Data Processing
What are the two programs that we use for data processing?
ASTAP and AstroImageJ
What telescope do we use to observe?
The Keeler
Name at least 2 of the 3 telescopes at the observatory
Keeler, Thaw, Fitz-Clark
Name all of the planets in order of their distance from the Sun.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
What instrument does Marina play?
The Flute
What are the three different types of calibrations frames that we can use to clear up our light frames?
Flats, biases, and darks
Where is the dome's "home" position?
Around 180º
Who is the statue in the rotunda of the observatory of?
John Brashear
What is the name of the closest star to Earth (not counting the Sun)
Proxima Centauri
What is Alexa’s favorite color?
Purple
Our images are taken by a CCD camera and are processed in the CCD Data Processor tab of AstroImageJ. What does CCD stand for?
Charge-Coupled Device
When keeping an observing log, what are the 4 different numbers that you note in the log every 15-30 minutes?
FWHM, star min counts, star max counts, and avg. background counts
This is the name of the first director of the observatory who also has a building at Pitt named after him
Samuel Pierpont Langley
What is the name of the fate of someone falling into a black hole?
Spaghettification
Where did Alexa go over this Spring Break?
Paris, Disneyland Paris, and Rome
To locate where in the sky our frames are and to stack them on top of one another, we use WCS coordinates. What does WCS stand for?
World Coordinate System
What are the two stars that we mainly use to focus the telescope?
Arcturus and Vega
What scientific discovery did James Keeler make as the director of the observatory
~40-45º
What other language does Marina speak?
Serbian
How many pixels (_ x _) are our light frames?
4096 x 4096
There are 6 icons in a row on the Keeler desktop that we use to observe in the order they are lined up. Name them in order.
Power Control (Chrome), PWI4, PW Shutter Control, DDW, MaxIM DL 6, Starry Night
Correctly tell me the diameter of one of the three telescopes at the observatory
Keeler: 24”
Fitz-Clark: 13"
Thaw: 30"
What are two of the three criteria needed to be considered a planet?
^ From NASA
State the entirity of either Alexa or Marina’s undergraduate plan (major(s), minor(s), and certificate(s)
Alexa: Major in phys/astro GS Prep track, Minor in math, Cert. in quantum cmp/inf
Marina: Double Major in phys/ast and film/media studies, Minor in infsci, Cert. in quantum cmp/inf