The Plight of the Amateur Astronomer

The following is a brief reply to an '*Amateur* Astronomer' who sent me an e-mail about his struggle with the concern, that - as much as he loves astronomy - he had no business pursuing it, in fear that he didn't have any formal education and, therefore, that he couldn't, possibly, make any significant contributions to the field. I only wish I could have gone on, at length...

Matthew, I've been an astronomer for several decades, and I've just recently acquired a certificate in Astrobiology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

I have done research in several areas, including the former Harvard SUNSEARCH extragalactic supernova search; I have monitored sandstorms and polar cap growth/shrinkage on Mars; I am co-discoverer of a supernova in spiral galaxy M66, and - was even one of the six astronomers, worldwide, to suggest the term, the "Great Expansion", as a replacement term for the "Big Bang", to the International Astronomical Union of Great Britain when they asked for suggestions, via "Sky & Telescope" magazine (it was accepted in 1992).

I have met and spoken with the late Dr. Carl Sagan, about one of his first books, attended many astronomy workshops, with people such as the theoretical physicist, Philip Morrison of MIT, and got in a one-on-one with, the late, Dr. Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of the planet Pluto.

I have sent my children's names to a comet, and to Mars, through the "Deep Impact" program at NASA. I have allowed the SETI Institute to use one of my computers to sift through time-series data from the Kepler Space Telescope, in its search for exoplanets, and, I have written an essay for the AAVSO of Cambridge, MA, for their webpage on exoplanets and the search for extraterrestrial life, under the heading, "The Stories Variables Tell"... do you actually think I could have done any of this, without some intense University, and lots of hands-on training at the various university observatories of the field? Do you think that - a mere 'amateur' - should be entitled to any of this?

You bet you are! - and I've done all that.

Moreover, other, more qualified amateurs have far surpassed anything I have done. But like you, I am an AMATEUR ASTRONOMER... and, like you - I'm lousy at math. I did all of that - and more - without any 'formal' training in astronomy, whatsoever. That certificate in Astrobiology came long after the fact.

But this isn't really about me. This is about YOU. YOU can do any of that or all of it. It will come with your desire, and passion, for amateur astronomy.

Dale Alan Bryant
Senior Contributing Science Writer

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Supernova Hunters

Supernovae are stars that explode with the energy of a few thousand atom bombs. Since the morning of February 11, 1989, when Insight Observatory science writer, Dale Alan Bryant and I independently discovered supernova 1989b, I acquired a passion for extragalactic supernova search. Not long after that inspiring morning, I purchased the Supernova Search Charts and Handbook by Gregg D. Thompson and James T. Bryan Jr. to complement my telescope for this endeavor. This unique atlas contains 236 charts of more than 300 of the brightest galaxies, each specifically prepared to facilitate the discovery of supernovae. The comparison of these charts with the field seen in a telescope enables any extragalactic supernova to be spotted immediately. The charts include 345 galaxies printed on translucent paper for use in a lightbox, each one carrying an explanation of the constellation in which the galaxy lies, special characteristics of the galaxy, observing instructions, expected maximum brightness for the supernovae in each galaxy, and the reference for the sequence.

Pan-Starrs1 Wide-Field Imaging Facility.

Of course, this tool was ideal in the days before CCD imaging technology was readily available to amateur astronomers. I would observe a handful of the brighter galaxies using this atlas with my 6" Newtonian reflecting telescope and a few years later with my 10" telescope. Although after years of searching and never spotting a supernova again, the nights of observing these galaxies were priceless as I was able to observe their unique characteristics that would make it easier to find one.

It would take many clear nights and hours to pursue such a project back then. However, with the current technology of the Internet and CCD imaging, there is a way to search for extragalactic supernovae from the comfort of your own home and a personal computer. A program created through Zooniverse.org called Supernova Hunters allows you to do so at your leisure. To be a supernova sleuth, you simply sign up on their website to become an observer. The website walks you through the process of analyzing the data of galaxies that could have potential suspects. I recently signed up for an account and started analyzing galaxy data immediately.

With Supernova Hunters you can aim to discover lots of new explosions and pass them on to the wider astronomical community. But finding supernovae isn't easy. You can expect to observe about one supernova per galaxy every few centuries. So to find lots of supernovae, Supernova Hunters need to look at many galaxies at once. Pan-STARRS1 is great for this. Due to the large camera, the telescope has a field of view that covers the same area as the full moon. This allows the telescope to scan large areas of the sky each night imaging many galaxies. Supernovae are also extremely bright and can outshine all the other billions of stars that make up their galaxy. This means that observers can discover distant supernovae even if we don't see the galaxy hosting the supernova.

