get PDF version of this issue - CASCA

Vernal Equinox 2006
Équinoxe vernal 2006 Vernal Equinox
NO. 128
ISSN 0715-
474
A publication of CASCA
Willard Boyle -
new inductee to
the
Canadian Science
& Engineering Hall
of Fame
Une publication de la Casca
An ALMA Update
Events at NRC's
HIA / Du neuf à
l'IHA du CNRC
CASCA Education
and Outreach
News
Planetarium News
York Extinction
Solver
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TOC
On the
Cover
A montage of wonderful CFHT images made possible by the equally
wonderful invention of the CCD! To read about this great Canadian
contribution to astronomy and the great Canadian who invented it,
follow this link to the article by Randall Brooks and Helen Graves
Smith.
(return to front cover)
CASCA
Soap Box
●
●
From the Editor
From the President
Features
● Willard Boyle: New Inductee to the Canadian Science &
Engineering Hall of Fame by Randall Brooks and Helen Graves
Smith
Reports
● An Alma Update by Chris Wilson
News
● Events at NRC's HIA (2006 Jan.-Mar.) / Du neuf à l'IHA du CNRC
(jan.-mars 2006) by Jacques P. Vallée
Briefly
Noted
In the
Classroom
●
●
●
●
Solar System and Planetary Studies Workshop
York Extinction Solver
Education Notes by Heather R. (Scott) Theijsmeijer
Planetarium Notes by Scott Young
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Soap Box
E-Cass Soap Box
From the editor
President's report
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editor's note
The first day of spring and Edmonton receives
a record snowfall for one day! Only in Canada!
But - the stars do not lie and it is indeed spring.
Once again thank you to the many contributors
who helped produce the Vernal Equinox issue
of E-Cassiopeia. There are a few small tweaks
to the look and feel of E-Cass with some more
significant ones planned for future issues. I
would welcome comments from readers with
suggestions about either style or content.
Wishing you the very best in the coming
season!
Brian Martin (brian.martin@kingsu.ca)
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President's Report
Dear CASCA Members,
Chers membres de la CASCA,
1. CASCA-AAS Meetings:
Preliminary programmes for the June, backto-back,
CASCA and AAS meetings in
Calgary promise intense scientific
stimulation plus excellent opportunities to
discuss issues of importance to Canadian
astronomers and of common interest to our
two communities, in a beautiful locale ideal
for renewing old acquaintances and making
new ones. I look forward to seeing you at
CASCA and urge you to stay on, taking
advantage of the AAS’ offer to participate in
their meeting -- with its many distinguished
Canadian speakers -- at their member
rates.
2. Board Activities
The Board is now holding telecons on
approximately six-week centres to keep
pace with Society activities. Issues being
dealt with include: a) the emerging proposal
for new and/or better defined membership
categories being developed by a Board
subcommittee chaired by Gretchen Harris;
b) early planning for a CSA-sponsored
meeting to maintain the momentum
generated by the exciting discussions at the
2005 Town Hall meeting regarding new
space astronomy missions; c) a proposal
from Vicky Kaspi for a new committee of
High Energy Astrophysics; d) renewal of
Coalition for Canadian Astronomy efforts to
secure LRP funding from the newly elected
Federal government, as well as their
Working Group’s efforts to improve the
effectiveness of the existing funding
agencies supporting our work; e) how to
structure Canadian astronomy’s response
to the opportunities of the International Year
of Astronomy 2009; f) development of new
CASCA web pages, including ones
1. Assemblées de la CASCA et de l’AAS :
Les ordres du jour préliminaires pour les
assemblées consécutives de la CASCA et
de l’AAS qui auront lieu à Calgary en juin
promettent des activités intéressantes sur le
plan scientifique, ainsi que d’excellentes
occasions pour discuter de questions
importantes pour les astronomes canadiens
et d’intérêt pour nos deux communautés,
dans un bel endroit qui est idéal pour revoir
d’anciennes connaissances et d’en faire de
nouvelles. J’attends avec impatience
l’occasion de vous voir à l’assemblée de la
CASCA et vous conseille vivement de rester
sur les lieux pour profiter de l’invitation de
l’AAS de participer à son assemblée – qui
comptera de nombreux conférenciers
canadiens distingués – au même tarif que
pour ses membres.
2. Activités du Conseil
Le Conseil organise maintenant des
téléconférences à des intervalles de six
semaines afin d’aller au même rythme que
les activités de la Société. On y traitera des
questions suivantes : a) la nouvelle
proposition de créer et/ou d’améliorer les
catégories de membres au moyen d’un souscomité
du Conseil présidé par Gretchen
Harris; b) les plans préliminaires pour une
réunion parrainée par l’ASC visant à
maintenir l’intérêt créé par les discussions
excitantes qui ont eu lieu à l’assemblée
locale de 2005 concernant les nouvelles
missions en astronomie spatiale; c) une
proposition de Vicky Kaspi pour un nouveau
comité d’astrophysique des hautes énergies;
d) le renouvellement des efforts de la
Coalition pour l’astronomie canadienne pour
obtenir des subventions dans le cadre du
Plan à long terme du nouveau
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President's Report
reflecting the Coalition’s activities; on and
on the list goes. Your comments,
suggestions and criticisms are welcome at
any time.
