Summer Research ’97

Greg spent a good deal of time grappling with the Sun network, as well. The first big challenge he faced was the arrival of the new addition to our happy Sun family: Thuban. Thuban is Sparc Ultra and its power and speed have really blown us all away.

With the arrival of the new has also come the departure of the old. Algol, the very first server for our Sun network, has been slowly laid to rest. Sun Gods were summoned (complete with beepers), but all efforts came up short of saving Algol from resting in peace.

Greg also managed to install Workshop 4.0, our new programming IDE as well as Xemacs for those still unable to brave vi. 

Hotspots and HII Regions

Of course, our heroes also got to do some of the research that they were hired to do. After several weeks of learning IRAF (Image Reduction and Analysis Facility), Cindy felt that we were prepared to attack her data. And attack it we did, several times before we got it right.

This topic is an evolving concern. 

Sun Shuffle

Of course, we also had the opportunity to shuttle the Suns back and forth from Goodsell to Olin. When we grew bored of this, we shuttled them from Olin to Goodsell. Either direction, it was a pretty major chore. This was made more interesting when the Olin 137 doors were unusable, so we had to carry poor Capella and Parsley down the main steps. Hearts were not beating the duration of the lift. 

Flat Fields

Ryan and John spent several days trying to get some nice flat fields with the ST-6 cameras. Amid the whine of the air conditioners (it was quite hot and humid outside), they made a discovery. Under some conditions, the flat fields came out textured and even striped. Since this is not really “flat,” they explored further. With help from Cindy and Bruce, they found that the problem had to do with temperature and temperature control. If the temperature was not stable, the textured affects were seen. Since the cooling units on the cameras only were able to keep the cameras cold for a short time (even with the air conditioners on maximum), the affects were seen rather frequently.

As we had never seen these effects before, Ryan drew up a report and sent it in to SBIG, the people who built the cameras. We await a reply.

New Toys

We spent all summer waiting for our new spectrograph and new CCD camera to arrive. Then, one Monday morning, it happned. Cindy rounded up John and Greg (Ryan was on vacation) for a field trip to Sayles-Hill to get the equipment. It was like Christmas, only with less snow and about 80 F hotter.

We first attacked the camera. We quickly assembled the few components necessary, and were bummed to discover that we needed a “snout” (an adapter to the telescopes). However, we were able to use its Nikon camera lens to take some pictures. There is a separate web page for this camera, featuring all of us here. Check it out!

The spectrograph was a less happy affair. The software had not yet arrived, John accidentally removed one too many panels while getting the power cord in place (Thanks to John Everret ’96, for figuring out how to put the thing back!), and we seemed to lack the controller for it. Well, it turns out that software which we already have can handle the controlling, and the panel is back on. After some confusion over the mounting mechanism for the ST-6 camera, (solved by some creative if not smart experimentation by Ryan and Cindy), we are finally taking spectra! 

Open Houses (or, Clouds again?)

How could we be Carleton astronomers without doing open houses? We hosted six open houses, and most of them were cloudy. First, we had the alumni on campus, which was fun, but cloudy. Cindy could not make this one, but Joel was here. Keep this in mind for later reference. Then, we had the Prairie and Wood kids come two nights (Prairie and Wood is a summer program for school kids), and it was cloudy one night and hazy the other (we did get to show the younger group the moon, and they loved it). We also had a visit from the Summer Science kids, and alas it was cloudy then as well.

Note that Cindy was at the previous three, because neither Joel nor Cindy was at the Elderhostel open house. We three got to run this one alone, and to our surprise, nothing broke. Also, for the first time all summer, it was clear outside (although the mosquitoes sort of negated the advantage of this). So a good time was had by all, except those who ventured outside and got eaten.

We have not yet performed the sixth open house. Stay tuned. 

Old Friends Pay Visits

We also had the pleasure of visits from two members of the class of ’96, John Everret and Justin Morgan. The two were working with Joel to wrap up a series of papers that had been in the making for several years. We had great fun chatting and playing with our predecessors (whom we did know when they were here). 

Unraveling Plots

Yes, like the Gang from the Mystery Machine, we also unravel fiendish plots. In this case, the Pentavarate. Early in the summer, Ryan informed us of the existence of the “Pentavarate.” “It is widely known,” he said in a thick Scottish accent, “that the world is controlled by a secret organization run by the five most powerful people in the world, known as the Pentavarate. They meet tri-annually in a secret location in Colorado known as the Meadows.” Unfortunately, his information was about fifty years out of date, and the Pentavarate has surely experienced turnover by now. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, was to determine the identities of the current five members and thence to keep tabs on them.

Certainly these five high lords of Terra exist and operate on a level far removed from our daily experiences. It would therefore be naive to finger the obviously evil, everyday forces that molest us. Oh yes, to continue our search, we must consider the subtle powermongers, those that remain quiet to the public’s ear yet all the while pervade every aspect of society, until we find ourselves regulated and our creative minds beaten into submission until we cannot imagine beyond what their media henchmen have handed us on a plate of paper advertising and MTV programming. Oh yes, we must consider the almost mythical, like Juan Valdez. It became apparent almost immediately that Bill Gates and Walt Disney were two of the five (the evil, controlling minds behind Micro-squash, er, Soft, and Disney, respectively). The other five remain a mystery. We have ideas…

Ryan likes Don King and Nike Corp. They always win.

Greg agrees with the Walt Disney choice, but not Mr. Gates, citing his only recent rise to fame and fortune. Greg further believes that the four remaining members are more mysterious, hiding behind the edifice of some corporate empire. Two possible examples are Coke and GE. Greg does not wish to speculate further because of the dire consequences inherent in such foolish actions.

John simply pointed out: “It’s almost lunch/dinner-time”.