Rubbing elbows with the big-wigs!

Nov 10, 2004

I had the great fortune to attend the Advanced Imaging Conference on November 6-7, 2004.  The conference was sponsored by industry giants SBIG, RCOS Optical, and Software Bisque.  Of the 150 participants, many of whom, like me, flew across the country to arrive in San Jose, California, for the event, most all of them are serious about astroimaging.

And I mean serious!

At one point of the event, John Smith, imager extraordinaire and RCOS representative asked the question, “How many of you guys use Ritchey-Chretien scopes as your primary imaging platform.” By a show of hands, easily onehalf the room answered in the affirmative.

Did I say these people are serious!?!

More than that, the vast majority of imagers who attended the conference— which included luminaries such as Tony Hallas, Russell Croman, John Gleason, Steve Mandell, and Brian Lula—use large chip, astronomical CCD cameras, mostly from SBIG, but many others from FLI and Starlight Xpress.  As many of you know, these large array CCD cameras are not cheap, especially those that are the size of 35mm film negatives or those that are back-lighted.

Serious?  How about obsessed?!?

The conference was indeed a great educational time, where we all learned just a bit more about how to acquire and process astronomical images.  Rubbing elbows with such great photographers and astronomers was quite a pleasure.  But more than that, it tells me how far the hobby has come.  For the first time in history, amateur astronomers have access to some serious astronomical tools, not just for imaging, but for conducting serious science.  Because of this, the lines between professional and amateur astronomy are slowing blurring.  Whereas supernova searchs, photometry, astrometry, variable star charting, and asteroid observations were once the domain of professional observatories, that’s not the case now.  Amateurs have taken these tasks to heart with their advanced equipment, thus allowing the pros to study and contemplate more of the cosmological inquiries that are, and have always been, important to mankind.

So, where does that leave the hobbyist, the person who as the meager 8” dobsonian, a few eyepieces, and a star chart?  It leaves you right where you have always been, right at the place of leisurely observations of your night skies.  Nothing’s changed for you, except now you have the capacity of bigger dreams!