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In reply to: Robotic Telescope Project Web Page Updates
Posted by Gary Poyner at 18:04 on 2011 Mar 04
If your undertaking research with your data (photometry for instance), with the end result being a paper for BAAJ, then you wouldn’t want your data to be freely avaialable until it was finished with and published. Of course! However if your taking pretty pictures to see how a particular variable nebula is behaving (images which are freely available from dozens of places on the web) then I see no problem with the BAA releasing some of these. Are all images obtained in the name of research with the aim for publication? I guess it’s what your intending on doing with it in the end that matters. However I’m hardly the person to argue this point, as I don’t see myself paying for any images in the future (either with the BAA or anyone else). I was simply interested to hear what the objections were.To give you an example of my own remote observing with the AAVSO. I use the 50cm telescope at Sonoita Research Observatory in Arizona for photometry of magnetic CV’s. This is part of a network of telescopes run by the AAVSO called AAVSOnet. Everyone’s images are placed in a folder for retrieval once they have been completed (can be 10mb each with in my case 100+ images available each night). This folder is public! No passwords are required. Even non-members can get in and retrieve any image and analyse the data within it. Other than membership fees there is no cost involved, as this facility is open to any member who can put in a convincing research proposal.Gary
In reply to: Robotic Telescope Project Web Page Updates
Posted by Andrea Tasselli at 16:33 on 2011 Mar 04
Ahem…Being the "owner" (for lack of better words) of one of the ongoing observational projects (that is the first one) listed there I feel I should spend few words on the subject. The normal approach in astronomical research (as well as in many others scientific endeavours) is to reserve the right of access of the acquired data to the principal investigator and/or team until proper paper(s) is/are published, this for obvious reasons which have to do with priority of discovery as well as other various, often financial, reasons. In the specific case of these baa-founded project the actual "owner" actually has ownership for slightly more than 50% (since he/she funded both the remaining 50% and his/her share as baa member). Therefore I do see an issue in terms of ownerships of the rights of the data until a paper is produced or the data itself is released to the public by the "owner". In addition to that in due course the "owner" may well have increased the personal contribution to the project so that the actual personal pecuniary share is (far) larger than the original 50% plus (as it is in my case).In the hypotetical case of (me) releasing all the raw images what would be preventing anyone else to do the data analysis and publish the results him/herself? On top of this there is the sheer weight of the data, which can be in the order of 100s of MB. Is there enough capacity in the baa server to handle potential GBs of data?This said, if the council decide that the data should be released to other baa members at large I’ll obligingly comply. At present however I’ll only release jpg images to the interested parties, if available.Andrea T.
In reply to: Robotic Telescope Project Web Page Updates
Posted by Gary Poyner at 13:33 on 2011 Mar 03
I personally don’t see why the images shouldn’t be available for any member to see. Sounds like a good idea to me, and as you say gives a higher profile as to the quality of the remote telesope being used. I’d like to hear more about the objections made to this proposal though.The Bradford Robotic Telescope retain the copyright of all images taken with their instruments, and all images are freely available to anyone with an account. OK, one doesn’t have to cough up any cash to use the BRT, but the system works well enough.If I had paid money towards an image taken under the Robotic Telescope Project, it wouldn’t bother me who saw it, or if it was freely available to members. I would also be OK with that image being used by someone else for a paper perhaps, providing everyone concerned was credited properly.Gary
In reply to: Robotic Telescope Project Web Page Updates
Posted by Mike Harlow at 13:19 on 2011 Mar 03
Good to see a bit more information on the RTP page about what is actually going on. It would be very useful if each project had a contact name and e-mail associated with it. Then any member keen to get involved could contact the project leader to discuss the work being done and how to get involved.Incidentally some stray html source code has leaked into the table of activities on the RTP page.Another issued I asked to be discussed at the December 2010 BAA council meeting was the availability of the images produced by the robotic telescope projects. Given that the BAA, i.e. all the members, contribute 50% of the cost of the telescope time I would expect all the images produced to be available to all members. I understand that there was considerable resistance to this proposal amongst council members. What do ordinary members (like me) think about this? I for one would like to see what my money is being spent on. But more than that seeing what these telescopes can do would certainly encourage others to get involved.I like the NASA approach where all their raw images are made available on the internet for anyone to look at. That doesnt stop NASA producing copious numbers of research papers and conference proceedings. After all, the clever bit is in the image processing, interpretation and publishing of the results.Any comments???Mike Harlow