3. My goodness, it’s already over!
This column is my last as CASCA
President, a demanding but rewarding
office from which I will retire following our
Calgary meeting. The past two years have
flown by, leaving me with an ever better
impression of the breadth, depth, vitality
and quality (especially the quality!) of
astronomy in Canada. All volunteer Board
members contribute countless hours and
much thought to the opportunities and
issues facing our Society, making the
President’s job much easier. My
determination to help the younger
generations achieve their astronomical
dreams, as those of my generation have
done, has only been strengthened by the
experience. I offer sincere thanks to
CASCA members for the opportunity to
serve in this manner.
gouvernement fédéral, ainsi que des efforts
pour améliorer l’efficacité des organismes de
financement qui subventionnent
actuellement nos travaux; e) comment
structurer la réponse de l’astronomie
canadienne aux possibilités offertes par
l’Année internationale de l’astronomie
(2009); le développement de nouvelles
pages Web de la CASCA, incluant celles sur
les activités de la Coalition; et ainsi de suite.
Nous serions heureux de recevoir vos
commentaires, suggestions et critiques en
tout temps.
3. Seigneur! C’est déjà terminé!
Cet article est mon dernier en tant que
président de la CASCA, un poste exigeant,
mais qui offre de nombreuses récompenses.
Je démissionnerai de ce poste après notre
assemblée de Calgary. Les deux dernières
années ont passé très rapidement et m’ont
donné une meilleure impression de la
largeur, la profondeur, la vitalité et la qualité
(spécialement la qualité) de l’astronomie au
Canada. Tous les membres bénévoles du
Conseil consacrent d’innombrables heures
et réfléchissent beaucoup aux possibilités et
problèmes de notre société, ce qui facilite
beaucoup la tâche du président. Mon
expérience n’a fait qu’intensifier ma
résolution à aider les jeunes à réaliser leurs
rêves en matière d’astronomie, comme l’ont
fait les chercheurs de ma génération. Je
remercie sincèrement les membres de la
CASCA pour m’avoir accordé la chance de
servir en cette qualité.
À bientôt,
Jim Hesser
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features
Feature Articles
Willard Boyle: New Inductee to the Canadian Science & Engineering Hall of Fame by Randall
Brooks and Helen Graves Smith
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Willard Boyle: New Inductee to the
Willard Boyle: New Inductee to the
Canadian Science & Engineering Hall of
Fame
Randall Brooks and Helen Graves Smith
A Canadian whose invention revolutionized late 20th century astronomy was recently inducted
into the Canadian Science & Engineering Hall of Fame. A native of Nova Scotia and equipped
with a PhD from McGill, Willard Boyle joined Bell Labs in New Jersey. He later led the Lab’s
research in lasers, optical and satellite communications, digital and quantum electronics,
computing, and radio astronomy. In1969, Boyle and George Smith conceived a new type of
device, the charge-coupled device, that revolutionized astronomy and photography. NSERC
funded the first experimental CCD systems in Canada ca. 1978/79 at Laval, St. Mary’s and
UBC. Now the Hubble, Mars Rovers and CFHT — and virtually every other professional
telescope — all depend on CCDs.
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Willard Boyle: New Inductee to the
Willard Boyle (Property of AT&T Archives: Reprinted with permission of AT&T ) and a 10K RCA CCD (ca. 1980)
acquired for the camera system developed at Saint Mary’s University.
Born in Nova Scotia, Boyle’s family moved to Chaudière, a logging community in northern
Quebec at age three. Following high school in Montreal, at age 19, Boyle joined the Canadian
Navy to fight in World War II. However, ships made him seasick so he applied to the Fleet Air
Arm of the Navy and was sent to England. After the war he took up his education again in
Montreal completing a PhD in physics at McGill. Three years later in 1953 he joined the
prestigious Bell Labs in New Jersey.
At the Bell Labs, Boyle enjoyed fifteen years of collaborations and developed a brilliant
invention worthy of note in its own right — the first continuously operating ruby laser coinvented
with Don Nelson in 1962. The first patent, with David Thomas, proposing a
semiconductor injection laser soon followed. That year he became director of Space Science
and Exploratory Studies at Bellcomm where he provided technological support at NASA for the
Apollo space program including choosing landing sites on the Moon.
Boyle returned to Bell Labs in 1964, switching to the development of electronic devices,
particularly integrated circuits. His success with lasers elevated the Canadian physicist to the
position of Executive Director of Device Development.
However, his greatest achievement, accomplished in little more than an hour on 17 Oct. 1969,
was a new type of IC device, the CCD, that Boyle and fellow Bell scientist George Smith
conceived. From a set of equations and diagrams sketched out on a blackboard, they had the
Bell Labs’ shop try to make the device — it worked exactly as expected. A short time later,
Boyle presented a paper about the new CCD invention at a conference on “The Future of
Integrated Circuits”. Response from scientists, engineers and industry was immediate and the
pair went on to win awards for the device that is at the heart of virtually every camcorder, digital
camera and telescope in use today. His boss’s encouragement at the time was a mere "I
guess there's probably a future in this semiconductor IC thing after all".
To substantiate that understatement, Boyle and Smith were recently also the recipients of the
National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) Charles Stark Draper Prize, one of the highest
honours in engineering.
Since his retirement in1979, Willard and his wife have resided in Wallace, NS.
