System description and first light curves of the Hungarian Automated Telescope, an autonomous observatory for variability search

Having been operational at Kitt Peak for more than a year, the prototype (HAT-1) of the Hungarian Automated Telescope (HAT) has been used for an all-sky variability search of the northern hemisphere. This small autonomous observatory is recording the brightness of stars in the range of mag with a telephoto I-c approximate to 6-13 lens and its 9degrees x 9degrees field of view, yielding a data rate of similar to10(-6) photometric measurements per night. We give brief hardware and software descriptions of the system, controlled by a single PC running RealTime Linux OS. We provide an overview of site-specific details and quantify the astrometric and photometric capabilities of HAT. As a demonstration of system performance, we give a sample of 60 short-period variables in a single selected field, all bright, with I<13 mag, where only 14 were known before. Depending on the observing strategy, a search for extrasolar planet transits is also a feasible observing program. We conclude with a short discussion on future directions. Further information can be found at the HAT Web page.(3)