Remote Telescope Markup Language

The Remote Telescope Markup Language (RTML) is an XML dialect for controlling remote and/or robotic telescopes. It is used to describe various telescope parameters (such as coordinates and exposure time) to facilitate observation of selected targets. RTML instructions were designed to be displayed in a more human-readable way; they are then processed and executed by telescopes through local parsers.{{cite journal |last1=Pennypacker |first1=C. |last2=Boer |first2=M. |last3=Denny |first3=R. |last4=Hessman |first4=F. V. |last5=Aymon |first5=J. |last6=Duric |first6=N. |last7=Gordon |first7=S. |last8=Barnaby |first8=D. |last9=Spear |first9=G. |last10=Hoette |first10=V. |display-authors=3 |title=RTML – a standard for use of remote telescopes: Enabling ubiquitous use of remote telescopes |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |date=2002 |volume=395 |pages=727–731 |doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20021318 |bibcode=2002A&A...395..727P |url=https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/2002/44/aa2655.pdf|doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last=Klotz |first=A. |title=Protocols for Robotic Telescope Networks |journal=Advances in Astronomy |year=2010 |volume=2010 |number=496765 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.1155/2010/496765 |bibcode=2010AdAst2010E..86K |s2cid=55714132 |doi-access=free }}{{cite book |editor-last1=Oswalt |editor-first1=T. D. |date=2012 |title=The Future of Small Telescopes in the New Millennium: Volume I – Perceptions, Productivities, and Policies Volume II – The Telescopes We Use Volume III – Science in the Shadows of Giants |publisher=Springer Science+Business Media |pages=100–101 |isbn=978-94-010-0253-0}}

It was created by UC Berkeley's Hands-On Universe project in 1999.{{cite web|title=RTML - Remote Telescope Markup Language|url=http://www.astro.physik.uni-goettingen.de/~hessman/RTML/|publisher=University of Göttingen|accessdate=2 October 2010}} Because of its XML structure and consequent flexibility readability, it is now widely used, and has become an international standard for astronomical imaging.{{cite report |publisher=European Space Agency |title=Proposal for a Telescope Commanding and Scheduling Data Standard |date=2015 |page=11 |url=https://indico.esa.int/event/124/attachments/711/773/ESA-SSA-NEO-TN-0012_1_1_Telescope_standard_2015-12-22.pdf}}