The Canadian Science & Engineering Hall of Fame is the core of the Canada Science and
Technology Museum’s Innovation Canada exhibit where Boyle joins 36 other outstanding
scientists. Also honoured in the Hall are Helen Sawyer Hogg and Gerhard Herzberg.
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Willard Boyle: New Inductee to the
The Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame in Ottawa
Other news at CSTM
Other recent events at CSTM with an astronomical link were the donations of a reticon and
isocon by Gordon Walker which were previously used at UBC and reflect Gordon’s innovative
work on measuring small radial velocities with these devices. With the assistance of Murray
Fletcher at DAO, an example of Harvey Richardson’s image slicers fabricated by the
Observatory’s staff has also been added to the Museum’s astronomical collection.
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Willard Boyle: New Inductee to the
The ZEEP reactor (1945) from Chalk River (left) and Tokamak de Varennes on permanent exhibit at the Canada Science
and Technology Museum
The exhibit Celebrating First Light focusing on the 100th anniversary of the opening of the
Dominion Observatory in 1905 will shortly be reconfigured and downsized to fill a space beside
the ZEEP nuclear reactor from Chalk River and the Tokamak de Varennes fusion reactor — all
are of interest to astronomers. CSTM is in Ottawa’s east end and CASCA members are invited
to visit when in Ottawa and will be provided with a Museum pass on request to one of the
authors.
Dr. Randall Brooks (Rbrooks@technomuses.ca)
A/Director, Collection & Research Division
Canada Science and Technology Museum
and Chair, CASCA Heritage Committee
Dr. Helen Graves Smith (Hgraves_Smith@technomuses.ca)
Ass’t Curator, Physical Sciences and
Space Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ottawa
Links:
Canadian Science & Engineering Hall of Fame / Le Panthéon canadien des sciences et du
génie
●
www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/about/hallfame/u_main_e.cfm
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Willard Boyle: New Inductee to the
●
www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/francais/about/hallfame/u_main_f.cfm
Celebrating First Light / Centenaire De La Première Observation
●
●
www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/collection/dominion_observatory.cfm
www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/francais/collection/dominion_observatory.cfm
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news
News
An Alma Update by Chris Wilson
Events at NRC's HIA (2006 Jan.-Mar.) / Du neuf à l'IHA du CNRC (janv.-mars 2006) by
Jacques P. Vallée
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ALMA Update
ALMA Update
1 Recent news
1.1 Construction Progress
There has been a lot of work recently in Chile at the high site. Work on the Array Operations Center (AOC) is proceeding well,
with delays of only a few days due to "Bolivian winter" weather (that occurs in mid Summer), and the contract for the completion
package (to make the building ready for occupancy) has been submitted for review. The contract for construction of the
Operations Support Facility (OSF) is being reviewed by the ESO finance committee. There has been a kickoff meeting for the
design of the ALMA building in Santiago, which will be constructed on the grounds of the ESO site. The design on this building
depends in broad detail on the ALMA operations plan; what gets done where affects how big the building needs to be and what
goes into it. Work on the details of the two antenna contracts are proceeding in the U.S. and Europe.
Figure 1: the shell of the main building for the Array Operations Center for ALMA at the high site (5000 m elevation) in March 2006.
Hiring for ALMA Operations will begin in earnest this year, and is receiving the attention of many people throughout the project,
including at NRAO and HIA. In North America, much of the hiring will be for people to work at the North American ALMA
Science Center (NAASC) in Charlottesville,
http://www.cv.nrao.edu/naasc/
which will be responsible for user support for the North American Community and other aspects of ALMA operations. James di
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ALMA Update
Francesco has recently taken on the role of HIA liaison with the NAASC and is involved in trying to define what the Canadian
contribution will be to the functions of the NAASC.
1.2 Reviews
ALMA underwent two additional reviews in the past three months: a "delta" Cost Review in Washington D.C. and an in-depth
review commissioned by the NSF of the management of ALMA by AUI/NRAO.
ALMA successfully passed the Delta Cost Review in Washington, D.C. on 26 January 2006. Peter Dewdney from DRAO was a
member of both the cost review and the delta cost review panels. The latter review considered the cost, management and
scientific impacts of the baseline bi-lateral project having two antenna designs, for which much careful analysis had been done
between September and January by the JAO and Executives. The review concluded: "Most of the recommendations of the Cost
Review Committee have either been implemented or are underway. The Delta-Cost Review Committee was pleased to hear
that the ALMA Board solved two of its most difficult unresolved policy issues in the two months since the Cost Review report
was issued..." and concluded, "The change in cost brought about by the decision to purchase two types of antennas is therefore
small compared to other uncertainties in the development of the project - for example, it is only one-tenth of the $69M
contingency for ALMA construction. With a high degree of confidence, we conclude the use of two antenna types poses no
major risk to the successful development of ALMA or to meeting its science goals and represents an inconsequential change in
the project cost."
Through a distinguished 11-member committee chaired by Cornell physicist Don Hartill, the NSF conducted an in-depth review
of AUI/NRAO's prosecution of their ALMA management responsibilities. At issue was whether reasons for the 32% increase in
cost to the NSF to implement the rebaselined 50-antenna ALMA were now fully understood, lending confidence in the cost of
the rebaselined ALMA. At this time, the Committee's written report is not available, but Jim Hesser, who attended the review as
an observer, reports that the points raised in their oral report were all constructive and positive. Jim also reports that the Chair
concluded noting that ALMA is a great project and should go ahead mindful of the advice they are providing.
