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Agenda
Friday, November 10
Hardware - Software
Instructional Workshops
(Additional
$50 fee, includes lunch)
Come
and learn how to use this stuff from the people who make it!
7:00 - 8:45 Registration
Doors Open: 8:15
9:00 - 9:45: RC Optical Systems
Optical Performance depends largely
on collimation and alignment. Brad Ehrhorn
will
demonstrate several different collimation techniques on an RCOS Carbon
Truss Telescope. In addition to optical collimation and alignment, Brad
will demonstrate how to mechanically align the optical axis of the
telescope itself.
9:45 - 10:30: Santa
Barbara Instrument Group
Mike Barber and Alan Holmes will
show you how to get the most out of SBIG cameras and software.
They will be available to take your questions on using CCDs and on
getting the best possible images.
10:30 - 11:00: Break
11:00
- 11:45: Software
Bisque
Steve Bisque will
present various
techniques for improving observing session efficiency, including list
generation, telescope pointing and custom databases.
11:45 - 12:45: Lunch
(Included with Instructional Workshop registration
fee.)
12:45 - 1:30: Diffraction
Limited
The image processing capabilities
of MaxIm DL will be presented by Doug George. Topics covered will include
calibration, stacking, basic processing, and various tips and tricks for
making the best use of the software.
1:30 - 2:15: CCDWare
Publishing
Richard
Bennion will present tips and tricks around hardware setup and
alignment, target selection, data acquisition, data evaluation, and
image processing using CCDWare’s unique product line.
2:15 - 2:45: Break
2:45 - 3:30:
AstroDon/Yankee
Robotics
In
the first half of this session, the process of installing and using an
off-axis guider will be discussed by Don Goldman. The second part
will consist
of a discussion by Daniel Wisehart of the different properties
of imaging chips made by
Kodak.
3:30 - 4:15: DC3 Dreams
Are you interested in reducing the
time you spend planning for and acquiring images? Bob Denny will cover
the most
common misconceptions, stumbling blocks, and advantages to automating
your image acquisition using
state-of-the-art technology.
6:30
- 8:30
p.m.: Reception and
conference check-in for Saturday/Sunday
8:45
- 11:00 p.m.: CCDWare Publishing showcase and reception
(all are invited)
Saturday,
November 11
8:00 - 8:30: Conference
check-in
8:30 - 8:45: Opening remarks:
Steve
Mandel
8:45-9:30: Hubble Award
Lecture:
David
Malin
The
AIC will, each year, honor an individual with the Hubble Award
as a way of recognizing outstanding contributions to the art and
science of astronomical imaging. The Board of the AIC nominates
and votes on
the nominations. The recipient receives a $100 award and an
invitation
to deliver the Hubble Lecture at AIC. This is the first
year we are giving the award and we are honored to present it to David
Malin.
David
Malin has been involved in
scientific
imaging all his working life. He joined the
Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO) as its Photographic Scientist in
August
1975, shortly after scheduled observations began on the then-new, 3.9m
Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) in June 1975.
He
has
published over 120 scientific papers and a similar number of popular
articles
on astronomy and photography, as well as seven books.
David
worked for 26 years at the
Anglo-Australian Observatory as photographic scientist and astronomer.
There he
developed hypersensitising processes which can give enormous gains in
speed to
the photographic materials that were used in astronomy. He also
developed new
ways of revealing information on astronomical plates, such as unsharp
masking. Amateur CCD imagers still
use many of those techniques for processing digital images today.
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9:30 -
10:15: Dr. Jerry
Bonnell:
Astronomy
Picture of the Day
Many of us look
forward each day to
looking at the NASA-sponsored Astronomy Picture of the Day. For
over 10 years, Dr. Jerry Bonnell and Dr. Robert Niemeroff have been
posting some of the most beautiful and intriguing astronomical images
of our time. These images come from both professional and amateur
sources and many of the people attending the conference have been
honored to have their images used. In this presentation, Dr.
Bonnell will talk about APOD, what types of images they like to post
and discuss some of the more interesting shots they have put up over
the years.