Posted by Peter Meadows at 20:27 on 2011 Feb 21
The BAA Robotic Telescope Project can now be easily found under the Sections menu of the main BAA web page (or directly at http://www.britastro.org/robotscope/). The main RTP page has been updated to include brief details of current projects so that is easier to see what type of observing programmes the RTP is being used for. There is also a list of BAA news articles and papers that refer to the RTP.If you are interested in the RTP please email robotscope@britastro.org or reply to this posting.Best wishes,Peter
In reply to: Advice for a more mature Novice
Posted by Robin Vann at 09:02 on 2011 Feb 11
Here are a couple of book/atlas recommendations:’The Observer’s Sky Atlas, 3rd. Ed.’; E. Karkoschka; Springer; New York; 2007.’Sky Atlas 2000.0 Field Laminated, 2nd. Ed.’; Wil Tirion & Roger W. Sinnott; Sky Publishing Corporation; Cambridge, MA; 1998.’Sky Atlas 2000.0 Companion, 2nd. Ed.’; Robert A Strong & Roger W. Sinnott; Sky & Telescope Media; Cambridge, MA; 2008.The first is a small paperback and contains a catalogue of 250 deep sky observing projects along with photographs. It contains observing notes for the objects and the presentation is very concise. I would thoroughly recommend this.The second, in it’s various forms (permutations of colour/black on white/white on black, paper/laminated) has become a standard. I have recommended the ‘Field Laminated’ edition which is white objects on a black background (to preserve night vision) on wiro-bound large plastic sheets.The acetate overlay supplied for measuring seperations also has ‘Telrad’ finder circles to match with a Telrad finder view should you invest in one.I find it useful to take a fairly hefty music stand into the garden to place the Sky Atlas on, along with my drawing pad (I’m a visual observer).I have also recommended the deep sky catalogue for this atlas (the publisher seem to have changed name) as it contains valuable observing notes. There are also catalogues of stars available for this but I feel they are of a less importance, details about stars being easily obtainable via the internet.Hope these recommendations are of interest.
In reply to: Advice for a more mature Novice
Posted by Graham Relf at 18:34 on 2011 Feb 10
The SkyWatcher telescopes are excellent. I have their 250 (10") f/4.8 Newtonian on an HEQ5 mount. The only bad aspect for me was a complete lack of any documentation. A Google search found a manual at http://www.skywatchertelescope.net/swtsupport/Instruction_Manuals/HEQ5andEQ6130405V1.pdf but that still lacks a lot of important detail. I have therefore written a page about my own discoveries of how to use the various parts of the telescope: http://www.grelf.net/skywatcherdoc.html . (I am keen to encourage others to try astrophotography and that was the motivation for my web site.)You can avoid having to guide long exposures at all by taking a lot of short exposures and then using some software to align and stack them. That also has advantages for coping with light pollution and reducing overexposure of bright stars. I describe the procedure on my own site, and you can see some of my own results using an unmodified Canon DSLR without guiding: http://www.grelf.net/astrolatest.html. To use multiple 30-second exposures it is important to align the HEQ5 mount so that Polaris is within the small circle in the setting scope, as described in the PDF file from skywatchertelescope.net .
In reply to: Advice for a more mature Novice
Posted by TonyAngel at 17:23 on 2011 Feb 10
The Camera.You would need to have an adapter so that you could mount the camera on top of the telescope. You then use the telescope as the guide.The TelescopeI do not know the telescope but from the reviews it appears to be good value for money. The only comment I will make about it is that at F5 it is more suited to Deep Sky than Solar System objects. You may want to get a Telrad Finder. A lot easier to use when you are first starting out.Other things.A star atlasSome observing guides.A pair of 10×50 binos to help teach yourself how to get around the sky, (you will be surprised at what you can see in them)
In reply to: Advice for a more mature Novice
Posted by Andrea Tasselli at 13:32 on 2011 Feb 09
Hi Norman,In terms of overall ability to take long exposures and overall decent telescope and mount I think the 200P the only one the fits the bill. This said I’m afraid you camera (which isn’t a DSLR) won’t be much of help as the lens can’t be removed afaik. This said there are very cheap ways to accomplish at least some of what you’re after by using a suitably and easily modified webcam (Philips SPC900) and taking short movies of the moon and the brighter planets. With further modification (less easily done) even the brighter and smaller of the deep sky objects are within reach.Going deeper and therefore fainter would require:1. A way to "guide" the main scope usually done using a smaller scope in parallel and another "guiding" camera to give the mount the correction in order to remove the small errors in tracking due to the mount main drive.2. A specialized astronomical camera of a true DSLR so that the lens can be removed from a the body and the telescope used in liue of said lens. The best camera for such a job appaear to be Canons and while they can be expensive older generation cmaeras such the D300 as still pretty good for astrophotography.Hope the answers above will help.Andrea T.
