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.

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. Conrads research interests include asteroid systems and developing novel techniques to study comets, planets, and the moons of planets, in particular Jupiters 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.

From the Contents: Observation  Planning Software.- Target Planning.- Instrument Planning.- Observing Software.- Observation Sequencing.- Quick Look Analysis.- Data Reduction Software.- Techinques.- IRAF.- IDL.- Matlab and Others.- Data Archives.- Query Methods.- Table Queries.- Level-one Data Products.- Control Systems.- Instrument Control Systems.- Telescope Control Systems.- Systems For Real Time Interprocess Communication.- User Interface Design.- Software Engineering Process.- Requirments Definition.- Design Methodologies.- Life Cycle Cost.- Configuration Management.