Open AccessDesign of an automated solar tracker for teaching astronomy and mechatronic engineering
Author(s) -
José Ramón Rodríguez Pérez,
Salazar Díaz,
E. E. Bricio Barrios,
J. A. Pineda Torres,
J. C. Ortega Valencia,
José Roda Peña
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of physics. conference series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1742-6596
pISSN - 1742-6588
DOI - 10.1088/1742-6596/1702/1/012014
Subject(s) - planet , astronomy , computer science , telescope , population , outreach , engineering , computer graphics (images) , aerospace engineering , remote sensing , physics , geography , demography , sociology , political science , law
Astronomy is one of the sciences that attracts a large number of people, because of the celestial bodies and phenomena that can be observed, such as the moon, planets, constellations and the sun during the day. Telescopes, the main observation tool employed for astronomical observation, are often not very accessible for the majority of the population, due to their cost. This problem has been addressed through the design of low-cost three-dimensional printed telescopes or the use of digital cameras and cell phones with filters suitable for this purpose. This work describes the components and building of an automatized light tracker that can be coupled to a digital camera, protected by a white light filter, to emulate a low-cost solar telescope. The resulting device can also be operated manually, serving as a teaching tool for astronomy that illustrates how mechatronics and programming can be employed for scientific outreach. Aided by a digital camera, the robotic solar tracker was used by students to observe and record the 2019’s Mercury transit.