Documentation for the Control Desk: can be seen by right-clicking on the book at the left on the top of the console and selecting "Info".
These Cel:// URLs cause Celestia to display a model of the Hale Telescope and some images created using the telescope itself.
The Hale telescope model and its associated scripts are large and complex. They may take several seconds to load and may cause Celestia to run extremely slowly on some computers.
If Celestia seems to be running very slowly,
you might try the lores version of the model:
select (run) the script show_lores_models.cel
which is in the \scripts\ directory.
If that doesn't help, you might as well switch back
to the hires version of the model:
select (run) the script show_hires_models.cel
which is in the \scripts\ directory.
The following views were used to generate some illustrations.
The telescope may have to move when you select this FOV URL. If the view looks wrong, wait for the telescope to stop moving, about 5 seconds, and then click on the link again.
Open the observatory doors to see the entire field of view: type the command
[Enter]Hale_Open_Door[Enter]
or [Enter]hod[Enter]
Initially, the telescope is tracking Tau Ceti. It will track whatever object you Select. For example, type h6 to observe Saturn. Most other planets are below the horizon at the time of this URL. (H is needed to select the Sun's planets. Otherwise you're asking Celestia to select the 6th planet of Tau Ceti, which the Hale telescope can't resolve.)
Be patient: the telescope takes a while to slew from one target to another.
You'll need increase magnification and turn off the LFC's fov image when
observing planets.
Its image blocks the center of the screen. When looking at highly magnified viewpoints, including those below, type the command
[Enter]hhlfcfov[Enter]
to hide the Large Format Camera's field of view image.
That is short for
[Enter]Hale_Hide_LFCFOV[Enter]
The Field of View image you will then see is the much smaller fov of the adaptive optics' PHARO infra-red camera. (See below.)
For convenience, this initial 1999 PALAO demonstration is viewed from a point-of-view some distance from the telescope, so you don't have to open doors or disable a field of view image.
[Enter]Hale_Hide_Dome[Enter]
or
[Enter]hhd[Enter]
Don't forget to turn off the large format camera's fov if you haven't already (hhlfcfov), leaving just PHARO's fov.
[Enter]hhlfcfov[Enter]
See also http://www.astro.cornell.edu/~banfield/work/nepmovie/anim2.html and http://www.astro.cornell.edu/~banfield/work/urnmovie/anim2.html
These are viewpoints looking from outside the dome. To see the indicated feature, you may have to type a command or two to eliminate the obstructing dome and fixtures.
For improved initial performance, most of the dome's internal fixtures are hidden. Use the Demo Desk to enable the display of the dome's interior.
[Enter]Hale_Hide_Dome[Enter]
or
[Enter]hhd[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Hide_Dome_Internal[Enter]
or
[Enter]hhdi[Enter]
[Enter]hrd[Enter]
and [Enter]hrdi[Enter]
reveal them again.
\hale_commands\
[Enter]Hale_Reveal_Labels[Enter]
or [Enter]hrlbl[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Hide_Labels[Enter]
or [Enter]hhlbl[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Up_Hook[Enter]
or [Enter]huh[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Down_Hook[Enter]
or [Enter]hdh[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Stop_Hook[Enter]
or [Enter]hsh[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Up_Elevator[Enter]
or [Enter]hue[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Down_Elevator[Enter]
or [Enter]hde[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Stop_Elevator[Enter]
or [Enter]hse[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Hide_Light[Enter]
or [Enter]hhl[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light1[Enter]
or [Enter]hrl1[Enter]
(Prime focus)
[Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light2[Enter]
or [Enter]hrl2[Enter]
(Cassegrain focus)
[Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light3[Enter]
or [Enter]hrl3[Enter]
(Cassegrain-Coudé focus)
[Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light4[Enter]
or [Enter]hrl4[Enter]
(Coudé focus)
[Enter]Hale_Reveal_Light5[Enter]
or [Enter]hrl5[Enter]
(bridged Coudé focus)
[Enter]hrpo[Enter]
(reveal observer)
[Enter]hhpo[Enter]
(hide)
[Enter]hrlfc[Enter]
(reveal camera)
[Enter]hhlfc[Enter]
(hide)
[Enter]hrlt[Enter]
(reveal telescope)
[Enter]hhlt[Enter]
(hide)
For information about the laser guide-star for PALAO,
see
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/AO/
[Enter]Hale_Reveal_Laser_Beam[Enter]
or [Enter]hrlb[Enter]
[Enter]Hale_Hide_Laser_Beam[Enter]
or [Enter]hhlb[Enter]
[Enter]hhy[Enter]
(hide Yoke)
[Enter]hhd[Enter]
to hide the dome
[Enter]hrd[Enter]
to reveal the dome
[Enter]hhy[Enter]
to hide the yoke
[Enter]hry[Enter]
to reveal the yoke
[Enter]hhd[Enter]
[Enter]hlm[Enter]
to lower the Coudé flat mirror
[Enter]hrc[Enter]
to raise the Coudé flat mirror's crane
[Enter]hlc[Enter]
to lower the Coudé flat mirror's crane
[Enter]hrm[Enter]
to raise the Coudé flat mirror
From these viewpoints, you should be able to use your mouse to wander around and look at the models more closely. See also http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/images/cutaway.jpg (500KB)
When using a control desk, it usually is appropriate to use Celestia in split screen mode, viewing the telescope in one pane and interacting with the controls in another.
Many of these viewpoints were used to help construct the Addon. They may or may not be interesting to you.
The tank for aluminizing the mirrors is to the left. Straight ahead is the north plinth and the control desks. The telescope's Cassegrain focus is to the right, with the visitor's gallery benind it. If you haven't selected a different Cassegrain instrument, inside the Cassegrain cage is PHARO and the optical bench for PALAO.
To enjoy a ride on the dome's elevator,
[Enter]hoc[Enter]
to open the mirror's cover
[Enter]hcc[Enter]
to close the mirror's cover
To see an observer using the Cassegrain focus,
Axial Coudé flat (aka Coudé flat 5m)