The STELLA project: two 1.2m robotic telescopes for simultaneous high-resolution Echelle spectroscopy and imaging photometry

Abstract

We present an overview and a brief report on the status of the STELLA project (abbreviation for STELLar Activity). The STELLA-I telescope will be the first robotic telescope that feeds a bench-mounted high-resolution Echelle spectrograph with a set of 50 and 100 μm fibres and provides spectral resolutions of up to 47,000 with a 1 arcsec slit. The spectrograph is a white-pupil design located in a separated temperature-controlled room to guarantee long-term stability. The building will have a roll-off roof and is capable to host two telescopes. First light for STELLA-I is planned for summer 2002. STELLA-II is foreseen to be a photometric imaging telescope for the optical and near-infrared wavelengths and will follow in 2003.