Astronomical screw-ups.Astronomers are usually eager to get credit for the heavenly pictures they take. At a new Internet See Web 2.0 and Internet2. gallery, however, each celestial image is anonymous and the scientists who contributed them would like to keep it that way. It's not a pretty site. The images are the results of mishaps and goofs at several optical and near-infrared telescopes. Those dark streaks around a cluster of stars? Moisture on the solid-state detectors. Stars appear triangular rather than spherical? Too little air in the airbags that support the telescope's primary mirror. A dark, circular region that moves in synch with the telescope? A dead ladybug ladybug or ladybird beetle Any of the approximately 5,000 widely distributed beetles of the family Coccinellidae. The name originated in the Middle Ages, when the beetle was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and called “beetle of Our Lady. in the light path. Graduate student Kaspar von Braun Noun 1. von Braun - United States rocket engineer (born in Germany where he designed a missile used against England); he led the United States Army team that put the first American satellite into space (1912-1977) of the University of Michigan (body, education) University of Michigan - A large cosmopolitan university in the Midwest USA. Over 50000 students are enrolled at the University of Michigan's three campuses. The students come from 50 states and over 100 foreign countries. in Ann Arbor and two classmates Classmates can refer to either:
Most errors, von Braun notes, occur when an observer is "doing everything he or she was supposed to," but some piece of technology fails. The images, accompanied by an explanation of what went awry, may suggest an immediate solution. Von Braun and his colleagues unveiled the motley collection June 1 at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes pronounced "double-A-S") is a US society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. in Chicago. The 80 or so pictures are available at http://www. astro.lsa.umich.edu/users/kaspar/obs_mishaps/mishaps.html. The team welcomes contributions from professional astronomers willing to share their telescopic tribulations, |
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