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10:15 -
10:45: Break
10:45 -
12:00: Panel: Russ
Croman and Rick Gilbert:
Remote
Imaging
Rick
Gilbert will discuss the nature of
remote
imaging with a group using the experiences of the SSRO (Star Shadows
Remote
Observatory) team working at New Mexico Skies as a typical example. He will describe both the benefits and
problems of remote imaging that are particular to group efforts in
remote
astro-imaging as compared with the efforts of the individual remote
imager. During the course of the talk,
Rick will provide the ten most important lessons learned about
imaging with a group.
Russ Croman has been successfully
operating his remote observatory in New Mexico for the past one and a
half years, with the facility running unattended for months at a time.
He will detail the considerations that went into site selection,
observatory design, construction, equipping for remote operation,
security, and maintenance. You will come away with the key ideas you
need to keep in mind when implementing your own remote observatory, as
well as examples of solutions to various problems that arise.
12:00 –
1:00:
Lunch
-
Included with
registration
1:00
- 1:30: Founding
Sponsors Corner:
SBIG
- Software Bisque - RC Optical Systems
This
conference
never would have started without the generous support of these
folks.
They provided the funding and other support so we could have this
get-together that is open to all CCD equipment and software vendors and
enthusiasts.
Each Founding Sponsor will have 10 minutes to update us on the newest
products
they
have to offer . A big thank you goes to SBIG, Software Bisque and
RCOS for their initial, and ongoing, support.
1:30 -
2:15: Dr. Joel
Primack:
Flying
Through the Hubble Ultra Deep Field
Astrophysicist Joel Primack will
show several high-resolution videos, including a tour of the Local
Supercluster, a zoom-in toward the Big Bang using galaxy images from
the new Hubble Ultra Deep Field,
and visualizations of dark matter simulations made using the Columbia
supercomputer at NASA-Ames, the most powerful computer in the world for
such simulations. You won't believe how cool this is. The
astronomical images in the videos are not artist renditions but real
Hubble Space Telescope pictures. These film clips will be
discussed in the larger context of a new look at our place in the
Universe and what images like this mean to humanity. Dr. Primack
is one of the main creators of modern cosmology, and the co-author,
with his wife Nancy Abrams, of the new book, "The View From the Center
of the Universe". The authors will be available following their
talk to discuss and autograph copies of their book.
2:15 -
2:45: Break
2:45
- 3:30: Adam
Block:
Object-Oriented
Processing
When sitting
down at a computer to assemble images of some astronomical vista, i
often visualize the final result of an image based on the data I have
before me. This doesn't mean I am trying to create things that
don't exist - but instead strive to show the exciting features that are
evident in the calibrated data.
These decisions
are generally guided by the type of object. Star clusters permit
much more extreme stretches since the stars are so bright compared to
the background which can be tempered with more ease. Planetary
nebulae, however, generally need a very different plan of attack since
the central star can often be overwhelming. Diffuse nebulae and
galaxies each also have different guiding themes that help represent
them in eye-catching ways. This talk will illustrate these
differences with example objects.
3:30
– 4:15: Tony
Hallas:
The
Evolution of Dynamic Processing
This
presentation traces the development of astrophotography through three
eras ...
film only, film plus computer enhancement, and the CCD era. The
foundation thus
created will enable a thorough understanding of the present, and
stimulate the
listener to go forward on their own in search of new frontiers. Dynamic
processing will be discussed in detail ... with plenty of examples and
a
discussion of some new techniques. There is no magic formula to
make good
images ... a good imager must rely on a superb foundation of
experience
and knowledge ... add the spirit of invention ... and you become a
dynamic
processor.
4:15 - 5:00: Paul
Mortfield:
Data
Mining:
Hidden Discoveries in
Your
Images
Most
imagers are too quick to
combine their data to produce great images and rarely take the time to
view the
individual frames. Taking a few minutes to check your data might
lead to
some unexpected and pleasant surprises. We might find asteroids,
variable
stars, eclipsing binaries, stars in outburst, novae, supernovae, proper
motion
stars and possibly a comet.
Paul will show examples of finds within image sets of known targets and
demonstrate tools and techniques to mine the data and confirm new
finds. The
wealth of data available from imagers today can be used to make
meaningful
contributions to ongoing science but also has the potential to make
discoveries.
