-->

Bringing the Universe to Classrooms
and Homes around the World!

What's New at Insight Observatory...

NOTICE: Due to Monsoon Season affecting the weather in New Mexico, there have been delays in acquiring imaged data from the 16" f/3.7 astrograph (ATEO-1) and the 5" f/5.8 refractor (ATEO-2A). We appreciate your patience!

Starbase

Starbase is a repository of images captured by the Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO), organized by the image target into image “sets”. These image sets can be purchased (referred to as “subscribing”) and downloaded. Subscribing to an image set grants the subscriber access to all of the image set images for that target.

Processed Starbase sample images of The Gum 15 Nebula in Vela (left) imaged on ATEO-3, M81, and M82 Bodes and Cigar Galaxies (upper right) imaged on ATEO-1 and M13, The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (lower right) imaged on ATEO-1.
Processed Starbase sample images of The Gum 15 Nebula in Vela (left) imaged on ATEO-3, M81, and M82 Bodes and Cigar Galaxies (upper right) imaged on ATEO-1 and M13, The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (lower right) imaged on ATEO-1.

An "image set" is composed of one or more images of a specific deep-sky target or subject. Images captured as part of an image set will typically be imaged within the timespan of a few months. On the Starbase portal page, the "Image Sets" tab will display a list of all the available image sets in Starbase.

Insight Observatory's remote Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO) that capture deep-sky image sets for Starbase, Insight Observatory's Image Set Repository. ATEO-1: 16" f/3.7 astrograph reflector (above), ATEO-2A: 5" f/5.8 Williams Optics APO refractor (lower left), and ATEO-3: 12.5" f/9 Quasar Ritchey-Chretien (lower right).
Insight Observatory's remote Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO) that capture deep-sky image sets for Starbase, Insight Observatory's Image Set Repository. ATEO-1: 16" f/3.7 astrograph reflector (above), ATEO-2A: 5" f/5.8 Williams Optics APO refractor (lower left), and ATEO-3: 12.5" f/9 Quasar Ritchey-Chretien (lower right).

After the ATEO Portal was rolled out, we started receiving requests from image processors asking to deliver image data from the ATEO remote telescopes.

Although there are many avid ATEO Portal users who take advantage of the "Advanced Image Request" application to acquire image data, we also realized there were many image processors that simply wanted the image data from the telescopes. These individuals had no interest in reserving time and imaging on the telescopes themselves. Therefore, we came up with an intuitive design for a new portal module that would allow portal users to browse, subscribe to, and download previously imaged image sets. 

Insight Observatory's image set repository application, Starbase.

In the midst of developing Starbase, we were simultaneously populating the image library and by doing so taking requests of deep-sky targets from image processors.  We called the process "Image Sets on Demand". As we populate our image sets, you may request an image set to be added to Starbase on our "Advanced Image Request" application in the ATEO Portal. Your image set request will be evaluated and if approved, added to the "Starbase" for subscribing as soon as the object has been imaged.

Starbase Subscription Rates:

Subscription rates are determined by whether you registered with Insight Observatory as a Standard or as an Educational user.

The rates as of December 2020 are as follows:

ATEO-1
  • Standard: $0.05 cents per minute of image set exposure time
  • Education: $0.04 cents per minute of image set exposure time
ATEO-2A/2B
  • Standard: $0.05 cents per minute of image set exposure time
  • Education: $0.04 cents per minute of image set exposure time
ATEO-3
  • Standard: $0.05 cents per minute of image set exposure time
  • Education: $0.04 cents per minute of image set exposure time