Dr Carl Wenning
Illinois State University
The Life and Times of Galileo
Galileo’s struggles with the Catholic Church – culminating in his 1633 trial by the Roman Inquisition – are well known but rarely understood. What often is missing is the post-reformation context and the personal intrigues of those who conspired against him and denounced him to the Church for personal reasons. Galileo’s science was never in question. What was in question was whether or not he was guilty of heresy.
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Michael Bakich
Astronomy Magazine
Astronomy’s Greatest Generation
Amateur astronomy — the study of the sky without that pursuit leading to gainful employment — has enjoyed decades of popularity in America. From a less-than-auspicious beginning in the early 20th century, our hobby now flourishes. Even in our society, which offers more activities than ever before, people are taking time to look up at the sky and marvel. This talk will trace amateur astronomy’s amazing past and look forward to its promising future.
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Dr Daniel Holland
Illinois State University
Seeing the invisible
The human eye developed to see a very narrow band of the total electromagnetic spectrum that is centered on the primary radiation output of the sun. Since all objects with finite temperature radiate with a spectrum that depends on their temperature, and since different frequencies of light are interact differently with the interstellar gasses, there are many objects and processes in space that are invisible to the naked eye. To rectify this, NASA has launched orbiting observatories that can see objects that emit electromagnetic radiation ranging from the infrared to gamma rays. In addition, ground based observatories observe frequencies down into the radio frequencies. By examining objects in all of the various frequency bands, we can develop a much better understanding of the universe. In this talk, we will review the principle findings from a number of the orbiting observatories, with a particular attention on the Spitzer Infrared Observatory and the newly launched WISE observatory.
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Jimmy Simek
NASA Glenn Research Center
James Webb Space Telescope
Everyone knows about the NASA space programs. I’ll give a brief history and some insight to the ‘Aeronautics’ part of NASA’s activities at the Glenn Research Center. Next, I’ll provide a quick overview of telescopes over the years and changing technologies. This will lead up to a synopsis of the James Webb Space Telescope, its science themes, major elements, instruments, and operations. My talk will cover what the mission is, how it will carry it out, and where it will make that happen.
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Dr Daniel Miller
Millikin University
Itty-Bitty Radio Telescope
When discussing amateur astronomy, one typically thinks of optical telescopes. However, when we use optical scopes, we are limiting ourselves to only a small region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the past few years, the National Radio Astronomical Observatory has made a strong push to educate the public about radio astronomy. In doing so, they have demonstrated how amateur astronomers can build “Itty Bitty” radio telescopes. I have built one of these telescopes and will show how it can be incorporated into an outreach program as well as show the quality of data that can be collected from an 18-inch dish.
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Robert Arn
Twin City Amateur Astronomers
Astronomical Imaging with a Digital SLR Camera
For centuries, telescope have been used to explore the heavens, but even the most powerful telescopes are not good enough to explore the sky. Cameras give us an ability to not only explore, but record trillions of objects. Even simple Point-and-Shoot or DSLR cameras give us greater ability to explore space than the naked eye, or the first telescopes. Anyone with a digital camera and access to a computer can already start to take images of the night sky - with no additional equipment or knowledge of astronomy needed! This talk will highlight the process of taking stunning images of the universe around us on a very modest budget - mostly with equipment many people already own!
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John Werner
Twin City Amateur Astronomers
So you want to build an observatory...
The presenter believes most serious amateur astronomers have considered the potential advantages of a permanent structure to house their telescope and accessories. Building an observatory from scratch is a learning experience, often humbling, but ultimately very rewarding. John will provide guidance in choosing the right design, location, and construction steps for building your personal observatory.
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Dr Tony Keyes
Space Telescope Science Institute
2009 Hubble Servicing Mission and Beyond
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was deployed in orbit by the astronauts aboard space shuttle Discovery in April 1990. Since that time five return visits have serviced, repaired, and updated the instrumentation aboard HST. The fifth, and presumably final, servicing mission - known as SM4 - took place in May 2009 and was the most intense and challenging of them all. The astronauts of space shuttle Atlantis on flight STS-125 installed two new state-of-the-art scientific instruments - the Wide Field Camera 3 and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, repaired and restored to service two important workhorse instruments, and replaced a number of critical telescope support assemblies leaving HST in its most scientifically-capable state ever. We will present an overview of the SM4 servicing including its Illinois connection, subsequent on-orbit observatory verification activities, the capabilities of the new instruments, and a look into initial results from the revitalized observatory - all illustrating that, as we approach the completion of twenty years of its mission, HST is poised to have its most scientifically productive years ahead of it.
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