Sunday, December 28, 2008

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.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

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... ;) )!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

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)