Welcome to AIASC Phase II - Message from Patrick Miller on June 29th, 2010

Greetings from the International Astronomical Search Collaboration

All-India Campaign

Congrulations!!  You are part of the second All-India Asteorid Search Campaign, which starts on July 2nd and concludes August 13th.  There are a total of 28 schools from all over India participating.

Getting Started

To get started you need to go to the IASC home page at iasc.hsutx.eduthen to the Astrometrica folder where you will download the following:

1.   Astrometrica File
2.   Configurations File
3.   Quick Start Guide
4.   Instructions for Automated & Manual Searches
5.   Gude on True & False Signatures
6.   Practice Image Sets (6)

Using the Quick Start Guide, install Astrometrica and the configuration files for the two telescopes at the ARI Observatory (24" and 32" prime focus telescopes).

Use the instructions for the automated and manual searches along with the practice image sets to learn how to conduct both kinds of searches.  You will also be doing this at your S.P.A.C.E. training session on June 30th.

Student success in IASC depends upon you.

In order for your students to be successful in IASC, you as the teacher must be able to do the following:

1.   Use Astrometrica for a manual and automated search
2.   Distinguish between true and false signatures
3.   Prepare a clean and accurate MPC report.

If you are good at the these three tasks and effectively communicate them to your students, your students will make important near-Earth object (NEO) observations and possibly make Main Belt asteroid discoveries.

Need Help???

If you need help as you upload Astrometrica and prepare yourself to use it, you can contact either Ginger Anderson atgingera@bwoodtx.comgingera@bwoodtx.com> or Denise Rothrock at drothrock@madisonvillecisd.orgdrothrock@madisonvillecisd.org>.  These are high school physics teachers in Texas who have used IASC in their classrooms for years.  They can help you with any problems and answer any of your questions.

Availability of Images

IASC is not a competition.  Each school gets its own image sets each week to analyze.

When the skies are dark and clear, you should expect 2-4 images sets per week.  Sometimes there will be technical problems at the ARI Observatory (Westfield, IL), the skies will be overcast, or the full Moon makes the skies too bright to find asteroids...during those times image sets will not be available and your students will need to be patient for a few nights until the conditions clear.

You will receive regular announcements when image sets are available or not available.  You can also check the announcements found on the IASC home page at iasc.hsutx.edu.  S.P.A.C.E. maintains a blog that gives you the latest news from IASC and the aavailablity of image sets.

MPC Reports

When your students fnishing analyzing an image set, they will prepare an MPC report to email only to Dr. Miller atiascsearch@hsutx.eduiascsearch@hsutx.edu>.  That report must not be sent to any other location, as it must be reviewed by IASC volunteers for accuracy prior to sending it to the ARI Observatory.

July 2nd is the start date!!  In the meanwhile...

Happy Hunting!!

Dr. Patrick Miller


Department of Mathematics & Astronomy
Holland School of Science & Mathematics
Hardin-Simmons University
Abilene, TX   79698

pmiller@hsutx.edupmiller@hsutx.edu>
1-325-670-1393