The NSF Director reviewed ALMA on 2 March 2006, to determine how the NSF will react to the increased costs; his
recommendations go to the US National Science Board for consideration at their 9-10 May meeting. While we do not know what
his recommendation is, I would say there is cautious optimism that he will recommend to the National Science Board that a 50
antenna ALMA go ahead with the needed additional funding.
1.3 Canadian Reviews
The HIA Advisory Board met 23-24 February 2006, and received a thorough briefing on the current status of Canada's
contributions to ALMA. Review materials were prepared by Stephane Claude, Jim Hesser, Lewis Knee and Keith Yeung. While
we do not know the outcome of the Advisory Board's deliberations yet, there did not seem to be any controversy regarding
ALMA during the meeting.
1.4 ALMA Science Meetings
The second world-wide meeting on "Science with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array" will be held in Madrid, Spain, on 13-16
November 2006. The conference will cover a wide range of topics, which will include the main scientific drivers of ALMA: the
formation and evolution of galaxies, the physics and chemistry of the interstellar medium, and the processes of star and planet
formation. The web page for the conference, now including the preliminary scientific program and registration information, is
available at
http://www.oan.es/alma2006/
ALMA will also be front and center at the joint CASCA/AAS meeting in Calgary 1-8 June 2006. There will be an invited talk on
ALMA at the CASCA meeting on Saturday as well as a special session on ALMA on Monday during the AAS meeting. Doug
Johnstone, Jean Turner, Andrew Blain, and I are the speakers on ALMA at the two meetings. More details can be found at
http://www.ism.ucalgary.ca/meetings/casca06/
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ALMA Update
Students and postdocs will be interested to know that HIA will be hosting a summer school on Submillimetre Observing
Techniques, which will include talks on observing with ALMA, from 14-17 August 2006 in Victoria. Contact Brenda Matthews
(matthewsbr@nrc.ca) for more information
2 ALMA Science Advisory Committee
The ASAC met 28-29 January 2006 at the University of Maryland. The ASAC had three charges for that meeting: to review the
progress in the science software development for ALMA; to review the plans and progress towards the scientific integration of
the Atacama Compact Array into the baseline ALMA project; and to review the existing analysis on the imaging performance of
the hybrid ALMA array and advise the project on whether additional work needs to be done in this area. Since the ASAC report
has not yet been presented to the ALMA Board, I must defer my discussion of our conclusions and recommendations until my
June report.
Figure 2: Chris Wilson (chair) and John Richer (vice-chair) of the ASAC rub the nose of Testudo the Terrapin (the University of Maryland mascot) for good
luck during the ASAC meeting in January.
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ALMA Update
3 ALMA Developments in Canada
3.1 Band 3 Receiver Development
In 2005, we have accomplished a major milestone of the Band 3 development program, the completion of the first preproduction
receiver cartridge. We are also very pleased to report that the cryogenic IF amplifier development program at HIA
has also been completed and Nanowave Technologies Inc. of Toronto is the licensee of the amplifier technology. The
automation process of the amplifier and mixer test set is now completed. The amplifier test set is capable of handling up to four
amplifiers simultaneously in each cool-down. With the full automation in place since January 2006, we have been routinely
conducting noise temperature measurements of sideband separating (2SB) and double sideband (DSB) mixers overnight
without any operator's intervention.
Figure 3 shows a picture of the first Band 3 pre-production receiver cartridge. The cartridge will fully meet the ALMA noise
temperature specifications of less than 37 K across the frequency band. The noise temperature performance is shown in Figure
4. A cartridge acceptance test report describing the detailed performance characteristics of the cartridge was submitted to the
manager of the ALMA Front End Integrated Product Team (FE IPT) for approval in January 2006
Figure 3: the first Band 3 (84-116 GHz) preproduction
receiver cartridge.
Figure 4: Receiver noise temperature for the Band 3 receiver cartridge over the Local Oscillator frequency range.
For more information on the ALMA Band 3 Receiver Project contact Keith Yeung (Project Manager - keith.yeung@nrccnrc.gc.ca),
Stephane Claude (Project Engineer - stephane.claude@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca), or Doug Johnstone (Project Scientist -
doug.johnstone@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca).
3.2 Software
Software work for the ALMA Offline system and the ALMA Common Software system is continuing in Calgary and at DRAO. In
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ALMA Update
the last three months, Raymond Rusk has been involved in migrating AIPS++ tools into the new CASA framework and
participating in the ALMA Software Stability Initiative (ASSI) team. Gary Li and Raymond Rusk have been collaborating on
framework build issues. The first focus tests of the new python-based version of AIPS++ (to be renamed CASA) started this
month. Chris Wilson has been heavily involved in preparations for the user test of the ALMA Pipeline which began in early
March. This test includes testers from HIA and NRAO and is focusing on flagging and calibration of single field interferometric
data.
Delays in hiring continue to prevent the CADC from making its full contribution to the ALMA Archive development; however, it is
expected that the position will be filled within the next two months, allowing work to begin on the design and implementation of
the Request Handling component of the Archive system. In the meantime, Norman Hill has been attending the now weekly
ALMA Archive team teleconferences. An ALMA Archive team meeting is tentatively schedule for May 2006, possibly in Victoria
or in Manchester.
