|
STARFEST '95 SPEAKERS
Feature SpeakersFeatured ManufacturerOther Speakers
FEATURE SPEAKERSWendy Freedman (Measuring The Size And Age Of The Universe With The Hubble Space Telescope), is an astronomer at the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California. A native of Toronto, she received her doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Toronto in 1984. She received a Carnegie fellowship at the Observatories in 1984, and joined the permanent faculty in 1987. Her principal area of expertise is the extragalactic distance scale and the measurement of accurate distances to galaxies using Cepheid variables. She is one of the three principal investigators of the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. Key Projects are scientific programs that have been widely recognized as of the highest priority for the Hubble Space Telescope, and have been designated to receive a substantial amount of observing time. Wendy will share with us the results of her observations that place the age of the universe at 8 to 12 billion years, 3 to 8 billion years younger than current accepted age of the universe. David Levy (To Boldly Go Where No Child Has Gone Before: Some Thoughts About Astronomy Education), is a noted Canadian comet hunter, an astronomy writer who has a monthly column in Sky & Telescope, and a part-time observer at Kitt Peak, Mount Palomar, and the University of Arizona. One of David's passions is sharing his love for astronomy with children. To this end he regularly conducts programs aimed at getting children excited about astronomy and involved in our hobby. David will give us a special talk designed to give us i =nsight into his unique approach to educating our children about astronomy. For this presentation the first two rows of chairs will be reserved for children only. Don Parker (Tips And Pitfalls On Planetary Imaging With CCDs, The Impact Of New Technology on Amateur Astronomy), a physician and renowned planetary observer, lives in Miami, Florida. Interested in astronomy since childhood, he has built several telescopes, from 3" to 16". In 1954 he did his first systematic Mars observation and has been Mars recorder for ALPO since 1979. Charles Capen introduced him to astrophotography and in 1988 they co-authored a book called, "Observing and Photographing the Solar System". Then in 1990 Richard Berry interested him in CCD imaging. Many of his superb planetary images have appeared in Astronomy and Sky and Telescope magazines. Recently, the Minor Planet Center of the Harvard-Smithsonian honored Don by naming an asteroid after him, 5392 Parker.P FEATURED MANUFACTURERSoftware Bisque (Selecting The Right CCD Camera, Astro-Imaging 2000), developer of TheSky and SkyPro astronomy software, has also been a pioneer in the development of remote observing techniquesRecently, Software Bisque became a distributor of SBIG CCD cameras. Tom Bisque and Mike Palermiti will discuss how to select the right CCD camera and also demonstrate remote observing. They will also offer a glimpse into what astronomical imaging will be like in the year 2000. Amateurs today have a large and sometimes confusing array of CCD cameras to choose from. Some offer more pixels while others offer better sensitivity. Their first talk will outline the differences between several different CCD cameras and describe how to make the best choice based on your telescope, observing program and observing conditions. Amateur astronomy is undergoing a revolution in how we access the sky. CCD cameras allow modest amateur telescopes to image objects that a few years ago were considered out of reach. Remote observing allows users to both access larger (20"+) telescopes and avoid local weather to maintain an observing program. In their second talk, Tom Bisque and Mike Palermiti will share their view of where we are headed as we approach the year 2000.P
OTHER SPEAKERSPeter Ceravolo (The Ultimate CCD Guide Scope) is a professional optician who has developed a new type of guide scope. This guide scope is ideally suited to CCD imaging. Peter will describe his new approach and share his results with us. Doug Clapp (Outputting CCD Images) is an avid observer and astrophotographer who does a lot of CCD imaging using an ST6 CCD camera attached to his LX200. To get the most out of his images Doug has been experimenting with a variety of techniques that can be used to transfer his images electronically to other media. Doug will describe and demonstrate the results of his efforts. Terence Dickinson (Observing Basics Workshop) is Canada's leading astronomy writer. He is the author of twelve books and has received numerous national and international awards, including the Order of Canada, for his work. Recently Terence also had an asteroid named after him, 5272 Dickinson. On Friday, he will conduct a workshop designed to help people new to the hobby become familiar with the night sky. Doug George (Astrometry with CCD's), is a systems engineer whose interests include observing occultations, astrophotography, telescope making and CCD imaging. Extremely accurate measurements are required to calculate the orbit of a newly discovered comet or asteroid. Doug will describe how he and Paul Boltwood make and reduce astrometric observations using a 7-inch telescope and a CCD camera. Paul Gray (Super Nova Scotia), is an active amateur astronomer who is interested in deep sky observing and supernova searching. He organized and co-lead the team of Beverly Werstiuk and Dave Lane that discovered SN1995F in February 1995. Paul and Dave will describe the events leading up to their discovery. Peter Jedicke (A Boy And A Telescope: A Story), is a science teacher at Fanshawe College and host of a science program called Search/Research on the Ontario Community Television Network. Peter will tell a story about a fictional character who becomes interested in astronomy and his experience growing up. David Lane (Super Nova Scotia), is the observatory technician at the department of Astronomy and Physics at Saint Mary's University. David founded Nova Astronomics, an astronomical software company, to develop the Earth Centered Universe. In February of 1995 he co-discovered Supernova 1995F in NGC 2726. This was the first supernova discovery by Canadians from Canada. David and Paul Gray will describe the events leading up to their discovery. Marshall McCall (Penetrating The Fog: Two New Galaxies Behind The Milky Way), is an astronomy professor at York University specializing in the formation and evolution of galaxies. During the past several years he has been working with Ronald Buta of the University of Alabama studying nearby galaxies. Earlier this year they announced the discovery of two new galaxies in the neighborhood of the Milky Way. Marshall will describe the research leading to this discovery and the significance it has to our understanding of our corner of the universe. Rick McWatters (The NYAA Image BBS), is the Electronic Imaging Special Interest Group Coordinator for the NYAA. Earlier this year the NYAA established a BBS to facilitate the exchange of information and images among its members. Rick will describe our BBS, the challenges faced to set it up and how it is used by our members. Dave Petherick (Putting the Cookbook CCD To Work), is an engineer and avid ATM who has built his own 8" telescope and CCD camera. He will be describing the experience of building and operating the "Cookbook CCD" camera and sharing his techniques for creating large scale mosaic CCD images. Doug Welch (Science With Amateur CCD's) is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University in Hamilton. He has been an amateur astronomer since age seven and is Director of the W.J. McCallion Planetarium at McMaster. His principal area of research is the extra galactic distance scale. Doug will describe scientifically meaningful programs that amateurs might reasonably undertake with their CCD cameras. Not long ago, such research would have been restricted to telescopes at major observatories. Short projects suitable for school and club activities will also be included.
Go to Top
|