Donald Teets

The Mathematics of “Go To” Telescopes

Donald Teets (donald.teets@sdsmt.edu) received his Doctor of Arts degree from Idaho State University in 1988 and has taught at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology since then. His research interests lie in the intersection of mathematics, history, and astronomy. He received the Carl B. Allendoerfer writing award from the MAA in 2000 for an article on the astronomical work of Gauss, and the Burton W. Jones Distinguished Teaching Award from the Rocky Mountain Section of the MAA in 2004. When he is not doing mathematics, he enjoys backpacking, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and rock climbing.

Computation of Planetary Orbits

Donald Teets (dteets@msmailgw.sdsmt.edu) received his B.A. from the University of Colorado, his M.S. from Colorado State University, and his Doctor of Arts from Idaho State University. He has taught at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology since 1988 and has been chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science since 1997. When he is not doing mathematics, he enjoys backpacking, cross-country skiing, and rock climbing.

Computing a Satellite Orbit From Photographs

Summary Simple measurements are taken directly from a photograph showing the track of the International Space Station over a 20-second interval. From these measurements, we are able to compute parameters for a circular approximation of the space stations orbit and show that they compare favorably to NASA values for the same quantities.

Push-To Telescope Mathematics.

Summary Two coordinate systems are related here, one defined by the earths equator and north pole, the other by the orientation of a telescope at some location on the surface of the earth. Applying an interesting though somewhat obscure property of orthogonal matrices and using the cross-product simplifies this relationship, revealing that a surprisingly small amount of information is needed for the telescope controller to locate objects in the night sky.