Starbase

Starbase is a repository of images captured by the Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO) and our affiliate remote telescopes (AFIL), 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.

The Pelican Nebula - IC 5070 and IC 5067 image set acquired on ATEO-1 - APOD Winner March 1, 2021 (left), The Heart of the Rosette Nebula - NGC 2244 acquired on AFIL-1 and AFIL-2 (upper right), and The Sculptor Galaxy - NGC 253 acquired on ATEO-3 (lower right).

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 time span 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.

$Insight Observatory's remote Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO) that capture deep-sky image sets for Starbase, Insight Observatory's Image Set Repository. ATEO-1: 16" f/3.7 astrograph reflector (above), AFIL-2: Skyrover 130 APO Pro refractor (lower left), and ATEO-3: 12.5" f/9 Quasar Ritchey-Chretien (lower right).$

Insight Observatory's remote and affiliate Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO and AFIL) that capture deep-sky image sets for Starbase, Insight Observatory's Image Set Repository. ATEO-1: 16" f/3.7 astrograph reflector (above), AFIL-2: Skyrover 130 APO Pro 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. As of January 2022, we have implemented a volume discounted rate model in Starbase... The more hours of integration purchased, the less the cost. Discounted rates start at image sets that are 15 hours or more of integration, then discounted rates increase up to 50 plus hours of integration.

The starting rates as of January 2022 are as follows:

ATEO-1

Standard: $0.04 US cents per minute of image set exposure time
Education: $0.03 US cents per minute of image set exposure time

ATEO-3