international astronomical search collaboration scalability & expansion of student-based...

International Astronomical Search Collaboration

Scalability & Expansion of Student-Based Discovery Programs

Dr. J. Patrick Miller, DirectorEducational Reach-Out Programs in Astronomy

Hardin-Simmons UniversityAbilene, Texas

June 2009EuROPA

The International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC = “Isaac”) is an online student-based discovery program in astronomy.

Students make original discoveries of Main Belt asteroids and observations of NEOs that are reported to the Minor Planet Center (Harvard). The NEO observations are recorded as part of the NASA Near-Earth Object Program (Jet Propulsion Laboratory).

The collaborators include the following:

• Hardin-Simmons University (Abilene, Texas)• Astronomical Research Institute (Charleston, Illinois)• Lawrence Hall of Science (University of California, Berkeley)• Global Hands-On Universe Association (Lisbon, Portugal)• Astrometrica (Linz, Austria).

A total of 150 original asteroid discoveries have been made

along with 3 comet confirmations, ~20 virtual impactor observations, and hundreds of NEO

observations.

On January 31, 2009, a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) 2009 BD81 was discovered at ARI Observatory by Observer R. Holmes, measurers S. Kirby, K. Dankov, and H. Devore.

It was published in MPEC 2009-C09 on February 2, 2009.

Steven Kirby is a high school science teacher at Ranger High School (Ranger, TX). He was attending an IASC workshop at the Big Country Science & Mathematics Symposium (Region 14; Abilene, TX).

Observer details:

H01 Magdalena Ridge Observatory, Socorro. Observers W. H. Ryan, E. V. Ryan. Measurer W. H. Ryan. 2.4-m f/8.9 reflector + CCD. H36 Sandlot Observatory, Scranton. Observer G. Hug. 0.56-m reflector + CCD.

H55 Astronomical Research Observatory, Charleston. Observer R. Holmes. Measurers S. Kirby, K. Dankov, H. Devore. 0.61-m f/4.0 astrograph + CCD.

H85 Silver Spring. Observer K. Levin. Measurer N. Teamo. 0.45-m f/7.25 Ritchey-Chretien + 3072x2054 CCD.

Thank you, Andy Warhol…wherever you are!!

IASC Program Flow Diagram

Astronomical Research Institute

Hardin-Simmons University

Astrometrica

ARI

HSU & Astrometrica Minor Planet Center (Harvard)

IASC asteroid search campaigns are organized into 45-day time periods, originally scheduled for U.S. schools and based upon standard holiday and testing schedules from August-May:

2006-07 3 Asteroid Search Campaigns

2007-08 3 Asteroid Search Campaigns2 NEO Confirmation Campaigns



Organization of IASC Asteroid Search Campaigns

Specialized IASC Asteroid Search Campaigns

All-Texas Asteroid Search Campaign(University of Texas at Austin)

October-December 2008October-December 2009

All-China Asteroid Search Campaign(National Astronomical Observatory of China)

December 2008-January 2009December 2009-January 2010

All-Africa Asteroid Search Campaign(South African Astronomical Observatory)

(National Youth Development Council)

May-June 2009

Ethiopia

Nigeria

South Africa

Current IASC Capacity

IASC has an image pipeline with 2 channels(24” and 32” telescopes at the ARI Observatory)

Using 45-day campaigns, a total of 8 can be offered per year per channel

(i.e., 16 search campaigns per year)Each campaign can serve 15 schools

Academic Year # of Campaigns % of Capacity # of Schools

2006-07 3 19% 452007-08 5 31% 752008-09 7 44% 1052009-10 9 56% 135

Using 45-day campaigns, a total of 8 can be offered per year per channel

(i.e., 16 search campaigns per year)Each campaign can serve 15 schools

Academic Year # of Campaigns % of Capacity # of Schools

2006-07 3 19% 452007-08 5 31% 752008-09 7 44% 1052009-10 9 56% 135




Astrometrica

ARI


Time Bottleneck




Time Bottleneck

When the ARI went to multiple short exposures per target on the 24” and 32” requiring stacking (and tracking), the prep time at

Hardin-Simmons University took 12 hours (4am to 4pm).

