Guest blog from Stephen G. Cullen:
It’s a tough assignment, but someone has to do it, so here I am at the inaugural Telescopes from Afar Conference on the Big Island of Hawaii. The conference, sponsored by the good people at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), has brought together an international group of professional astronomers to share information on remotely operated, automated, and robotic ground-based telescopes.
Bob Denny of DC-3 Dreams (ACP) and Ron Wodaski of the Tzec Maun Foundation attend the reception dinner of the Telescopes from Afar Conference. Stephen G. Cullen photo
Over the next 3 days, we’ll hear from experts on topics ranging from site selection, infrastructure, and software systems, to automation, observatory operations, and more. The conference is well-represented with astronomers from all the major observatories, including CFHT, Gemini, ESO, Keck, Subaru, TMT, and more.
Some interesting next-tier organizations are also at the event. These are either for-profit companies or nonprofits that provide access to remote telescopes over the Internet. Of course, I am here representing my company, LightBuckets. I’m joined by Wayne Rosing and his team from the Las Cumbres Observatories Global Telescope Network, which is building a system of 0.4-meter and 1.0-meter telescopes around the world. They will focus on science outreach as well as some serious research primarily related to transient events such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and the like.
A number of hardware and software vendors are in attendance as well. They include Bob Denny, author of ACP observatory automation software, and Roland Christen from Astro-Physics.
This sign invited all participants to the general session and welcome reception of the Telescopes from Afar Conference. Stephen G. Cullen photo
Last night, at a welcoming reception, I had the pleasure of sitting with Bob Denny from
DC-3 Dreams (ACP) and Ron Wodaski from the Tzec Maun Foundation (and their lovely wives). Ron’s group is involved in astronomy outreach and research, and they are in the midst of a significant project to renovate a 1.0-meter telescope in the mountains of New Mexico. Congratulations are also in order for Ron because yesterday the Advanced Imaging Conference selected him as the 2011 Hubble Award winner for his many contributions to amateur astroimaging.
I’ll be here for the rest of the week sending updates on other interesting topics I find at the conference, as well as my ongoing struggles to remain focused on the task at hand given the blue ocean, clear skies, and the mountain top of Mauna Kea calling my name.