Building an Exposure Time Calculator (ETC) for Lulin Observatory (LOT 1m & SLT 40cm)

Keywords: Lulin Observatory, Exposure Time Calculator, Optical Astronomy, Proposal Planning, Web Tool

Supervisor: 陳婷琬 (Ting-Wan Chen) - National Central University (NCU)

Number of Students: 1 (Max: 2)

Project Description

This project will develop an online Exposure Time Calculator (ETC) for Lulin Observatory’s 1-m LOT and 40-cm SLT to help observers plan efficient observations and write accurate proposals. The ETC will estimate (1) required exposure time for a target S/N or limiting magnitude, and (2) expected S/N for a given exposure time. It will include key observing factors such as sky brightness, seeing, airmass/extinction, telescope+instrument throughput, and detector noise (read noise, dark current, gain). The tool will also provide object visibility information (airmass/altitude constraints and recommended observing windows) and a simple time budget including basic overheads. The final deliverable is a user-friendly web interface with downloadable results (tables/plots) for proposal preparation and observing execution.

Required Background