Robotic Telescopes, Student Research and Education Conference (RTSRE)
Hilo, Hawai'i, USA. 23rd to 25th of July. 2018
and
The International Astronomy Teaching Summit (iNATS)
Hilo, Hawai'i, USA. 25th to 27th of July. 2018
It is our great pleasure to provide more information on two of our major sponsors, a conference proceedings update and instructions and a reminder of an upcoming abstract deadline for the co-located Robotic Telescopes, Student Research and Education Conference (RTSRE) and the International Astronomy Teaching Summit (iNATS) held in Hilo, Hawaii in July 2018.
Early Bird Registration and Abstract Submission
close on 14 May 2018.
Other important dates are available on the rtsre.net website.
The central organizing website
for both conferences is rtsre.net
The "Registrations Now Open" button is on the front page.
The "Submit Abstract" button is up the top of the page.
Registration also includes receptions, refreshments, and hotel-to-conference transportation. Family registration for participating in tours, meals, & refreshments is available for non-participants at 1/2 daily rate.
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Early Bird Registration and Abstract Submission
close on 14 May 2018.
Other important dates are available on the rtsre.net website.
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The Robotic Telescopes, Student Research and Education (RTSRE) Conference proceedings focusses on the publication of articles on topics related to the annual Robotic Telescopes, Student Research and Education Conference Series ( rtsre.org).
If your topic is accepted as a talk, workshop, panel or poster, then the topic is acceptable to be submitted to the proceedings. We expect submitted articles to be written following high quality academic guidelines common to our field and are fully peer-reviewed. RTSRE Proceedings articles are not simple outlines of conference participation but rather scholarly articles in their own right.
We received many submissions in 2017 leading to 35 separate accepted peer reviewed articles, most of which are in the process of copyediting and will be available prior to RTSRE 2018. Please consider planning to submit an article on your topic within two months after the Hilo conference. Better still, write your article as you prepare your contribution for the conference! |
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PlaneWave Instruments, Inc. is a provider of high quality professional grade astronomy products. PlaneWave was founded in 2006 by Richard Hedrick and Joseph Haberman. Through their leadership and that of CTO David Rowe, the company developed and championed the CDK (Corrected Dall-Kirkham) telescope, a revolutionary optical system. The CDK became the defining offering of the company.
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Value Proposition of the CDK Design
The goal of the CDK design is to make an affordable astrographic telescope with a large enough imaging plane to take advantage of large format CCD cameras which are currently available.
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Most telescope images degrade as you move off-axis from either coma, off-axis astigmatism, or field curvature. The CDK design suffers from none of these problems. The CDK is coma free, has no off-axis astigmatism, and has a flat field. The design is a simple and elegant solution to the problems posed above. The CDK consists of three components: an ellipsoidal primary mirror, a spherical secondary mirror and a lens group.
Today, PlaneWave makes a full line of observatory class telescopes with both CDK and Ritchey-Chrétien (RC) designs and aperture ranges from 12.5” to 1-meter apertures. The company produces Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) high-quality products at un-precedented value. Our products are used by universities, research centers, defense and aerospace companies with >40 CDK700s in field and projected seven 1-meter telescopes installed by EO 2019.
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High performance mounts
Most recently, PlaneWave has begun offering standalone, direct-drive tracking-systems, compatible with both our CDK optical-systems and many third-party manufactured telescopes and instrument packages.
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These “L-Series” mounts come in three models; the L-350 capable of holding 100lbs; the L-500 designed for the CDK17/20 that can hold payload of over 200lbs. The L-600 is ideal for the CDK24 and can hold up to 300lbs.
All mounts are designed and manufactured by PlaneWave Instruments with zero backlash and zero periodic error, virtually silent motion and slew speeds of up to 50 degrees per second!
The L-Series combines versatility, simplicity and affordability by shrinking the technology of our observatory-class tele-scopes into a compact stand-alone mount. In its Alt/Az or equatorial configuration it is considerably more compact than its German-Equatorial counterparts, allowing a larger telescope to fit in a smaller enclosure. Also, unlike German Equatorial mounts, there are no meridian flips to address, and there is no need for counterweights to unnecessarily add size and weight to the system. We expect these capabilities will be game-changing for a wide variety of researchers and commercial users.
Scaling for the market
PlaneWave’s manufacturing prowess is top notch in telescope equipment sector. Our manufacturing philosophy and capacity gives PlaneWave the unique capability to scale to meet demand. An essential goal is to become as much as possible a vertical company controlling all areas of production. PlaneWave is currently in the process of consolidation all manufacturing to our new campus in Adrian, Michigan.
Looking to the future
PlaneWave is engaged in providing solutions for emerging optical system markets. Our company is a leader in providing optical systems for ground based Space Situational Awareness (SSA) applications. Additionally future developments will see PlaneWave become an essential supplier to the growing fields of laser communication, laser ranging and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space telescopes.
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Founded in 2005, Skynet is a global network of fully automated, or robotic, volunteer telescopes, scheduled through a common web interface. Currently, our optical telescopes range in size from 14 to 40 inches, and span four continents. Originally envisioned for gamma-ray burst follow-up, Skynet has also been used to study gravitational-wave sources, blazars, supernovae, supernova remnants, novae, pulsating white dwarfs and hot subdwarfs, a wide variety of variable stars, a wide variety of binary stars, exoplanetary systems, trans-Neptunian objects and Centaurs, asteroids, and near-Earth objects (NEOs). Skynet is also the leading tracker of NEOs in the southern hemisphere.
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Skynet’s mission is split evenly between supporting professional astronomers and supporting students and the public. Although most of our observations have been for professionals, most of our users are students. We have developed/are continuing to develop Skynet-based curricula for undergraduates, high-school students (in partnership with Morehead Planetarium and Science Center; MPSC), and middle school-aged students (in partnership with the University of Chicago/Yerkes Observatory, Green Bank Observatory (GBO), the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and 4-H), as well as for blind and visually-impaired students (in partnership with Associated Universities, Inc., the University of Chicago/Yerkes Observatory, the Technical Education Research Centers, and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas). These efforts have reached over 20,000 students, and our public-engagement efforts (also in partnership with MPSC) have also reached over 20,000, mostly elementary and middle school-aged students. Curriculum-based student users queue observations through the same web interface that the professionals use. Altogether, over 15 million images have been taken to date.
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(Photo Credit: Green Bank Observatory)
In partnership with GBO, and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Skynet has added its first radio telescope, GBO’s 20-meter in West Virginia. As with Skynet’s optical telescopes, the 20-meter serves both professionals and students.
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Professional use consists primarily of timing and spectroscopic observations, but also some mapping observations. Student use consists of all three, but with an emphasis on mapping, at least for beginners. Regarding student, as well as public, use, the 20-meter represents a significant opportunity for radio astronomy. Small optical telescopes can be found on many, if not most, college campuses. But small radio telescopes are significantly more expensive to build, operate, and maintain, and consequently are generally found only in the remote locations that make the most sense for professional use. Consequently, most people – including most students of astronomy – never experience radio telescopes, let alone use them. However, under the control of Skynet, the 20-meter is not only more accessible to more professionals, it is already being used by thousands of students per year, of all ages, as well as by the public.
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The RTSRE organisers are considering the dates for the next conference after the 2018 Hawai'i conference.
Please help the decision making process by giving us some quick info on when you would be hypothetically available to attend.
Only RTSRE staff will be able to see your times, so this is anonymous! There are also three options, yes (green), maybe (yellow) and no (empty). Thanks in advance for your help in our decision making!
https://doodle.com/poll/aywpgkvnce3qpvuz
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