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.

Mr. R.

Beacause Mr. R. some time ago wrote a post about me, I couldn't leave it without a reply.

So, this is how exactly Mr. R. looks.

Black Hole?

Few nights ago we (me and Mr. R) have been in Las Ostrowik observatory to observe our object.
Because it was monday we were at the place late.
So: we turned on all that mystical devices, boxes et ceterea, to begin observations. You must know that it's not very hard work - we have script which do most of the job about taking pictures. After running this script we have 1 hour free time, then dome of the telescope needs to be moved. So we ran our script, and wanted to go get some dinner. Mr. R wanted also to wait a minute until the first pictures downloads and check if everything is all right. It was, so we went to the other building, to eat.

Next day, when I wanted to skim through images taken last night I saw what You can see here. It is animation made from 15 following pictures taken that night.

THE GRAPH

Maybe you have seen the post about our first outputs of OCO project.

There is a mention about something misticcally called "the graph". It's not there by accident. When You work with a Professor, it's very probable that you have to meet Him, from time to time, with some findings. It is also very probable that you have no any findings...

So what to do then? Try to plot some graph, "The graph", there is great chance that it will do it's job.


Obviously not always.



graphic comes from
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=41

OSSA V - part 2

And some personal memorings from OSSA V.


Mr. Gorzelnia and Mariusz playing and singing - in a little unique style.


This is party cavalry... when party is going to end, they arrive and all starts again :D


If You ever see this - DON'T DRINK IT!!!!!


Macarena during that night was most tranquil dance :)


and we had other activities than simple drinking and dancing :D
During that night it was decided that next year there will be a huge international students conference in Poland!


So, we bless YOU, organizers of OSSA V in Poznan!

OSSA V - part 1.

After two weeks, something about OSSA, National Astronomy Students Conference, this time it took place in Poznan. It's my favourite conference, why?


First - because high didactic level. You can hear about really interesting stuff, and what is more important - discuss about it.


second... high party level - it's very important to meat your friends from other institutes, which are working on similar subjects. Here You can see our friends from Szczecin - very good team to party!


But we meat to learn... so another day is for next talks...


very interesting talks... probably...


There is no time to rest, another day is another party...

Observatory car

Today with Mr. Gorzelnia we had to check if everything is all right with observatory car - which is used to travel to Ostrowik Observatory Station.


So check-list: head lights - ok, tail lights - perfect , tire pressure - probably ok, wipers - almost god. Now engine, oil - ok but mice are dead - WHAT THE...?!?!?


I even didn't know that mice are used for something in car engines!


... and, what is worst, I don't know, if the car will work with dead mice. Anyway we will never open the trunk...

YOAAW project - attack of the clones

Our faithful reader, Kozak (his nickname in polish means something like bandit from far west, south or anything...) provided us with pictures of Yerkes Observatory in Chicago. I'am starting to suspect some kind of conspiracy or plot, because it's also YELLOW!

What space?!

Almost year ago, our friend from Warsaw University of Technology TV proposed us to make a short film related to astronomy. Film had it's premiere in November, and during that show we were trying to disappear.. or at least not to show who we are... but we were wrong...

Few days ago, authors and director of that film (Piotrek i Kuba), were awarded on Popular-science film festival in Sopot, and the justification was something like this: "For passion dedicated to popularization of science (and patients to astronomers)".

watch "Ale kosmos!"

So, first... put your attention on Mr. Gorzelnia part... no one can understand what is he saying... even people that are working on the same project... after all I'm not sure if he really does.

Maybe YOAAW project?

So, after finding another yellow observatory in Poznan we begin to think about beginning new project: Yellow Observatories All Around the World. If You have seen yellow observatory and it's not described here, please tell us! It would be great to supply us with pictures of it, too.

Better propositions for name of the project welcome.

This is observatory in Poznan:

Astronomical institute

one more thing...
Do You know why I put this image here? Because that observatory in Neuchatel is yellow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once again I was right... :D

Neuchatel

Here You have wideangle view of Neuchatel.
It's the best in bigger version, zoomed.

Our observations

So we have made some frames for our project named OCO (see OCO). After first reductions and data analysis we've got "the graph":



As you can see it looks rather like a baby drawing than a scientific plot, but it's not.

