center of the instrument and likewise falls off.



 

Patrick Shopbell
4/23/2001