pages 5-31 January 09.e$S:1 - Astronomy Technology Today

INDUSTRYNEWSBAREKET OBSERVATORY, ISRAELControl a Professional Telescope Half a World from Your DesktopThe Bareket Observatory ofIsrael was originally established toprovide an educational resource forIsraeli schools, but has always beenopen to anyone who shares an interestin the night sky and wishes tolearn about the universe in a scientificsetting.Bareket is the largest suchresource in Israel and has longcooperated with a number of internationalastronomical and educationalorganizations. It recentlytook another step toward internationalcooperation by making its principal telescopeavailable for remote use via theInternet. This later development will be ofparticular interest to U.S. astronomers,educators and students, because it providesnight views in real time during daylighthours in the U.S.Indeed, Bareket offers a number ofstate-of-the-art on-line interactive activitiesthat are designed to compliment remoteuse of its telescope. Ongoing, establishedprograms include data collection andanalysis using the Bareket Radio Telescope,spectroscopy, a Mars Rover simulation andastro-robotics instruction, supernovasearches, asteroid monitoring, meteordetection, and sprite follow ups.The observatory’s main telescope is acustom built 15-inch f/2.8 astrographequipped with a temperature compensatingfocuser, SBIG ST8XE CCD camera, a 10-position filter wheel with Schuller andAstroDon photometric and narrow-bandfilters, including spectra grating for spectrometricmeasurements, all on aParamount ME mount.The telescope, mount, focuser, camera,filter wheel system is fully Internet controllableby students and teachers and the controlis very straight forward and requires nothird-party software – all that is needed is astandard web browser, such as InternetExplorer. The facility also makes itsCelestron C14, modified to operate atf/8.7, available for remote imaging as well.The online system provides the teacheror student full control over the observatory,including auto focus, exposure times, binning,external auto guiding, target selection,and so forth. The observatoryfeatures an online high-sensitivityvideo fisheye camera and BoltwoodCloud Sensor II so that users can“see” the telescope as it works and toprovide better remote “sense” ofcurrent weather conditions. Thefacility has already been used byteachers and students from throughoutthe world, including many fromthe U.S., and welcomes all who areinterested in its resources andprograms.For more information, please visitwww.bareket-astro.com.VIC MENARD ANDCATSEYE COLLIMATIONNew Perspectives on NewtonianCollimation, Fifth EditionThere are few names more closely associatedwith the art of collimation than thoseof Vic Menard and Catseye Collimation.Their resources have now been paired for thepublication and distribution of the longawaitedfifth edition of Menard’s classicNewtonian collimation reference manual.This comprehensive text represents thefirst major rewrite in more than 10 years,with 80 pages, 16 chapters and 30 new illustrationsand images that are sure to makeoptimum collimation within reach of eventhe least experienced novice.The fifth edition of New Perspectives onNewtonian Collimation refines and distillsnew insights gained from more than fiveyears of online discussions into how to mosteffectively communicate sound techniquesfor aligning the optical elements ofNewtonians. The new illustrations andimages are the result of more than fivemonths of collaboration between VicMenard, Jim Fly and Jason Khadder andcombine with the clear narratives of theupdated text to finally remove all vestigesmystery that may still surround the art of collimation.New Perspectives on NewtonianCollimation, Fifth Edition, is priced at$15.50US. For more information, pleasevisit www.catseyecollimation.com.Telescope Accessories & HardwareFEATURING ITEMS FROM:TeleGizmos Covers - Astrozap Dew ShieldsDew-Not Dew Heaters - Peterson EngineeringAntares - Telrad - Rigel Systems - Sky SpotStarbound Chairs - Smart AstronomyDavid Chandler - Lightwedge - BaaderScopeStuff Piggyback & Balance KitsRings, Rails, Dovetails, Cables, ATM,Eyepieces, Filters, Diagonals, AdaptersGreen Lasers - And MUCH more!www.scopestuff.com 512-259-9778Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY 11