8:30 AM — We’ve been called away from the exhibit area and the introductory video is playing. Day 2 of AIC 2007 is under way. I can’t vouch for the success of yesterday’s live blog, but since I have a seat with power and internet, I’m going to give it a try again today. There are about 10 people who are attending the conference from outside North America.
8:40 AM — What I thought they looked like. A recurring and amusing feature from Steve Mandel.
8:50 AM — Rob Gendler, recipient of the 2007 AIC Hubble Award. Gendler has had 53 APOD postings, including one today. The Mega-image, multi frame mosaic of great scale and high resolution. This was a really outstanding talk, with great advice on how to plan and execute a major imaging project, along with great images to inspire one to try.
9:30 AM — Don Goldman on narrow band filters. Very good, detailed presentation.
…Break…
10:50 AM — Neil Fleming on narrow band imaging. Neil images from Boston, with very bad light pollution, just like at Observatorio de la Ballona. Interesting comment: do only one registration of image data. So, don’t align each channel’s subs, then the channels to each other. Instead, complete one channel, and use the final result from that channel to align the other channel subs. Really great Photoshop discussion. Recommends using “local contrast enhancement” from Noel Carboni’s Astronomy actions.
11:20 AM — Steve Cannistra — Bi-color imaging. Did you know that a dog is a dichromat (able to only see two colors)? Very good tutorial on doing color combination with layers, non-destructively.
…Lunch…
1:00 PM — Took the plunge and bought a new planetary imaging camera, a DMK firewire camera. I opted for the color imager and the smaller chip. OPT was offering 10% off, and since I was going to buy it at some point anyway, that discount was enough to make the purchase worth it.
Now, founding sponsors speak at AIC.
- RC Optical with high performance optics and machines. Automated satellite tracking. Carbon-fiber based mirrors.
- SBIG Astronomical Instruments — new STX series of cameras, stand-alone autoguider, new AO with substantial travel and less back focus than the AO-7. STX: better cooling, many new chips, simultaneous guiding (fast corrections with remote head, slow corrections through main scope, addresses differential deflection), differential guiding (artificial guide star vs. real star), bigger guide chip, USB & ethernet, software controlled fan, available Q2 2008.
- Software Bisque — Focused on rewriting all applications for multi-platform use.
1:30 PM — Mike Bolte on Imaging with the Big Guys. Lick Observatory history, adaptive optics, and the Keck telescopes. Amazing images with adaptive optics on the Keck. Plans for a 30 meter telescope to be built by 2016. To be located in Chile, Mauna Kea, or Baja California.
…Break…
2:50 PM — Daniel Vershatse — Imaging and observing in the Southern Hemisphere.
3:30 PM — Chris Schur Enhanced Hydroigen Galaxy Imaging. The key concept is to subtract the red from the Ha to reveal just the Ha portion. Add back to R/G/B at 100%/10%/5% to get correct color. Really a great technique.
4:00 PM — Building a remote observatory. Key things: Altitude, elevated platform, round, separated, massive pier, thermal control, and lightening protection. Central pier weighs 70,000 pounds. Pier is manhole pipes, 4′ outside, much less expensive, about $2,500 in material costs for a 20′ pier. Metal construction for the enclosure because of low humidity. Ash domes used for the top.
Done for the day.