Chris Wilson wilson@physics.mcmaster.ca
Canadian ALMA Project Scientist
(with input from Séverin Gaudet, Jim Hesser, Lewis Knee, and Raymond Rusk)
File translated from T E X by T T H, version 3.40.
On 20 Mar 2006, 15:59.
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HIA Milestones - Du neuf à l'IHA
Milestones at NRC's HIA (2006 Jan.-
March)
Du neuf à l'IHA du CNRC (janv. - mars
2006)
edited by:
Dr. Jacques P. Vallée
édité par:
In mid-February, an HIA team headed by Glen Herriot produced the
Conceptual Design Report for the Narrow Field InfraRed Adaptive
Optics System for the future Thirty-Meter-Telescope.
Also in mid-February, congratulations went to the HIA team lead by
Les Saddlemyer & Jean-Pierre Véran for the finalisation of the Gemini
Planet Imager contract, an Aspen instrument now going forward with
many collaborators.
En mi-février, une équipe de l'IHA conduite par Glen Herriot a produit
le Rapport sur le plan conceptuel pour le Système d'optique adaptative
infrarouge à champ étroit pour le futur Télescope de 30 mètres.
Egalement en mi-février, on a félicité l'équipe de l'IHA dirigée par Les
Saddlemyer & Jean-Pierre Véran pour avoir finalisé le contrat sur
l'Imageur Planétaire pour Gémini, un instrument Aspen. Ce contrat va
continuer avec un grand nombre de collaborateurs.
Mid-January, Russell Redman (HIA Victoria) was appointed by HIA on
the Canadian Time Assignment Group for the JCMT. We thank outgoing
member Howard Yee. Howard joined the Gemini Board of Directors for
a 2-yr period while Douglas Welch holds the Chair of the Board.
Andrew Gray was named recently as URSI Canadian Chair for
Commission J (Radio Astronomy), for a 3-year term ending in October
2008.
From January till March, a series of well-attended public lectures about
astronomy and engineering were given at the Okanagan College in
Penticton, by HIA staff Brent Carlson, Sean Dougherty, Roland
Kothes, and others.
Early in January, Laura Ferrarese (HIA Victoria) and Gregg Wade
(RMC, Kingston) were appointed by HIA to the Canadian Time
Assignment Committee for Gemini & CFHT. We thank outgoing
members David Bohlender & Peter Stetson. Laura has also joined the
CFHT Science Advisoray Council for a 4-yr term.
In January, Lynne Jones came on a 6-month postdoc, working with JJ
Kavelaars on the CFHT Legacy Survey - Ecliptic Plane project. In
March, Richard Gray (Appalachian State U.) came for a month to HIA
Victoria to work with Elizabeth Griffin & David Bohlender on optical
stellar spectroscopy of composite spectrum binaries.
On 26 February, HIA hosted an Inaugural Arts Event at the Centre of
the Universe, an experiment to mix science and music. A total of 170
visitors listened to the Hexaphone Concert, sponsored by the Canadian
Music Centre. Surprisingly, only about 10 percent of the visitors had
been to the site previously - all others were discovering it.
Each year, many defendants, lawyers, sollicitors, barristers, articled
students, crown attorneys, detectives, conservation officers,
enforcement supervisors, enforcement clerks, etc, request sunrisesunset
details and certifications from a government source. Since mid-
2002, HIA charges a fee for this service, as determined by NRC Finance
Branch.
At the invitation of the National Science Advisor Dr Arthur Carty,
Stéphanie Côté presented a talk on "Measuring Galaxy Halos" at the
2006 American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in
St Louis, Missouri, February 17th. Hosted by the US Canadian
embassy, the workshop "Canada's leadership in international
innovation" featured four canadian researchers. Also present were the
President of NSERC Suzanne Fortier, and the Vice-President of CFI
Suzanne Corbeil.
Depuis mi-janvier, Russell Redman (IHA Victoria) est membre du
Groupe canadien d'allocation de temps pour le télescope JCM. Nous
remercions le membre sortant Howard Yee. Howard est devenu
membre du Bureau de Direction de Gémini pour un terme de 2 ans
pendant que Douglas Welch est Président du Bureau.
Andrew Gray fut nommé récemment Représentant Canadien pour la
Commission J (Radioastronomie) de l'URSI, pour 3 ans.
De janvier à mars, des séminaires très suivis par le public furent
donnés sur l'astronomie et l'ingénierie au Collège de l'Okanagan à
Penticton, par Brent Carlson, Sean Dougherty, Roland Kothes, et
d'autres.
Début janvier, Laura Ferrarese (IHA Victoria) et Gregg Wade (CMR,
Kingston) sont membres du Comité canadien d'allocation du temps aux
télescopes Gémini et CFH. Nous remercions les membres sortants
David Bohlender & Peter Stetson. Aussi, Laura est devenu membre
du Conseil scientifique aviseur du TCFH, pour un terme de 4 ans.
En janvier, Lynne Jones a débuté un postdoc de 6 mois sur le Relevé
du Legs du TCFH sur le Plan écliptique, avec JJ Kavelaars. En mars,
Richard Gray (Appalachian State U.) est arrivé pour travailler un mois
avec Elizabeth Griffin & David Bohlender sur la spectroscopie
stellaire optique des étoiles binaires composées.
