Rosemary Hill Observatory (RHO) is an active research facility and also the Department of Astronomy’s main observatory for training graduate and undergraduate students. The observatory was founded in 1967 on the 80-acre site, which was donated by Mrs. Marie Hergert, through funding from the National Science Foundation. It is located 30 miles from the University of Florida campus, in an hilly region near the town of Bronson. Satellite photos show Rosemary Hill near the center of the largest dark area in north Florida, making it one of the best sites in the state for astronomical observing.
30-inch Reflector
The principal instrument is a 30-inch (76-cm) Tinsley reflecting telescope that can be used at the f/4 Newtonian focus or the f/16 Cassegrain focus. Historically, this telescope as been used primarly for photometric monitoring programs, including of active galactic nuclei, asteroids, transiting exoplanets, eclipsing binaries, and occultations. As of May 2021, we are in the process of renovating the telescope. In addition to work on the building, we have recently had the mirror re-aluminized and are in the process of reinstalling the mirror. A new R=1000 fiber spectrograph is under construction to complement the existing imaging CCD and large monitors are being added to the interior of the dome to better facilitate large classes. These latter improvements are funded by a UF Technology Fee grant from the university.
14-inch Meade LX200
The dome which houses the 14-inch Meade was originally home to an 18-inch Ritchey Chretien reflection. The telescope was replaced in recent years to enable more robust automated control. The 14-inch Meade is equipped with an SBIG STF-8300 camera, plus a set of broadband and narrowband emission line filters. Supported by a UF Technology Fee grant, we have recently been working to make this facility remotely operable from campus. Upgrades for this effort included upgrades such as installation of electronics for dome, shutter, and lighting control, automated pointing using real-time GPU-based astrometric calibration, weather monitoring hardware and automated shutdown in inclement conditions, and on-the-fly data reduction of the CCD imaging. For the Fall 2021 semester it will be available for remote use in our undergraduate and graduate classes, as well as for any research programs that may benefit from monitoring or quick transient follow-up.