No matter what it shows, but it's the very first plot made for checking if all reductions goes well. They don't, it says...

8th EANA Workshop - Neuchatel

The conference took place in "space-x institute" (cool name) in Neuchatel - it's a city in Jurassic mountains - whoooo ... we found no dinosaurs....

Oh, what a view...

In Neuchatel we borrowed bicycles, but we forgot about the Mountains. Travel time from hotel to conference centre is 30 minutes; opposite direction more than 2 hours :|

Last day we had free time before the flight, so we visited Zurich... and local pubs. Next year we'll meet in Brussels.

8th EANA Workshop - Science

Three days of lectures and poster sessions - about searching for life in the solar system, origins of Life, exoplanets and other strange things. Apart of people from Europe, scientist from USA (also NASA), Japan, China and Mexico took part in conference.


We had two posters, but we would like to forget about them... maybe someday we'll make it right!

"Yeaaa... actually we don't know what is on that plot... but it has to be somehow connected with astronomy... I think... "

8th European Astrobiology Workshop

Last week in Neuchatel (Switzerland) took place a conference organised by European Astrobiology Network Asociation. Ok, one can think, nothing special, but they had travel grants for participants and we have never been in Switzerland. Soon more news from Suisse.

Ostrowik observatory station

Last weak we've (Mr. Gorzelnia, Grzes Wiktorowicz and Mua) started to observe some astronomical object in our northern (yes, we are living at far north - 52 deg.) observational station in Ostrowik.

About Ostrowik one can read here



That is building of our 60 cm. telescope. That corrugated plate around walls is a kind of cooler... that means inside temperature is lower than outside... cool... intriguing yeah?



That is our 60cm. telescope itself... actually mass production; but it's cool, it makes noise and rotate!



Oh yeah... that is Mr. Gorzelnia and Me in telescope control room - you can control from here ccd camera, your mail, facebook, but not telescope - for that you have to run upstairs...

Astronomical institute

Do You ever wonder how Astronomical institute looks? No? Me either, but look at Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory, the place where we are studding.



And now look at Prague Astronomical Observatory, do You find any similarities?



Yes! It's yellow, and it's (what You can't see) close to botanic garden!


Originally posted by Mr. R at 2:29 AM, August 29, 2008

Mr. Gorzelnia

This is how exactly Mr. Gorzelnia looks.


Originally posted by Mr. R at 08-08-20, 8:02 PM 

Gorzelnia

Pomysłodawcą stworzenia tego bloga jest Michał, ukrywający się pod pseudonimem "gorzelnia". Jest gdzieś pomiędzy drugim a czwartym rokiem studiów astronomicznych UW, co oznacza że statystycznie pozostało mu około 7.23 lat studiów; jeżeli się postara ma szanse skończyć wcześniej!

Jest zamieszany w kilka projektów naukowo-rozrywkowych. Warto nadmienić że jest szefem koła naukowego astronomów... oczywiście stanowisko to uzyskał po zakulisowych rozgrywkach poprzednich władz...

Jego długie włosy sugerują niejasną i burzliwą przeszłość związaną z muzyką rockową i metalową, a tak w zasadzie to po prostu burzliwą i niejasną przeszłość...

About us

Ponieważ nie byłoby zabawy, gdyby każdy z nas napisał coś o sobie, a wypadałoby przybliżyc nasze postaci ogółowi postanowiliśmy, że każdy napisze coś o innym.


Mr. R,

jest studentem prawdopodobnie 5. roku astronomi. Chyba. W każdym razie w przerwach między słuchaniem Gaby Kulki i różnych innych smentów zajmuje się pisaniem pracy magisterskiej.

Oprócz tego zajmuje się komplikowaniem prostych rzeczy, po to tylko, żeby tak. Ponoc jest to też objaw walki z systemem.

Jest też pacyfistą i nigdy nie pójdzie do Wojska (tereaz nie jest to już takie trudne - nie pójśc...), za zawsze chciał zostać Ochotniczym Strażakiem Pożarniczym (OSP)

Ponadto nie lubi Italo PoP (dziwne, nie?)

;)

Introduction

Hi, we would like to describe you life and work of astronomy students, well - almost young astronomers...

Meet us, Mr. Gorzelnia and I, Mr. R.
Soon you will meet more of us!