New ATEO Portal - Less is More!

Insight Observatory is very excited to announce the release of its new ATEO Portal!

As we gathered valuable feedback from many of our Insight Observatory ATEO Portal subscribers over the past few years, we wanted to assure accessing the Astronomical Telescopes for Educational Outreach (ATEO) for educational and standard use was an easy and pleasurable experience.

When we launched the first version of the ATEO Portal in the fall of 2017, we only had one remote telescope available to access, the 16" f/3.75 Dream Aeropace Systems astrograph reflector (ATEO-1). At the time we didn't foresee the remote telescope network expanding with affiliate imaging systems located around the world.

M42 - The Orion Nebula imaged on ATEO-1 and processed by Utkarsh Mishra using Insight Observatory's new Advanced Image Request application now available on the new ATEO Portal dashboard.

The first version of the ATEO Portal was designed and developed having the advanced astrophotographer in mind, fully automating the imaging process. Well... After listening to and taking suggestions from our portal users, we decided to "tone it down" a bit and get back to basics. The new version of the ATEO Portal is 100% intuitive and user-friendly, to a point where the user instructions fit on one section of the portal's dashboard.

Screen capture of Insight Observatory's new ATEO Portal dashboard displaying its new "Basic Image Request" application.

There are now two options for accessing Insight Observatory's remote telescope network for requesting image data. One option is "Basic Image Request". This option is similar to the Insight Observatory's Personal Image Request (PIR) application. The difference is that there are more imaging parameter options to select.

Screen capture of Insight Observatory's new ATEO Portal dashboard displaying its new "Advanced Image Request" application.

Another option is the "Advanced Image Request". This option will allow users to request specific custom image data from Insight's remote telescopes including start date, which telescopes to image on, the number of images, filters to use, exposure lengths, and right ascension and declination coordinate input if needed. Image set requests can also be made on this application for Starbase, Insight Observatory's image set repository.

Here are just a few more changes to the image request process using the new ATEO Portal dashboard:

• Image Credit System Removed - ATEO Portal users will no longer be required to purchase imaging credits in advance. The new portal dashboard works on a "pay as you go" model.
  
  
• Scheduler Removed - The "Advanced Image Request" application will allow users to request an optional start date for acquiring their image data. This allows us to image your object at its best position in the sky and avoid bad weather cancellations.


• Telescope Console Replaced - The "Advanced Image Request" application has replaced the Telescope Console making requesting image data from all of our remote telescopes very quick and easy.


• Automatic Image Data Upload Removed - Image data requests will be reviewed by Insight Observatory staff to confirm the quality of data is 100% satisfactory before uploading to the ATEO Portal user's home folder.


• Image Queue Added - There now is an image queue in the new ATEO Portal dashboard allowing users to monitor the current status of their image request(s).

You may access the new ATEO Portal dashboard using your previous login credentials and you still will have access to your user profile and Starbase image set repository from the new ATEO Portal.

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Searching for Extragalactic Supernovae

I'll soon be doing an extragalactic supernova search, monitoring a small group of 5 or 6 spiral galaxies, similar in structure, to our Milky Way, barred-spiral galaxy - in the Virgo galaxy cluster.

The Virgo Cluster of galaxies is (around) 30-50 million light-years from the "Local Group" - the Milky Way's home, galactic cluster. The Virgo galactic cluster contains a spiral galaxy, M66, in the constellation Leo. It is some 35+ million light-years distant.

Back on 11 February 1989, at around 02:15am EST, Insight Observatory Managing Member and Project Developer, Michael Petrasko, and I, independently co-discovered a supernova (SN1989b), within one of the outer spiral arms of M66 (Michael, was the actual discoverer; I just "looked"!).

The Local Group and other galaxy cluster groups. Graphic by Dale Alan Bryant.

Supernova events within any given galaxy are estimated to occur only two or three times in a century. I'll see if I can refine that estimate, somewhat, over the course of a few months of nightly or bi-nightly photographic time-exposures of the group, using one of Insight Observatory's remote astrographs (photographic telescope) - ATEO-1, or ATEO-2A. The instruments are situated in the western New Mexico region, respectively - some of the clearest and darkest skies in the world.

Typically, an SN burst is so energetic that its brilliance, temporarily, outshines the combined light of all of the billions of stars within a given galaxy. Any SN event will stand out as a tiny, bright, dot, superimposed against the overall, dim, oval blur of light of the main body of the galaxy. It is during a supernova burst that the heavy elements of our universe are forged (iron, nickel, and other heavy metals). From there, the energy of the blast disperses the elemental metals into the surrounding space including any nearby molecular clouds which ultimately condense and become planetary systems (such was the case in our "Solar" system).

This is the history of the metallic content of Earth's mantle and crust, and, its solid iron core.

Dale Alan Bryant
Senior Contributing Science Writer

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New Wide-Field Remote Telescopes Added

Insight Observatory is excited to announce the addition of two new affiliate remote telescopes to its growing network! These remote imaging systems are both wide-field configurations provided by Insight Observatory's affiliate partner, Lukas Demetz from the SkyGems Observatories Network. Both configurations are close to being identical with the exception of the imaging camera. Both are Officina Stellare Veloce 200 AT, with focal lengths of 600mm and a focal ratio of f/3.

The designations of these two additions to Insight Observatory's remote telescope network are AFIL-5 located in Hakos, Namibia and AFIL-6 hosted at AstroCamp in Nerpio, Spain.

IC 434 or Barnard 33 - The Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion imaged on the Veloce 200 AT f/3 (AFIL-5) from Hakos, Namibia. Image processed by Utkarsh Mishra. Luminance 10 x 5 min., Red, Green, and Blue each 5 x 5 min.

These new additions can be accessed on Insight Observatory's online Personal Image Request (PIR) application for ONLY $25.00 for a 20-minute LRGB color or monochrome processed image. The raw image files are also available upon request if selected on the PIR.

Proceeds from PIR image purchases go towards supporting Insight Observatory's educational outreach efforts.

Veloce 200 AT wide-field affiliate remote telescope additions AFIL-5 located in Hakos, Namibia (left) and AFIL-6 hosted at AstroCamp in Nerpio, Spain (right).

Specifications of the AFIL-5 Veloce 200 AT Imaging System - Hakos, Namibia:

• Officina Stellare Veloce 200 AT
• Focal length 600 mm (24'') - Focal ratio f/3
• ASA DDM60 mount
• QHY 600M CCD
• Filters: LRGB, Ha7 OIII SII

Specifications of the AFIL-6 Veloce 200 AT Imaging System - Nerpio, Spain:

• Officina Stellare Veloce 200 AT
• Focal length 600 mm (24'') - Focal ratio f/3
• ASA DDM60 mount
• SBIG STF-8300M CCD
• Filters: LRGB, Ha7, OIII, SII

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