Software Systems for Astronomy

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Albert R. Conrad

   Pages 1-1

3. Observation Planning Software

   • Albert R. Conrad

   Pages 3-14

4. Choice of Languages

   • Albert R. Conrad

   Pages 15-21

5. Data and Data Archives

   • Albert R. Conrad

   Pages 23-37

6. Control Systems

   • Albert R. Conrad

   Pages 39-87

7. The Future of Software Systems for Astronomy

   • Albert R. Conrad

   Pages 89-92

8. Erratum to: Observation Planning Software

   • Albert R. Conrad

   Pages E1-E1

9. Back Matter

   Pages 93-95

   PDF

This book covers the use and development of software for astronomy. It describes the control systems used to point the telescope and operate its cameras and spectrographs, as well as the web-based tools used to plan those observations. In addition, the book also covers the analysis and archiving of astronomical data once it has been acquired. Readers will learn about existing software tools and packages, develop their own software tools, and analyze real data sets.

• Control systems
• Data analysis astronomy
• Data archives
• Data reduction astronomy
• Data reduction software
• IDL routines astronomy
• Observation planning software
• Observing software
• Software engineering process
• Software packages astronomy
• Using IRAF routines

“This work is very important for the interested people because it is able to give a complete and professional overview, together with all the correct references which will provide the more in-depth knowledge of each single topic. … It plays the role of the expert which can give to the beginner the fundamental concepts and the right hints to pursue its career and education, something that everybody would have wished to have at the beginning of his or her studies.” (Gabriella Bernardi, Astrocom et al., astrocometal.blogspot.de, December, 2016)

• Kamuela, USA

  Albert R. Conrad

As both an astronomer and a software developer, Dr. Albert Conrad has developed and used software systems for all phases of observing:  from planning the observation, to taking the data, to analyzing the data in preparation for publication.  Dr. Conrad’s research interests include asteroid systems and developing novel techniques to study comets, planets, and the moons of planets, in particular Jupiter’s moon Io.  His complete bibliography includes nearly 100 publications including 24 articles in refereed journals.  These range from his early software designs for the Keck Observatory to his discovery of a small moon orbiting the asteroid 41 Daphne.  He enjoys sharing the results of his research through public lectures and classroom visits.

 

Dr. Conrad received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1994.  He then worked as software engineer and support astronomer at both Lick and Keck Observatories before moving to the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy to lead the development of a next generation adaptive optics system.  He enjoys cycling, running, and outrigger canoe paddling.

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