Luckas Observatory (MPC D21) is a privately owned observatory in Western Australia. From 2005 to 2008 it hosted Tenagra Western Australia, an automated supernova and minor planet hunting collaboration with Tenagra Observatories with whom it still enjoys a close relationship.
The telescope netted 11 supernova discoveries as well as a number of minor planet recoveries during this time, and continues to provide ad hoc services for professionals and researchers (rates available upon request).
History
The site located in Perth, Western Australia, was established in 2001, and originally utlised a computerised 10″ Schmidt Cassegrain through which much of the Astrophotography currently on this site was achieved. In late 2003, the Sirius Observatory was installed to permanently house the equipment. Motorised dome rotation was added in early 2005 to futher streamline unattended imaging. In mid 2005, dome shutter automation and weather monitoring were installed as part of a package to house new equipment in a cooperative supernovae hunting project with Tenagra Observatories.
During course of the Tenagra collaboration the dome and telescope performed flawlessly with over 100,000 slews over 3 years, imaging thousands of galaxies and resulting in 11 discoveries.
Complete automation has allowed the system to run safely unattended throughout the night in varying weather conditions.
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