GSU Programs in Astronomy GSU : Department of Physics & Astronomy
CHARA : PEGA : RECONS Observatories : Academics : Resources : People

Research Facilities

Pega Team : Research : Resources : Publications : Facilities
Below is a list of facilities the PEGA Group uses (or plan to use) on a regular basis. They include not only facilities located in Georgia, but around the world. With the exception of HLCO, all the observatories are run by people or institutions other than Georgia State University.

Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory
Recently, members of the PEGA Group have been awarded time at CTIO. Similar to Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, we get a good view of the Southern Sky. The time awarded at CTIO is due in part to Todd Henry of the RECONS group here at GSU.

Kitt Peak Observatory
Recently, PEGA members used the 2.1-m telescope at Kitt Peak to study the optical spectra of narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies.

La Silla and Cerro Paranal, ESO
Telescopes equipped with infra-red spectrographs are used at both sites (3.5m NTT at La Silla, 8.2m VLT at Cerro Paranal) to study the restframe ultra-violet spectrum of high redshift quasars shifted to the near infrared.

Gemini North at Mauna Kea, Hawaii
The Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrograph at the 8m Gemini North telescope offers a powerful intrument to study quasars at highest redshifts.

Siding Spring Observatory
From time to time, members of the PEGA Group visit the facilities at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia to catch views of Southern Sky AGNs.

Lowell Observatory
The PEGA Groups routinely visits the Lowell Observatory to make use of the 42" Hall and 72" Perkins telescopes on Anderson Mesa outside of Flagstaff, AZ.

Hard Labor Creek Observatory
Located 50 miles East of Atlanta in Rutledge, GA, HLCO houses two 16 inch telescopes. They are a Boller & Chivens (B&C) classical cassegrain with a Photometrics CCD camera and a recently acquired Meade LX-200 equipped with an Apogee AP7 CCD camera.

The Hubble Space Telescope
Members of the PEGA Group using the spectroscopic instruments on board of Hubble Space Telescope to study absorption and emission line spectra of Seyfert galaxies and quasars.

The CHANDRA X-Ray Observatory
Members of the PEGA Group using the Chandra X-ray satellite to study the composition and kinematics of absorbing material close to the central continuum source of AGN.

The FUSE EUV Observatory
Members of the PEGA Group using the FUSE EUV satellite to study the composition and kinematics of absorbing material close to the central continuum source of AGN.

RXTE - The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
Recently, the PEGA Group been awarded time on the RXTE mission.

The Spitzer Space Telescope

SOFIA - Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy

JWST - The James Webb Space Telescope


Reduction Packages

After all that data is taken, it needs to be reduced. Below you will find the packages that we use on a regular basis.
IRAF - NOAO's Image Reduction and Analysis Facility
CCDPHOT - An interactive tool for CCD Photometry in IDL by Lowell Observatory's Marc Buie
HEAsoft - Analysis suite for RXTE data by NASA's Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics.
MIDAS - European Southern Observatory, Munich Image Data Analysis System

Local Documentation

Below is a partial list of documentation related to data processing and our local facilities. For more information on our facilities, go to the above HLCO pages.
PEGA-Data-Processing-Tips-HOWTO
PEGA-CCDPhot-HOWTO
Operating procedures for our 16" Meade LX200

Return to: Pega Team | Research | Resources | Publications | Facilities | Top of page
Last modified: Tue Dec 14 15:42:32 EST 2004