Automated Patrol Telescope

{{Short description|Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) Imaging Telescope at Australia}}

{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

{{more citations needed|date=October 2019}}

The Automated Patrol Telescope (APT) was a wide-field CCD imaging telescope, operated by the University of New South Wales at Siding Spring Observatory, Australia.

The telescope activated in June 1989.{{Cite journal|title=1990PASAu...8..377B Page 377|bibcode = 1990PASA....8..377B| last1=Brooks | first1=P. W. | journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia | year=1990 | volume=8 | issue=4 | page=377 | doi=10.1017/S132335800002378X | s2cid=116831393 }}

This was one of four (4) ROTSE telescopes around the World to detect Gamma ray bursts, with telescopes positioned in Australia, Namibia, Turkey, and Texas.{{Cite web|url=https://rsaa.anu.edu.au/observatories/telescopes/unsw-automated-patrol-telescope-apt|title=UNSW Automated Patrol Telescope (APT)|last1=Director|first1=RSAA|last2=webmaster@mso.anu.edu.au|website=rsaa.anu.edu.au|language=en|access-date=2019-10-19}} The telescope was designed for robotic use, with 45 cm aperture.

The telescope was converted for computer controlled operation and CCD imaging from an older retired Baker-nunn camera.{{Cite journal|last1=Carter|first1=B. D.|last2=Bembrick|first2=C. S.|last3=Ashley|first3=M. C. B.|last4=Mitchell|first4=P.|date=1994-03-01|title=The University of New South Wales Automated Patrol Telescope|journal=Experimental Astronomy|volume=5|issue=1–2|pages=81–85|doi=10.1007/BF01583814|bibcode=1994ExA.....5...81C|s2cid=122281647|issn=0922-6435}} This is a type of modified Schmidt canera.{{Cite journal|last1=Grossan|first1=Bruce|last2=Perlmutter|first2=Saul|last3=Ashley|first3=Michael|date=1998-05-16|title=A search for gamma-ray burst optical emission with the automated patrol telescope|journal=AIP Conference Proceedings|volume=428|issue=1|pages=909–913|doi=10.1063/1.55461|s2cid=119007195|issn=0094-243X|url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/339061|url-access=subscription|arxiv=astro-ph/9711245}}

The telescope has a field of view of 5 degrees by 5 degrees.