The StarScan Plate Measuring Machine: Overview and Calibrations

Abstract

The StarScan machine at the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) completed measuring photographic astrograph plates to allow determination of proper motions for the USNO CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC) program. All applicable 1940 AGK2 plates about 2200 Hamburg Zone Astrograph plates, 900 Black Birch (USNO Twin Astrograph) plates, and 300 Lick Astrograph plates have been measured. StarScan comprises a CCD camera, a telecentric lens, an air-bearing granite table, stepper motor screws, and Heidenhain scales to operate in a step-stare mode. The repeatability of StarScan measures is about 0.2 microns. The CCD mapping as well as the global table coordinate system has been calibrated using a special dot calibration plate and the overall accuracy of StarScan x, y data is derived to be 0.5 microns.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 28, 2008
Accession Number
ADA482702

Entities

People

  • E. R. Holdenried
  • G. L. Wycoff
  • J. P. De Cuyper
  • L. Winter
  • Norbert Zacharias
  • T. J. Rafferty

Organizations

  • United States Naval Observatory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Accuracy
  • Brushless Dc Motors
  • Calibration
  • Cameras
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Data Sets
  • Emulsions
  • Gas Bearings
  • Geometry
  • Images
  • Measurement
  • Observatories
  • Photographic Materials
  • Photographic Plates
  • Stepper Motors
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy/Astrophysics
  • Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Data Science/Digital Signal Processing.