Astronomy Activities
Many Internet2 member institutions are developing and using high performance networking applications for optical astronomy, radio astronomy, remote instrumentation, data sharing, and other collaborative activities. Click here for information on activities in VLBI and radio astronomy.
Activities
The Gemini Observatory
With funding and support from the National
Science Foundation (NSF), the Gemini
Observatory established a new Internet pathway in August
2002, which will provide its twin telescopes with the data transfer
capabilities required to handle the enormous amounts of scientific
information created by Gemini's sophisticated instrumentation.
This new link between Gemini's twin, 8-meter telescopes located
on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and on Cerro Pachón in the Chilean
Andes was made possible with the support and technology of Internet2
and AMPATH, a Florida
International University international Internet exchange point
to research institutions in South America. Under
development for almost five years, this link allows Gemini to
move forward towards its goal of becoming the world's first
"cyber observatory." According to Peter Michaud, Public
Information and Outreach Manager for the Gemini Observatory,
"A virtual
ribbon cutting on August 13, 2002 officially inaugurated
the new link between the twin observatories. This link will
allow astronomers to access skies in both the northern and southern
hemispheres without having to travel to Hawaii or Chile."
SARA Observatory
Astronomers
at a six different universities in the southeastern U.S. are
able to take advantage of the clear desert skies in Arizona
to perform their celestial research without having to leave
their campuses. Members of the Southeastern
Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA) consortium
use Internet2 high-performance networks to remotely control
the 0.9-meter Ritchy-Critchen reflecting telescope at Kitt
Peak Observatory, located southwest of Tucson, AZ at 6,800
feet above sea level. According to Dr.
James Webb, Director of the SARA Observatory, “In
order to perform remote observing in real-time and get quality
data, network speed, reliability, and bandwidth are critical.” Webb,
who recently gave a presentation on
remote observing at the Internet2 Joint
Techs Workshop, added “Before Internet2, network
latency and dropouts severely impacted observing. With Internet2,
latency is small enough and dropouts rare enough to have essentially
no impact on observing.” A typical remote
observing session starts with a check on the weather in Tucson.
The astronomer then logs on to the telescope
control computer using Virtual
Network Computing (VNC is a platform independent, client-based
system written by AT&T Laboratories), creates directories
to hold the images, opens the dome on the telescope, observes,
closes the dome on the telescope, and log off VNC. The actual
images from the observing session are simply transferred back
to any home or office computer using FTP. Webb summarized the
benefits of remote observing, “It allows us to save travel
money, keep our on-campus teaching commitments, and still collect
scientific data from the best possible sites.”
Aricebo Observatory
As one of the premier facilities for radio/radar astronomy
and atmospheric science, the Aricebo
Observatory in Puerto Rico is a key component of several
large-scale research programs involving multiple instruments
around the globe and in space. The 305m telescope's unique sensitivity
is needed for quick confirmation of new discoveries within its
space and frequency coverage, precise tracking and imaging of
small solar system objects which may be visible for only a few
days, and measurement of ionospheric effects barely detectable
elsewhere. The design of the instrument is shaped by multidisciplinary
needs and enables it to respond quickly and flexibly to "targets
of opportunity". A remote observing capability is useful
for flexible telescope scheduling, as well as for coordinated
observing projects with multiple spaced instruments, which are
common in atmospheric investigations. Plans call for
development of a "Virtual Control Room" permitting
remote observers to perform high-quality observations over Internet2
without travelling to the site.Given the large data-gathering capability of the Arecibo telescope,
special techniques are often required to perform realtime signal
processing and parameter estimation on the acquired data. Certain
investigations e.g pulsar searches require supercomputer-class
computing resources to implement sophisticated reduction algorithms.
Good use of the available observing time often implies getting
data reduced before the next available slot, i.e high-bandwidth
access to a supercomputer. Here the role of the Observatory
is that of a source of raw data with a participating supercomputer
center supplying the computational resources.
Astronomy BOF
The Internet2 Astronomy Birds of a Feather (BOF) group brings together individuals from the field of astronomy to share knowledge of astronomy, remote instrumentation, data sharing, and other activities.
Archives
Presentations from the Astronomy BOF meeting, held in conjunction with the Joint Techs meeting in Honolulu, HI, 28 January 2004.
Presentations from the Astronomy BOF meeting, held at the Ampath Workshop, 29-31 January 2003.
Contact Info
Russ Hobby
Manager of the Science & Engineering Initiative
rdhobby@internet2.edu