Where does the image data of the galaxies come from? - On the island of Maui in Hawaii, the Pan-STARRS1 telescope is scanning large areas of the sky each night trying to do just that. Using a process called difference imaging they look for anything that has changed by comparing each night's data with high-quality reference images of the same area taken a few years ago. Pan-STARRS, the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, an innovative design for a wide-field imaging facility were developed at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy. The combination of relatively small mirrors with very large digital cameras results in an economical observing system that can observe the entire available sky several times each month. How do stars evolve? How fast is the universe expanding? How far away are the galaxies we observe? These are some of the questions that are hoped to be answered by studying supernovae. Supernovae are explosions lasting a few weeks to several months and we hope to discover new sources of light that have appeared since the reference image was taken. But their current software makes much bogus detection of supernovae. These are image artifacts due to the electronics in the camera or image processing that have gone wrong.

Currently, computers aren't very good at telling the difference between real and bogus detections. You can help improve our understanding of supernovae and improve our detection algorithms by classifying detections as real or bogus. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration currently supports the operation of the Pan-STARRS1 telescope with a grant issued through the Near Earth Object (NEO) Observation Program.

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Fore!

Though I've never played a game of golf in my life - I used to frequent the Woods Hole Golf Club's course, at Woods Hole, Mass. - in the middle of the night, that is. You see, I'm an astronomer/astrobiologist.

On any given clear night, fellow astronomer Mike Petrasko, and I, used to drive our car and light pickup, equipped with my 8-inch, and Mike's 6-inch, 50-inch long, 70-inch high Newtonian reflector telescopes, up onto a fairway at the golf course, in Woods Hole, to about the course's center.

Woods Hole Golf Course, Woods Hole, MA.

There, we set up the telescopes and connected their motorized clock drives, to our vehicle batteries, with cables and alligator clips; this was necessary so that, as the Earth rotates during the night - and the stars drift slowly across the sky, the telescopes, when aimed at an object, could counter that motion and follow along, defeating any tendency for the object to drift, in the telescope's field of view.

During the winter months, we'd usually arrive at the golf course just before midnight, set up the equipment, and prepare to spend several hours in sub-freezing temperatures - many times, in the single digits. We'd break down the equipment and leave just after dawn. This happened three or four nights a week - regardless of our regular work schedules, of course.

Meade 826C Newtonian  8" Telescope.

We chose that particular observing site because the sky there is relatively dark, free of light pollution, to the north, and absolutely black in the south, over Vineyard Sound. Mike and I had been monitoring a list of galaxies, for possible, extra-galactic, supernovae outbursts.

Extragalactic supernovae are exploding stars, located in galaxies beyond our own Milky Way galaxy, the closest being several thousand light-years away. These outbursts occur, on average, only once every hundred years, or so, in any given galaxy - including our Milky Way. We actually discovered one, one morning, in February of 1989. It is known, today, as SN1989b and is located in the spiral galaxy, M66, in the constellation Leo, the lion. I remember that night very well... - it was 4°F!

One morning, around 4:00am, a local police officer drove up onto the course in his cruiser, with spotlights glaring, and parked next to my truck. In a mock tone of extreme concern, he asked me, what kind of weapon it was that I was using, and what it was pointed at! I told him that, that was highly-classified information and that I could not give him a meaningful answer. He enjoyed the comeback.

After we had explained that we were astronomers, with the SUNSEARCH program, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Observatory in Cambridge, and that the unusual-looking instruments in question were astronomical telescopes, he pointed out that we were not supposed to be there, without express permission from the owner; we could only agree. But, he said, since our activity was benign - and possibly even useful, and since the ground was frozen solid (being February, our tires didn't mess with them, normally, immaculate grass) - that it would be OK, though, he suggested we try golfing there some time, instead.

Some of the finest - and loneliest - hours of my life were spent on that golf course, scanning the universe with my telescope and witnessing, first-hand, many of its mysteries, free of charge. It is where, one night, for the first time, with the use of my Skalnate-Pleso Observatory star atlas, I had experienced a keen awareness of my bearings and my relative position on the Earth, and its position within the solar system, and the solar system's position within the Milky Way galaxy. At that moment, I simply felt like, for the first time, I knew exactly where I was.

It was there, throughout the year, that I did several Mars and Saturn observing sessions, and was witness to a global sandstorm, one night on the red planet. I also made note of any changes, over time, in growth or shrinkage in Mars' south polar ice cap, as Mars progressed through its seasons throughout the Martian year. I've seen Saturn's rings, both in an edge-on aspect and wide open. The interval between those two extremes is about three decades long. Yup, I've been around folks.

Maybe, someday, I'll take that officer's suggestion and play a game of golf there... after I learn how to play, of course... “Fore!”

Dale Alan Bryant
Senior Contributing Science Writer

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