Online Data Archives for Use In the Classroom

1. Online Data Archives for Use In the Classroom Robert Sparks (FNAL/The Prairie School) GLAST/SEU Educator Ambassador Workshop

2. Problems Teaching Traditional Astronomy Courses • Most classes are taught during the day • Textbooks provide a very limited sample of data for problems • Light pollution in cities hampers observing of all but the brightest objects • Astronomical Equipment is prohibitively expensive for many schools

3. A Possible Solution : Online Data Archives • Open 24/7 • The Sky is always dark • The seeing is excellent • Most of the data access is free • Can find data at all wavelengths • Terabytes of data are available • Students can work with data from large, professional observatories

4. Challenges Using Online Data • There is no standard format for searching databases • Data is scattered at multiple sites • Software for analyzing the data can be difficult to use or does not run on Windows/Macs common at schools • Students are not familiar with FITS files • Most of the data access sites are designed “For astrophysicists by astrophysicists.”

5. Overcoming the Challenges : Software • Image Processing Software : Iris • Freeware used to process images from the Audine Camera (similar to the Cookbook CCD Camera) • Displays and manipulates FITS images • A surprisingly good feature set for freeware • Can drive LX200 telescope or acquire images from a web cam! • Can download IRIS at www.astrosurf.com/buil

6. Other (Free!) Software Options • Fits View (PC and Mac) from the NRAO : http://www.nrao.edu/software/fitsview/ • NIH Image (Mac) : http://rsb.info.nih.gov/nih-image/ • Scion Image (PC) : http://www.scioncorp.com/ • ImageJ (Java based) : http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/ • fv (PC and Mac) : http://legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov/ftools/fv/fv_download.html • Sky Image Processor (Java based): http://www.phys.vt.edu/~jhs/SIP/

7. Where to Get Data and Images • Hands On Universe Archive • Space Telescope Science Institute Archive • SkyServer (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) • SkyView • HEASARC • Remotely operated and robotic telescopes

8. Hands On Universe (HOU) • HOU teaches astronomy through image processing • Images are acquired primarily through Yerkes 24 inch telescope with SBIG CCD Camera (other observatories also contribute) • Thousands of images in the database, many of widely recognized objects • Easy to use search tool to find images by name, telescope, observation date, etc. continued

9. Hands On Universe (HOU) • http://www.handsonuniverse.org • Click on Images, then HOU Image Archive continued

10. Hands On Universe (HOU) • Example : An HOU Image of M1, the Crab Nebula from the Yerkes 24 inch telescope • Apogee AP7 CCD Camera with 60 s exposure

11. Space Telescope Science Institute (StSci) • Multimission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST) contains data from 18 different missions/surveys • Some of the most useful are DSS, SDSS and VLA First

12. Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) • Digitizted Palomar Sky Survey • Simple Search Form at http://archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/dss_form • Can search by object name or ra and dec continued

13. DSS Search Form continued

14. DSS Image of M81

15. VLA FIRST • Very Large Array Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty one centimeters • Radio survey of ~10,000 square degrees • Cut out server allows easy data retrieval by ra and dec • Cutout server at http://third.ucllnl.org/cgi-bin/firstcutout continued

16. VLA FIRST • Cutout image of M87

17. SkyServer • SkyServer archives public data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) • http://skyserver.sdss.org • A variety of tools to access spectra and images from the SDSS • Capable of radial searches, rectangular searches, and SQL searches continued

18. SkyServer SDSS spectra of a z = 3.02 quasar. SDSS image of NGC 1087 continued

19. SkyServer : Navigation Tool • Click on zoom or mosaic window to select • Click on zoom buttons to change scale • Use arrows to navigate to different stripe and mosaic continued

20. Object Explorer • Click on Explore to launch the Object Explorer • Gives summary of photo and spectral data • Access to all data and fits files from menu on the left • Shows correlation to USNO and other catalogs

21. Provides an easy to use interface to retrieve multi-wavelength observations of a single object • Non-astronomer interface is very easy to use • Advanced interface lets user search specific missions • http://skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov continued

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23. Example : The Cygnus Loop

24. HEASARC • High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center • Archives for ultraviolet to gamma ray missions • Missions include ROSAT, CGRO, EUVE, Chandra, and several others • Not user friendly for the general public • EPO page for most missions have a limited number of images

25. HEASARC Sample Images XMM Newton image of 30 Doradus in the LMC. Chandra image of Perseus A CGRO image of 3C279 and 3C 273.

26. The ROSAT X-Ray All Sky Survey Search Page • http://www.xray.mpe.mpg.de/cgi-bin/rosat/rosat-survey • Can retrieve map of X-ray source by searching around ra and dec continued

27. The ROSAT X-Ray All Sky Survey

28. Getting Your Own Data • Several robotic and remotely operated telescopes accept observation requests from amateur astronomers and students • Remotely operated telescopes typically require a software package to operate such as The Sky or PC Anywhere

29. The ISS-AT • The International Space Station Amateur Telescope – proposed telescope to be mounted on the ISS • Currently testing technology with a 14 inch Celestron • Observation requests can be made at http://www.issat.org/ • No charge for observations

30. Telescopes in Education • Allows remote control of 24” telescope on Mount Wilson • Requires the Sky software • Reservations required for telescope use • No charge for telescope time • Other telescopes will be available soon • http://tie.jpl.nasa.gov/tie/

31. Others to check out on your own! I have not used any of the following sites. However, they all supposedly accept observing requests with a registration.