Le 26 février, l'IHA fut l'hôte d'un Evénement inaugural sur les Arts,
tenu au Centre de l'Univers, une expérience pour mélanger la musique
et la science. Au total, 170 visiteurs ont entendu le Concert Hexaphone,
parraîné par le Centre canadien de la musique. On s'est aperçu que
seulement 10 pourcent des visiteurs étaient déjà venus sur le site!
Chaque année, plusieurs défendants, avocats, solliciteurs, étudiants
d'avocats, procureurs de la couronne, détectives, agents de la
conservation, superviseur et clerc d'application, etc, demandent des
détails des levers et couchers du soleil et leurs certifications par une
source gouvernementale. Depuis mi-2002, l'IHA charge un montant pour
ce service, tel que déterminé par la Branche des finances du CNRC.
Sur l'invitation du Dr. Arthur Carty, Conseiller scientifique national,
Stéphanie Côté a fait une présentation sur "La mesure des halos de
galaxies" lors du forum de American Association for the Advancement of
Science, tenu à St Louis, Missouri le 17 février 2006. Parraîné par
l'Ambassade Canadienne aux E.-U., l'atelier "Leadership canadien en
innovation internationale" a mis en vedette 4 chercheurs canadiens. En
plus, il y avait Suzanne Fortier, Présidente du CRSNG, et Suzanne
Corbeil, Vice-présidente du CFI.
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ief
Briefly Noted
Solar System and Planetary Studies Workshop
York Extinction Solver
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Solar System Workshop
Solar System and Planetary Studies
Workshop
May 31 - June 1, Calgary
The Solar System and Planetary Sciences Sub-committee of CASCA will host a 1.5 day miniconference/workshop
relating to all areas of planetary science on May 31 (afternoon) and June
1, 2006 in Calgary, Alberta. The meeting will be held immediately prior to this year's CASCA
meeting, which starts on the evening of June 1. There may be a very nominal registration fee to
cover room rental. All presentations will be half-hour oral talks (LCD projection only). The
annual SSPS committee meeting will also occur during these two days.
At this stage all persons wishing to attend are asked to alert either of the undersigned (also with
potential talk(s) title) - a more detailed schedule and final meeting room venue will be circulated
to interested participants by the end of March.
Peter Brown (pbrown@uwo.ca) (Chair, SSPS) Brett Gladman (gladman@astro.ubc.ca) (LOC)
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York Extinction Solver
York Extinction Solver
http://cadcwww.hia.nrc.ca/yes
Overview of YES
The York Extinction Solver (YES) is a facility for evaluating the Galactic or localized extinction
of any celestial body in any filter from any index of reddening. Its development was motivated
by a need to free extinction estimates from errors arising from shifts in effective wavelengths,
which permeate astronomy. For example, it has been common practice to estimate the
extinction of a disk galaxy from an estimate of reddening derived from elliptical galaxies and a
reddening law derived from broad-band photometry of O and B stars without any
accommodation whatsoever for the differences between the spectral energy distributions! YES
facilitates the determination of the ratio of total to selective extinction for a target without
concern as to the shape of the spectrum of the reddening probe. Further background is given
by McCall (2004, A.J., 128, 2144).
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York Extinction Solver
Foundation of YES
The amount of dust along a sight-line toward a target is quantified by the optical depth at 1
micrometer. Not only is this quantity monochromatic, but it also is relatively insensitive to grain
properties and is roughly equal numerically to E(B–V). YES is set up to allow a user to
determine the optical depth at 1 micrometer of the target from an estimate of the colour excess
of a probe of reddening, and then to determine the extinction of the target from the optical
depth.
Primary Functions of YES
Normally, two steps are required to estimate the extinction of a target from an index of
reddening. YES facilitates both.
1) Compute Optical Depth from Reddening
This function determines the optical depth at 1 micrometer in the direction
of the target from the colour excess of a probe of reddening (the nature of
which is usually not the same as that of the target) by utilizing a spectral
energy distribution (SED) characteristic of the probe. For example, if
E(B–V) is taken from Schlegel et al. (1998, Ap.J., 500, 525), then the SED
of the probe should be that of an elliptical galaxy at rest, because the
colour excess is defined by K-corrected B–V colours of elliptical galaxies.
From a colour excess derived for any pair of filters, YES will iteratively
compute:
●
the optical depth of Galactic dust in the foreground of the probe of
reddening if the optical depth of localized dust (i.e., foreground dust
in the frame of reference of the probe) is known or guessable
OR
●
the optical depth of localized dust in the frame of reference of the probe of reddening if the optical
depth of Galactic dust in the foreground of the probe is known or guessable
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York Extinction Solver
2) Compute Extinction from Optical Depth
This function determines the extinction of the target from optical depths at 1 micrometer by
utilizing a SED characteristic of the target.