Posted by Norman Morton at 12:57 on 2011 Feb 09
Hello Good Peoples :)I am a new member & total Novice, so please be patient with the undoubtably Dumb questions I’m probably going to ask now & then :)…I am at present looking to but a Reflector Telescope that is reasonably portable (will fit in boot of Puegeot 407) but one I can also use from home (connected to a computer) if possible.. I am a keen Photographer & so am also looking for a Telescope that I can attach my Panasonic DMC-FZ50(DSLR) to hopefully be able to take some Good Photo’s of our very own Beautiful Moon, but also am hoping to be able to take some nice shots of the our other planets & deep space, Clusters,Nebula’s E.t.c (not sure if on my budget I’ll be able to get this though).I have been looking at three models of Telescopes at the moment & too help me decide wether I’m going in the right direction or I need to think again, I’m asking for Advice or knowledge known about thses particular models & wether they will be able to give me what I’m after?, IE: not only observing but taking of good photographs… It’s one of reasons I picked these models as they say there is attachtment’s for a Camera..The three models I’ve been looking at are :-SKYWATCHER EXPLORER 150PL (NEQ3 SynScan) longer focal length f/8SKYWATCHER EXPLORER 150P (NEQ3 SynScan) f/5SKYWATCHER EXPLORER 200P (EQ5 PRO) f/5 At present I’m favouring the 200P & at around £700 is pretty much my budget, but would appreciate anyone’s Views or Advice before I spend that amount & not be able to do what I was hoping ;)..I’m sorry this has been such a long post & many questions, I’ve tried to keep it as short as I could but still give some reasonable info, but if you should need more info, please ask :)..Many thanks for your time, Take Care All :)Norman
In reply to: EQ mount
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 09:02 on 2011 Feb 05
Tom,I can testify to the accuracy of the EQ6Pro mount. I am a member of the UKAI imaging forum. On this forum. There are a large number of members who are using this mount, with excellent results. And most, if not all are using medium or large telescope’s.I know off. One member who lives (emigrated)in Brisbane. He’s using one of these mount’s, with an Orion Optics SPX 14". But there are other’s in Grt Britain who us smaller (8") telescope’s all for CCD imaging.My advice to you. Join UP! and ask these questions on there. I am sure you will get the answer’s that you need. Below is a link to said website.http://ukastroimaging.co.uk/forums/index.phpGood luck.
Posted by Sheridan Williams at 12:56 on 2011 Jan 14
Meade LX200 8" UHTC GPS-GOTO Telescope (F/10, Alt-Az)Features:Advanced f/10 OpticsMeade Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC)Zero Image-Shift Electric MicrofocuserPrimary Mirror Lock Oversize Primary MirrorSmart MountSmart DriveGPS Receiver SensorAutoAlignAutoStar II 150,000 objectsDiagonals 1.25" and 2"Scope also has upgraded finder and piggy back rings to mount a small scope and also has a camera mount. The mounting is a heavy-duty Meade mount and extremely rigid.Eyepieces: Meade 40mm, 15mm and 6.7mm3-hole cover to restrict aperture for lunar/solar work (also white light solar filter)12v power supply plus cigarette lighter socket for accessoriesNew cost: over £2,500. Will consider offers over £999.
In reply to: Jonathan Ross gets starry-eyed for the BBC
Posted by at 14:08 on 2011 Jan 12
I found it particularly false to see Mr Ross looking at Jupiter.He said that the view was fantastic! I suppose he was hoping that no one had noticed him nudging the telescope just as he put his eye to the eyepiece and put it out of line be several million miles.If someone who was showing an interest in Astronomy for the first time saw this, I doubt if their interest would have been maintained. In short, a great idea by the BBC and I hope it returns. But the format needs looking at. On a personal note, I coud do with the massive TV monitor used in the programme: perfect for examining my own astro photos!
