Observations

Mr. Gorzelnia is preparing "Red Arrow" for trip to Ostrowik. The plan is to make observations for OCO project! What's wrong with that picture? :D

How to make use of a good weather, when you can't observe

Sometimes it happens, that you can't observe despite good weather. It may be caused by full moon, some hardawre failure or too much alcohol drunk. It just happens. But if you'd like to make some use of weather conditions here are some tips:

You can make profile picture for social websites, like Facebook:


You can make another boring picture of Orion:
(This is a stack 5x15sec, ISO 1600, without bias, flatfield, dark correction)



You can try to make some charming pictures using fullmoon, such as "moonset":



or forest road iluminated by moon:



And finally, you can just make some pictures of telescope and stars, but remember that it's so predictable...

Cerro Tololo

I've just returned from Cerro Tololo, Inter-American Observatory.


I was observing on SOAR telescope (above). It was my first visit in Chile, and also first observations on a such class telescope.


Main mirror has more than 4 meters diameter... it makes sound, mysterious noises...


Telescope is one of the high-tech. Sensors, servomotors (above) and computers makes telescope adaptive optics mechanism. sooo coool


That is my camera, SOI, and my assistant astronomer, Sergio. I don't know why steam is flowing from camera. I suppose there is some kind of steam engine, supplied with coal 8|


Control room and my post. First monitor - seeing and weather conditions, second - object monitor and dss maps, third and fourth - camera control GUI/SOI, last but not least - laptop - most important - facebook.


In the same complex, there is a famous Gemini telescope.


There is only one thing I can say aboute Gemini main mirror - IT'S HUGE!!!!!!
That small person in front of telescope - it's me.


Both telescpoes are on south edge of Atacama desert, very strange place, winds, earthquakes, and poisonous mutant animals, like this donkey-mule-horse I think.

So is Mr R. observing from time to time?

As You could read in the post "Appreciation" Mr R. is not considered by our friends as an observer . The fact is, that most of them thinks that he spend time in Ostrowik Observatory only on drinking and partying. The situation from that post is not unique. Some time ago, I went to Ostrowik in the afternoon and he were to come in the night. So I took "Observatory Car" to fetch him from the train station few kilometers from Ostrowik (in Celestynów). We gave his friend a lift and by the way we wanted to make some shopping:

-Marek, I bought 2 beers for you, already.
-Shut up! I was trying to convince my friend that we not only drink on Ostrowik!

But why I write this?
In this place I would like to deny all gossips talking that Mr R. is not an observer:
He is, and he made observations on SOAR (Cerro Tololo, Chile) 4 meter telescope, few days ago. We made a picture (I was "print screening" and he were posing) using their live webcams (at the bottom of the page):



More news from Chile soon (I hope... ;) )!

Christmas QUIZZ

Find snowman on this picure!

Appreciation

Few weeks ago we had conversation with our friend, Mira. She is learning how to observe (You know, how to use telescope, computers, programs for ccd detector and facebook). She have already spend several observing nights in Ostrowik when Mr. Gorzelnia and me were there.

Fragment of our conversation:

Mr. Gorzelnia: You have to learn few more things, and You will be able to take exam for observer, and join OCO project.
Mr. R (me): Yes! Then you can raplace me, because I can't be there so often .
Mira: And in which activity I have to replace You? Cooking?

(That was just coincidence, She have never seen me working with telescope)

How to make your speech longer

From time to time astronomy students have to give a lecture (Students' Seminary). In many cases it is based on some very serious and boring article from some well known scientific journals. In such case it is very probable that You won't find any sense in the article, so even thinking out of seminary idea is hard. So when Your seminary plan made in pain makes some sense, but You know that it will be too short, You can use some tips made in this

"tutorial on prolonging seminars"

1. make Your Power Point (can be Open Office) presentation BIG. Copying it to seminary computer will give you 2-3 minutes.
   
   
2. Preset Yourself despite the fact that everyone perfectly know you. Can give You up to 1 minute.
   
   
3. Try to pretend to be nervous and hobble. You can your statements build in fancy grammatic, and then them rebuild to be correct. Can double Your presentation time.
   
   
4. You can try to mix previous method with making long pauses in statements. BUT: during pause utter some noises and gesticulate intensively, it will make You looking focused. Can give you 10% of the base presentation time.
   
   
5. Change title of your speech. You will have to explain why You did it. Can give you 2-3 minutes.
   
   
6. In Your presentaion use some animations. Changing slides and showing groups of text/pictures will give 2-3 minutes depending on the number of sildes You have and how many pictures You copied from base publication.
   
   
7. NEVER add subtitles under graphs and axes labels. You will have to criticize this habit and explain what is on the graph. Can give 1-3 minutes on each graph.
   
   
8. Make random mistake in some equation. You will make 1 minute pause of complete silence thinking about it. Then You will say that there is an error an explain it. You can also write correct version on a blackboard. Listeners will think that You're perfectly prepared. Can give 2-4 minutes.
   
   
9. If You want to change slide wait few seconds gazing at the screen and thinking whether You have to say something more about this slide. Can give 2-3 minutes depending on the number of sildes You have.
   
   
10. When You are talking about some slide slowly go away from the computer. Don't mix it with point 9. Can give you 1-2 minutes depending on the number of sildes You have.
    
    
11. If You can use projectors' remote controler - use it. Very often they have some fancy system of changing slides (in wrong directory). Don't try to remember how to change to a next slide, make it to the previous and then nerviously press correct button more than one time and then return to correct slide. Don't use it too often. Can give up to 1 minute.
    
    
12. At the beginning make a slide with a plan of Your seminary, and say most of things You have to say. On every slide recall what was on the previos slide, and mention somethong about next slide. In the middle of presentation make a summary of the first part and plan of the next part. At the end make a summary and say the same things fourth time. Can give you even 15 minutes.
    

Using this tutor You can make Your 15 minutes presentation to last for 1 hour, but it needs some practice to make it correctly and unnoticed.
If You know of some prolonging trick please write it here, generations of young astronomers will be thankful.