From estimates for the optical depths for Galactic and localized dust in the foreground of the
target, YES will compute for any set of filters 1, 2, and 3:
● the extinction A(1) and reddening E(2–3) relative to optical depth for
the Galactic component of the dust
● the ratio of total to selective extinction, A(1)/E(2–3), for the Galactic
component of the dust
● the extinction A(1) and reddening E(2–3) for the Galactic component
of the dust
● the "internal" extinction Aint(1) and "internal" reddening Eint(2–3),
which in the case of a galaxy are the excesses over face-on arising
from tilt, and in the case of a non-galaxy are the contributions from
localized foreground dust (all as they would be perceived in the
frame of reference of the target, i.e., after K-corrections)
● K-corrections K(1) for the apparent magnitude m(1) and K(2–3) for
the apparent colour C(2–3)
● the apparent colour C(2–3), the same colour corrected for Galactic
reddening, and the colour corrected for Galactic reddening, redshift,
and, in the case of non-galaxies, localized reddening
● the effective wavelength and effective flux for filter 1
Additional Functions of YES
Besides enabling the computation of optical depth and extinction, YES facilitates inspection of
reddening laws, SEDs, and filter response curves. Also, list input is possible for each of the
main functions.
Compute Extinction Coefficients
This function evaluates "monochromatic" extinction coefficients for a
specified reddening law. The user may experiment with any reddening
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York Extinction Solver
law in YES without affecting the laws used in computations of optical
depth or extinction. For a specified range of wavelengths, YES will
provide
●
●
the extinction relative to the optical depth at 1 micrometer
the extinction relative to E(B–V) (as defined by the original law)
Submit a List
To ease the job of computing optical depths or extinctions for a large number of objects or
extinction coefficients for a large number of wavelength intervals, there is the option of
uploading a list of tasks. To aid with the creation of lists, sample list input files can be
downloaded.
Download
To permit inspection of the data employed by YES, the following files can
be downloaded:
●
●
SEDs
response curves for filters
Reddening Laws in YES
Integral to calculations are laws of reddening. YES permits a wide range
of choices, even allowing different laws for Galactic and localized dust
(i.e., foreground dust in the frame of reference of the reddening probe or
target). Note, however, that the reddening law which is the basis of
determining how the SED of a disk galaxy changes with tilt cannot be
altered.
Reddening laws for Galactic and localized dust which are employed in
computing optical depth from reddening and computing extinction from
optical depth can be checked and/or modified by clicking on a button on
the input form for each function. Normally, the defaults would be
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York Extinction Solver
accepted, though (see below). The reddening law used to compute
extinction coefficients is specified directly in the input form for this
function. The selection has no effect on calculations done by the other
functions.
It is important to realize that many laws of reddening are constructed, at
least in part, from observations acquired through broad-band filters.
Often, in assigning derived coefficients to wavelengths, shifts in effective
wavelengths are not accommodated. Any such law will lead to an errant
estimate of extinction for any target whose apparent SED does not match
the apparent SED of the sources used to derive the law.
Although YES allows different choices for reddening laws, it defaults to using a truly
monochromatic reddening law (that of Fitzpatrick 1999 re-normalized to the optical depth at 1
micrometer) whose shape has been tuned to give A(V)/E(B–V)=3.07 for Vega. To within +/–
0.05, this is the mean value of the ratio of total to selective extinction for the diffuse component
of the interstellar medium of the Milky Way after independent measurements are adjusted to a
common SED (McCall and Armour 2000, in Mapping the Hidden Universe, eds. Kraan-
Korteweg, R. C., Henning, P. A., and Andernach, H. 2000, ASP Conf. Series Vol. 218, p. 1). It
is the appropriate value to adopt for light which traverses a long path through the Milky Way,
such as is the case for extragalactic probes or targets.
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Classroom
In The Classroom
Education Notes by Heather R. (Scott) Theijsmeijer
Planetarium Notes by Scott Young
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Maximizing the use of the Internet while Teaching Astronomy
Webquests: Maximizing the use of the
Internet while Teaching Astronomy
The Internet is everywhere – ubiquitous; pervasive even. If there is one thing the younger
generations know how to do well, it is navigate the World Wide Web. We can make use of this
skill in teaching astronomy, tapping into the wide variety of resources available and even
appealing to the “need to be entertained” mentality of many astronomy 101 students. For this,
webquests are often the perfect combination.
A webquest is the use of an internet site to answer a series of questions, which the students
complete by exploring the website. You can either make an assignment to go with a particular
website, or there are websites which already contain an assignment within them. A good
astronomy example (though basic) is the following site:
http://claweb.cla.unipd.it/home/mcanapero/astron_lesson/
It contains interactive pages and real-life documents which the students can read through in
any order. Some information is repeated in different formats, and any one section or activity
does not take long to complete. In addition, there are a number of extra resources linked at the
bottom of the page.
An important benefit to webquests is that they introduce a new media from which students can
learn, and they appeal to different learning types. Students can take their time going through
the assignment, helping each one to learn at his or her own pace. They can also take some of
the onus off of you, the teacher. One disadvantage is that it does take a bit of preparation –
searching for either a pre-made webquest, or a site good enough (and on topic) for you to
make a webquest yourself. However the results are quite worthwhile.
Creating a webquest is not hard. If you have the time and the creativity, you could create an
online webpage assignment with links provided to various sites where students can search for
information. It is just as easy, though, to create an assignment on paper which makes use of a
strong website to answer questions or complete tasks. An excellent resource on webquests in
general is http://webquest.org/ . Unfortunately there are no astronomy webquests listed there,
but there is the ability to create your own online webquest, and many good examples of other
webquests. A second site on how to create your own is:
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/buildingblocks/p-index.htm
How do you know if you’ve found a good webquest website? The best webquests have
interactive features so that the students can change the parameters of a simulation or do an
online quiz. Some webquests even have a “teachers’ page” with more ideas on how to use the
information presented in class. They all include lots of good images, up-to-date information and
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Maximizing the use of the Internet while Teaching Astronomy
plenty of “nooks and crannies” into which the students can search for the required material (and
maybe even learn an extra few things along the way!).