In reply to: Jonathan Ross gets starry-eyed for the BBC
Posted by Duncan Bryson at 15:20 on 2011 Jan 09
Jonathan Ross Was Learning How To Use His Telescope Whereas Dara O’ Brian Is A Physicist and Was A Co-presenter
In reply to: Jupiter framed
Posted by David Arditti at 15:37 on 2011 Jan 04
You’re clearly not in the UK now Tony. Wall-to-wall cloud here. Solar eclipse was invisible from London. My last night’s observing was December 16, though Christmas Day evening was also clear for a while (I was ill). l have got so desperate I have had to start telescope-making again, testing on distant chimneys.David
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 David Arditti at 23:07 on 2010 Dec 24
Here’s some pictures of pictures of my observatory I took last week.Merry Christmas to all BAA members, and clear skies for 2011.David
Telescope sheds 1 & 2 and warm room
Telescope shed 3 and house
A snowman I builtAttachments:
In reply to: Satellite events
Posted by Nick Hudd at 08:17 on 2010 Nov 14
Thanks very much Steve. That is very useful and informative. I have been investigating this myself, and had discovered the Sky and Telescope site which has a great deal of handy data for observing. I have known about the site for ages but never explored it properly.I am not an experienced observer but my eyes tell me that eclipses and emergences take a noticeable time. My asking for the "best" prediction is largely down to having an enthusiastic "apprentice" (9), and making sure that (without saying what is going to happen) she gets the telescope for the relevant minute or two!! The eclipses and emergences particularly are an excellent demonstration, for a bright kid, of the relation of Jupiter, Sun, and Earth, and, indeed, of the relation of the satellites to each otherMany thanksNick
In reply to: Satellite events
Posted by Steve Holmes2 at 23:35 on 2010 Nov 12
I suspect that the accuracy of "Jupiter’s moons" predictions is mainly down to the accuracy of the programming platform used to produce them rather than any basic differences in the theory used. All "non-commercial" predictor programs seem to use the same set of equations and methods originally devised by Jean Meeus and so, all other things being equal, should give the same answers. The fact that they don’t (to some small degree) may be down to the differences between the maths libraries for Java, JavaScript, C+, QBASIC etc. The orbital parameters of the moons themselves will probably not change greatly, not least because their periods are locked together by gravitational resonances.Additional factors influencing the relative accuracy of such things as the timing of transits would be the precision to which the answer is specified (a difference of just 1sec could change a "rounded" time by a whole minute); whether the the latitude and longitude of the observer are taken into account; the model used to represent the shape of the globe of Jupiter; and whether the timings were relative to the leading edge, centre or trailing edge of the moon: this alone can make a difference of +/-1 minute.As to which source is the most accurate, this can of course only be determined by comparison with "real life"! However, I would certainly expect the predictions to be accurate to +/- 1 minute. On the other hand, one is not going to begin observing precisely at the moment an event is predicted to start, and so the fact that different sources differ by a few minutes is surely not of any practical consequence. For truly accurate data one must consult sources deriving from internationally acknowledged organisations. For example, the BAA Handbook takes its timings from the French Institut de Mechanique Celeste et de Calcul des Ephemerides. These organisations use much higher precision calculations than "Meeus-type" programs but often supply their data only in tabular format, not usually online, and not interactively.There are many places on the Internet where predictions for the Galileans can be obtained (for example the ‘Sky & Telescope’ website) but the reason that sites giving ephemeris information for comets, asteroids etc. are perhaps easier to find is surely that the orbits for such bodies are not always well-known, being liable to change due to perturbations and as new observations come in. Reliable long-term models for them are thus not possible.I myself wanted to make some observations of shadow-transit events at the recent close opposition, so I also had to rely on timing predictions. My usual source is the (rather old!) program "The Planets" but I also use a number of other such programs as well as Starry Night. The predictions made by these programs were consistent to about +/- 1 minute but, as stated in the post, not all programs identified the occultation and eclipse events correctly – this is presumably down to the skill of the programmer though, rather than any output accuracy issues.Before composing this reply I investigated other programs on the Internet and found a couple that seemed quite good. "Galileo" and "Jupiter2" cover basically the same ground as each other, though each has its own "unique selling points". Their predictions are identical to each other (bearing in mind that Galileo does not use seconds whereas Jupiter2 does), and when I checked several transit events from the BAA Handbook for 2011 their predictions were exactly as listed there. They cannot, however, produce lists of satellite events (though Galileo will find the next one) so for that I return to "The Planets" – this will list not only all events for a given period but also only those actually visible from a given location.The Planets may be found at http://www.cpac.org.uk/download.aspGalileo may be found at http://astrosurf.com/durey/galileo.htmlJupiter2 may be found at http://www.astrosurf.com/rondi/programmes/index.htmHope this is helpful! Steve Holmes Laxfield, Suffolk UK
In reply to: Jupiter 16th Oct 2010
Posted by Nick Atkinson at 18:00 on 2010 Oct 30
There are several variables to consider a larger telescope will look through a wider column of air. With good seeing a 12" scope will always be able to see finer detail Using my 150 triplet I have failed to see the red spot despite using different coloured filters. I always remember looking through the army telescope at Aldershot I believe a 10" F15 achromat and the colour of the red spot was quite brilliant but then I was 18 not over 60 as now. So perhaps another thing
to consider is how good are our own detectors in both eyes. My right eye is much better than the leftAnother factor over which we have some control is the eyepiece so everybody which eyepiece is best for planetary work?
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