Operations

The Catalina Sky Survey telescopes operate 24 nights per lunation with a 4-5 day break surrounding the full moon.  Catalina observers schedule and operate the telescope, and visually validate and report NEO candidates in near-real time to the Minor Planet Center.  A high degree of automation has been built into the acquisition and reduction pipelines to maximize on-sky efficiency.  Project facilities at the mountain sites are fully supported by numerous professionals working with Steward Observatory Mountain Operations team.