Listed below are a number of good sites for webquests. Keep in mind that by creating your
own, you can tailor the difficulty to the level of your class. Happy surfing!
NASA’s JPL has a number of good sites for webquests:
■
■
■
■
PlanetQuest – the Search for Another Earth: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
Solar System Exploration: http://sse.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm
Mars Exploration: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/
Stars and Galaxies: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/stars_galaxies/
Other good (general astronomy) sites which can be used to make an assignment:
■
■
■
■
The Hubble Site: http://hubblesite.org/
Windows to the Universe: http://www.windows.ucar.edu/
Astrobiology: http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/
Feel free to use your own research or observatory page!
Some good, pre-made, astronomy webquests:
■
■
■
■
■
■
Land for Sale – On the Moon! http://www.bellmoremerrick.k12.ny.us/webquest/science/moon.html
Cosmic Chemistry: http://can-do.com/uci/ssi2000/cosmicchemistry.html
Saturn Revealed: The Cassini-Huygens Mission to the Ringed Giant:
http://glencoe.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0078664233/student_view0/unit8/webquest_projects_2.html
EM Spectrum: http://www.can-do.com/uci/ssi2001/emspectrum.html
The Milky Way, Past and Present: Exploring Ancient Mayan Astronomy and Modern
Multi-Wavelength Astronomy: http://www.geocities.com/lewiston_stargazer/milkytitle.html
Chandra X-Ray Observatory:
http://www.chandra.harvard.edu/edu/formal/stellar_ev/webquest/index_old.html
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Planetarium News
Planetarium News — Spring 2006
Calgary
by Scott Young
Last November, Calgary’s TELUS World of Science hosted the official sod-turning for a new
wing of the science centre that will feature a “Creative Kids Museum,” an exhibit gallery with an
emphasis on creative and performing arts, rather than pure science. The new gallery, housed in
a temporary structure at the present science centre, will serve as a prototype for a similar
attraction that will be part of a new and much larger science centre now in the planning stages.
This new centre, to be built on a different site, will replace what has now evolved into the
TELUS World of Science. This facility started life in 1967 as the Calgary Centennial
Planetarium. The original planetarium’s traditional Zeiss theatre was replaced in 1996 with a tiltdome
theatre with 8/70mm film projection and a Digistar. Staff and consultants are currently
wrestling with what to replace the theatre technology with, given a planned 2010 opening, and
debate over 1) the rapidly changing — and converging — digital projection technologies in
planetariums and large format cinemas, 2) the changing sources for “canned” programs, 3) the
relative mix of imported versus locally-produced programming, and 4) what an audience now
wants to see. Anyone with answers to those questions (!) is invited to contact: Alan Dyer at
alan.dyer@calgaryscience.ca
Montreal
The Montréal Planetarium will be celebrating its 40th birthday in 2006. With age comes
maturity, experience, and wisdom! The Planetarium—a gift to the city of Montréal from the Dow
Brewery—opened on April 1, 1966. Over the years, the Planetarium has become a major
educational institution of which we can be proud. Since it opened, more than six million visitors
have been introduced to the secrets and wonders of the Universe. Special activities are
planned for the 40th anniversary. Montrealers will be invited to an activity-filled weekend, March
31 to April 2, which will include demonstrations, a special 40th anniversary contest, a new
exhibition, and 1966 entry fees! Other activities intended for amateur astronomers and school
groups will take place throughout 2006. A new show about life in the Universe and public
conferences presented by the Planetarium’s astronomers round out the program for the 40th
anniversary. Additionally, in 2006, the project for the new Montréal Planetarium will be
presented to our visitors. The new Planetarium is scheduled to open in early 2009, a special
year in astronomy because it marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first observations with
his astronomical telescope. Contact: Pierre Chastenay at chastenay@astro.umontreal.ca.
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Planetarium News
Winnipeg
The Manitoba Museum’s Planetarium is gearing up for the spring opening of “Is Anybody Out
There?”, a collaboratively-produced show combining talents from four major Canadian
planetaria. The show examines the search for life beyond Earth and the latest discoveries in
the search for extraterrestrial life.
In addition, initial research is being conducted on the future of the planetarium theatre, in the
context of a new science centre which is also under consideration. Contact: Scott Young at
scyoung@manitobamuseum.ca.
Vancouver
Christopher Gaze, Artistic Director of Vancouver’s ‘Bard on the Beach’, and Paul Budra,
Shakespearean Scholar from Simon Fraser University, will present a program that looks at the
impact of astronomy and the night sky on Shakespeare. Every Shakespearean play contains a
reference to the night sky in some way. On stage in the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium theatre,
Paul Budra will present the contemporary context of astronomy in Elizabethan England and
Christopher Gaze will do four dramatic readings from Shakespeare’s plays to illustrate. All the
while, the Zeiss planetarium projector recreates the night sky to illustrate the effects being
described. Contact : Erik Koelemeyer at ekoelemeyer@hrmacmillanspacecentre.com.
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