That limited the number of IASC campaigns to the 31% level, a total of

5 campaigns per year.

For 2009-10 there will be 9 campaigns pushing the program to the 56% level.

However, an automated utility was developed by Michael Kran and Joe Ulowetz in January 2009 that reduced the 12 hours prep time to

45 minutes.

The introduction of the automated image preps for the

IASC Asteroid Search Campaigns permitted the growth from:

5 campaigns per year (31% capacity) to

9 campaigns per year (56% capacity)

Factors that limit the growth beyond 56% capacity:

• Availability of staff on-site at HSU during the summer months• Availability of additional volunteers internationally

Trainers, Spotters, & QC CheckersImage Prep

Partially solved by remote access to the image prep computer

Volunteer Bottleneck

Factors that press for growth beyond 56% capacity:

• Word of mouth requests (~2 per week)• Sky & Telescope article (to appear in late 2009)• International Year of Astronomy (Nuclio)• New search campaigns (comets, KBOs, SNe, AGN, variable stars)

Factors that limit the growth beyond 56% capacity:

• Availability of staff on-site at HSU during the summer months• Availability of additional volunteers internationally

GUI+OIS IDL 7.1 Virtual Machine

Michael Kran & Jim PendletonFuture IASC SNe Search Campaigns




Astrometrica

ARI


19h

1h

48h

24h19h

1h+48h+24h = 73h 24h

Wide Field Sky Surveys

• Look where they can’t (Southern Hemisphere)

• Look where they aren’t (out of phase)

• Look when they aren’t (bright night skies)

• Join ‘em

FUNDING

EuROPA

Summer Astronomy InstituteLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

•2008 $ 135,000 UT Austin•2009 $ 165,000 UT Austin

$ 300,000 Total

Astronomical Research MethodsLawrence Berkeley National

Laboratory

•2009 $ 3,000 HSU$ 3,150

JSU$ 750

LBNL

$ 6,900Total

International Astronomical Search Collaboration

• 2008 $ 400,000 Shelton Foundation

• 2008 $ 1,400,000 NASA

• 2009 $ 73,000 Motorola Foundation

• 2009 $ TBD National Science Foundation$ TBD Jackson State University

Funding being sought for:

• Paid IASC staff w/ travel & professional development

• Automated QC utility for online MPC report submissions

• 24” IASC telescope for a 3rd channel for the image pipeline

• Leasing of time on the 24” and 32” at the ARI Observatory

• Virtual classroom & conference room for training

• Automated image processing & local ARI Observatory FTP site

Additional Management Issues & Future Growth• Reduce the load upon and the need for volunteers

- Automated installation utility for Astrometrica

- Skype live training sessions- Automated QC utility- Automated NEO confirmation assignment

• Increase the number of channels in the image pipeline

- Tim Puckett to host an IASC SNe Search Campaign

- Pan-STARRS to provide three channels- University of Saint Andrews (Scotland)

exoplanet channel- 24” telescope at ARI Observatory

• Develop online utilities for transient events to serve NVO

- Optimal Image Subtraction (OIS)- Photometrica

Turn-Key Educational Outreach Program

School District

IASC SNe Search Campaign

Assessment &

Evaluation

Student ResearchData

AcquisitionHardin-Simmons University


Hands-On Universe TRA

Contract and/or Grant Funding

EuROPA

Educational Reach-Out Programs in AstronomyDepartment of Mathematics

Holland School of Science & MathematicsHardin-Simmons UniversityAbilene, Texas 79698-6060

[email protected]

international astronomical search collaboration scalability & expansion of student-based...

Documents

original asteroid discoveries

hazardous asteroid pha

europa slide

ari observatory

iasc workshop

hundreds of neo observations

observer details

reflector ccd