Pro-am activities in Portugal
Astronomy is one of the very few scientific fields where nonprofessionals continue to make significant contributions to research
Pedro Ré
JENAM 2010
Pro-am activities in Portugal• Early beginnings (First pro-am collaborations)• APAA (Portuguese Amateur Astronomers Association)• Equipment• Automatic Detection of Meteors• Asteroids/Comets• Occultations• Exoplanets• Supernovae• (...) List of organizations devoted to collecting data from amateur
astronomers:
• AAVSO - The American Association of Variable Star Observers• ISN - International Supernovae Network • IOTA - International Occultation Timing Association • IMO - International Meteor Organization• ALPO - Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers • BeSS - A place for the spectroscopy of Be stars.
JENAM 2010
in The Pro-Am RevolutionHow enthusiasts are changing
our economy and societyCharles Leadbeater & Paul Miller (2004)
Astronomy is one of the very few scientific fields where nonprofessionals continue to make significant contributions to research
JENAM 2010
Early beginnings (First pro-am activities)EUGÉNIO CONCEIÇÃO SILVA (1903/1969)
• Father of Portuguese Amateur Astronomy
• During more than 25 years Conceição Silva accumulated thousands of astronomical observations performed with several instruments
• Main fields of interest: variable and double stars astrophotography
• Founder of Lisbon Planetarium (1965).
Early beginnings (First pro-am activities)JOAQUIM GARCIA (1934/1998)
• Founding member – APAA• First pro-am activities (1975)• Main activities (1984-1998) :
3000 total Lunar occultations ; 38 successfull Lunar grazes ; 500 Galelian Eclipses; 100 asteroid occultations (1 positive); 6 Lunar Eclipses
APAA – Portuguese Amateur Astronomers Association
• Founded – 1976• 1300 members• Main activities – Public Outreach, Amateur
Astronomy, Pro-am collaboration• on-line JOURNAL (Amateur Astronomy)• APAAnews – Discussion Group• APAA FORUM
Automatic Detection of Meteors
• CCTV – Mintron , Watec (1/2”): 0,1 - 0,3 mlux• Fast lenses (1/2”): F/0.8 – F/1.4• frame grabber – Matrox Meteor II, EasyCap• Detection Software – MetRec, UFO ...
1. TEMPLAR1 & 2 + MetRec, R. Gonçalves (Tomar)2. Watec 902H + 3,8 mm F/0.8 + UFO, P. Ré (Cascais)3. Watec 902H + zoom 2.7-8 mm F/1.0 + UFO, C. Saraiva (Carnaxide) 4. Mintron + 3.8 mm F/0.8 + UFO, J. Canela (CROW)5. Yoko + zoom 2.9-8 mm F/0.95, J. L. e Silva, N. Vieira (V. N. Rainha)
9P/T
em
ple
. Ta
kahasi
FS128 F
/8.1
, ST-1
0XE, 15m
in 1
0x1m
in, Sum
(20050600 2
1:3
7U
TC)
Asteroids/Comets
On Friday night, September 7-8 2001, the largest moon of Uranus, Titania, passed almost directly in front of a 7.2-magnitude star (HIP 106829).
11
po
siti
ve o
bse
rvat
ion
s in
Po
rtu
gal
Occultations
TrES_1
0,26
0,27
0,28
0,29
0,30
0,31
0,32
0,33
0,34
0,35
0,36
53553,30 53553,35 53553,40 53553,45 53553,50 53553,55
Julian day (+2400000) (20050601-02, 20050707-08)
Dif
ere
nti
al
Ma
gn
itu
de
(R
)
Rui Gonçalves @ 938-Linhaceira