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Posted by Peter Meadows at 18:28 on 2010 Dec 30
The BAA Robotic Telescope Project (RTP) uses the Sierra Stars Observatory Network (SSON) as their remote telescopes (see http://www.sierrastars.com/). SSON have announced that a new 32in telescope on Mt Lemmon will shortly be joining the two existing SSON telescopes. The press release on this new telescope is given below.Details on the BAA RTP can be found at http://britastro.org/robotscope/, by contacting myself, the BAARTP coordinator at robotscope@britastro.org or by using this forum.—SSON Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 23 December 2010Mt. Lemmon Sky Center Partners with the Sierra Stars Observatory Network(Markleeville, CA December 23, 2010) The University of Arizona (U of AZ) and the Sierra Stars Observatory Network (SSON) announce an agreement to provide access to the 32-in telescope of the Mt. Lemmon Sky Center (MLSC) through the service of the Sierra Stars Observatory Network.MLSC recently completed installation of the Schulmann 32-in telescope at its facility atop Mt. Lemmon. This telescope is used for the SkyCenter’s nightly citizen observing program (SkyNights) and all-night programs (AstronomyNights) as well as being an integral part of several educational programs for University classes and special workshops for amateurs interested in learning more about astro-imaging. Anna Spitz, Program Manager of the MLSC, appreciates the potential of the partnership with SSON. "Magnificent instruments like the Schulman telescope should never be idle, and when our normal evening programs were over, we wanted to find a way to provide access to other users who have a need for the aperture, superior optics, first-rate camera, and steady skies that makes this such an important facility. Ms. Spitz goes on to say. Rather than try to develop the infrastructure to support this kind of access, we decided to partner with Sierra Stars Observatory Network. SSON has a unique offering, providing its users to an ever-expanding worldwide network of quality telescopes.The Sierra Stars Observatory Network (SSON) is a unique partnership among professional observatories that provides its users with affordable high-quality calibrated image data. The goal of SSON is to serve the needs of science-based projects and programs. Colleges, universities, institutions and individuals use SSON for their education and research projects. The mission of SSON is to promote and expand the use of its facilities among the thousands of colleges and schools worldwide that do not have access to professional-quality automated observatory systems to use for astronomy education and research.Ed Beshore, Faculty Advisor for the MLSC and Director of the Catalina Sky Survey, was instrumental in putting together the partnership with SSON. "We chose to be part of SSON’s network, because it represented a great opportunity for MLSC to be part of an offering that offers great added value through its support for educational and research users that could benefit from access to facilities in both hemispheres.Mr. Beshore goes on to say. "We also see the ability to bundle on-site experiences, on-line training, and remote access to a global network of telescopes as a unique educational opportunity" Adam Block, the director of our SkyNights and Astronomer Nights programs is a world-renowned astrophotographer. People wishing to learn from Adam have traveled thousands of miles to attend his workshops on Mt. Lemmon. We think that now, those unable to undertake such a long journey will still be able to benefit from Adam’s experience partly through this new ability to support observations from remote users. In addition, we are looking at ways to partner with local businesses and schools to provide a curriculum that offers an experience at the telescope coupled with supervised follow-on projects that rely on students conducting their own observing projects using the 32-in telescope."Rich Williams, founder and CEO of SSON, appreciates the quality and professionalism that the staff at the MLSC brings to SSON. Our partnership with the University of Arizona and the Mt. Lemmon Sky Center adds powerful instruments and key people to SSON. Their state of the art new 32-inch telescope will be the largest telescope so far in our growing global network. The professional staff also brings decades of experience working with remote automated observatory systems. Our users will be delighted to start using this power instrument for their education and research projects! For more information about SSON contact:Rich WilliamsSierra Stars Observatory Networkrichw@sierrastars.comwww.sierrastars.comTwitter: SSON_ChatSkype: sierrastars—
Posted by Steve Holmes2 at 14:09 on 2010 Nov 05
Over the last few years I have developed an interest in the sort of "recreational" aspects of astronomical computing popularised by Jean Meeus in his well-known series of books ‘Mathematical Astronomy Morsels’. I have researched a number of similar topics myself, which are available to view on my website (http://www.steveholmes.net/astro), and have also conducted email conversations with a number of the more well-known practitioners in the field. Now that I have joined the BAA I wondered what sort of interest there might be in topics of this sort among the membership.The Computing Section Director suggested I might post to this forum to see if there were any like-minded souls out there, so please reply if you would like to engage in some computational discussions that require an enquiring mind rather than a detailed knowledge of orbit calculations! Steve Holmes
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Topic: Telescope for planetary work
Posted by Tom Moran at 20:23 on 2010 Sep 13
Hello.I have recently joined the BAA and wonder why I didn’t join ages ago!I am a keen solar observer and use a skywatcher 120mm refractor, herschel wedge and continuim filter for white light and a pst for hydrogen alpha. I am interested in planetary work but I feel the 120 refractor is not quite up to it. I, like most people, have a limited budget and I was considering the skywatcher pro 180. Does anyone have experience of this telescope? Would it be adequate to make contributions to the Jupiter, Mars and Saturn sections of the BAA?Kind regards.Tom Moran
Topic: BOINC Einstein@Home Team
Posted by Kevin Holmes at 10:56 on 2010 Aug 13
Hello all. I’ve just joined the Einstein@Home programme which in their own words "is a program that uses your computer’s idle time to search for gravitational waves from spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars) using data from the LIGO gravitational wave detector. Einstein@Home also searches for radio pulsars in binary systems, using data from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico." More information can be found at http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/Einstein@Home used the Berkley Open source Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) software which you download to your local PC and analyse and compute data sent from the Einstein@Home project. It can be set up to use your computer during idle times (when it is switched on) and analyses the data in the background. Once each data package is complete it accesses the project site and uploads the results. So far, two users have found a pulsar called PSR J2007+2722. It is a 40.8 Hz isolated pulsar, 17,000 light years distant in the plane of the Galaxy, and is most likely a Disrupted Recycled Pulsar (DRP). If so, it is the fastest DRP yet discovered.I would like to set up a British Astronomical Association team so multiple computers can contribute to the project and the results be shared amongst the team members. If you are interested then please respond and I’ll create the team and post out the information.Regards,Kevin Holmes.
In reply to: Makeing a white light filter for my 10″ Dobsonian
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 17:32 on 2010 May 21
Cheers Callum,I will use the dust cover I have for my ZS66SD. I have been a casual solar observer on and off for a number of years, and I hope that with my new 10" Dob which is, after all so easy to set UP. It might encourage me to do more in the way of Solar observing.I might even be tempted to join the solar section!
In reply to: White LED street lighting
Posted by Dale Holt at 13:29 on 2010 May 10
Thanks to David for outlining some of the lesser known facts around LED street lighting. It does sound very worrying and already happening if David can witness deterioration from his NW London location.I have often wondered why more of the low level bollard type lighting isn’t used by local authorities as the units must be considerably cheaper that full lamp posts, especially for pedestrian only applications.Movement detection is also a good idea but with the energy usage being that much lower with LED’s the cost & environment cards will have already been satisfied to a greater extent, the advantages to residents & councils will not be so attractive.I think the serious option for many astronomers trapped in light polluted areas will be to concentrate or areas of astronomy that are less effected by the scourge of poor lighting, i.e. Lunar, Solar, Planetary. Double stars etc or to join the increasing number of UK astronomers accessing scope remotely under really dark skies. I appreciate that theses means imaging and not visual observation but what else can a small group of astronomers realistically do to prevent it?Dale Holt
In reply to: Welcome to the new Forum
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