Help Needed - Looking for FITS Images for Eductation

I am working on setting up some sample lesson plans for teachers who will be using the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) we are developing and I need some FITS files for two of the plans. The lesson plans will be released on the net free of charge and all image authors will be credited.

I dont have images, but can you just get some of the jpegs that people here have taken (if they are willing) convert to fits and fill in the headder?

I'd prefer if the images were native FITS rather than havning gotten there via a lossy format like JPEG. However, beggers cann't be choosers!

Bart.

Kevin - that's a nice shot of Jupiter!

Bart - I'll have a go at imaging Uranus and Neptune for you. Neptune might be a bit better for your students as there is only one moon (Triton). I'll be imaging Uranus anyway.

I image in native mono FITS although the DSI software only fills in the very basic FITS header. It doesn't record date/time/RA/DEC but they can be reported seperately or can be inserted into the header.

Uranus and Neptune are well postioned now.

A complete orbit of Triton (Neptune) can be imaged in about 6 days (weather permitting of course).

For Uranus, the data is as follows (all approximate)

Miranda - 24 hours
Ariel - 2 days
Umbriel - 4 days
Titania - 9 days
Oberon - 12 days

If we get a few clear nights over the next two weeks, there should be plenty of data for your students. Whether they can make anything of it is another matter...! If you run your fave planetarium program and watch these orbits, they're rather peculiar, especially Uranus.

By the way, I'm more than happy to do this as both planets are in an area of sky I want to cover and as you know, this is a project I am interested in anyway. However :roll: you may consider trying other sourcess too - just in case we don't get the weather or the images are not up to scratch. I'd be mortified if you relied on me and I couldn't deliver - but you know I'll do my best.

Cheers

Dave McD

ps - don't you wish Uranus was called something else? I believe that they were going to call it George, after the King...

I'd prefer if the images were native FITS rather than havning gotten there via a lossy format like JPEG. However, beggers cann't be choosers!

True, but I was thinking more along the lines of a registaxed image (high quality jpg or png), which would be better quality than a single fits image.

I'd prefer if the images were native FITS rather than havning gotten there via a lossy format like JPEG. However, beggers cann't be choosers!

True, but I was thinking more along the lines of a registaxed image (high quality jpg or png), which would be better quality than a single fits image.

Good Point!

Dave, thanks a million for the offer to Iamge Uranus and Nepture. If it works out they will be really cool! And don't worry, I'm gonna keep looking. The simple fact is that we cann't have too many images!

As for the FITS headers. The RA/DEC don't really matter for planetart stuff, the only thing that might cause trouble is that we will be measuring the orbit by graphing the PA. On Saturn that is easy because you can use the plane of the rings as a reference regardless of any change in orientation of the camera over the images. Is there some way to know what way images are oriented with Neptune? (Even just 2 stars in the field of view would be enough)

Hi Bart - I keep the camera oriented the same way WRT the OTA all the time. Normally, there are a few stars kicking around to figure out the image orientation. I usually use Aladin to get the starfield and then figure out what's going on.

Sorry, dunno what 'graphing the PA' is but I feel I should... :oops:

Work starts tonight

Cheers
Dave McD

As for the FITS headers. The RA/DEC don't really matter for planetart stuff, the only thing that might cause trouble is that we will be measuring the orbit by graphing the PA. On Saturn that is easy because you can use the plane of the rings as a reference regardless of any change in orientation of the camera over the images. Is there some way to know what way images are oriented with Neptune? (Even just 2 stars in the field of view would be enough)

You could probably load up the field in say Aladin, and it will save the RA/DEC, the rest can be calculated I think.