Amazin' Gazin'

by Kevin Clifford on 05 Sep 2007

Photo Gallery
Slooh, a real-time astronomy Internet service, gives people the ability to search space and capture what they see in real-time into a photo gallery that is self-categorized into sections of stellar objects that are viewable by family and friends.

According to Tierney O'Dea, chief operating officer for Slooh, "Slooh has members in over 70 countries and about 40,000 subscribers [total]."

This service is great for any students who are astronomy fans or wish to partake in astrophotography, but they should also keep in mind that there are several drawbacks as well.

How it works:

Currently, Slooh has two telescopes based in the Canary Islands, one of which members can buy five-minute timed slots for astrophotography. One of the telescopes is dedicated to the editor's channel and the other to the member's channel. Members have the option to pick from a preset of coordinates, such as the coordinates for the moon or the Andromeda Galaxy, or to create their own coordinates that could lead to a great find or an empty void.

To view the objects through the telescopes (called "missions"), members access the mission interface pop-up screen, which shows both the editor's and member's channels in progress in separate tab menus. The mission times between the two channels are staggered so you can switch between them to view and photograph two different objects at once. It's good to note that any member can view and photograph any active channel any time there is a mission in session.

All preset coordinates contain information about the objects, such as the magnitude of the objects and in which constellation they are located.

There are three views in which to view the stellar objects: all-sky view, wide-field view and high-magnified. Some objects, such as globular clusters and nebulas often look better in the wide-field than in magnified.

One of the most interesting aspects is viewing objects in real time. As the telescopes lock onto the coordinates, the objects first appear fuzzy and in black and white. But as time passes, the objects become clearer and eventually transition into color.

To capture a photo from the telescopes, simply click the "snap pic" button to take up to three photos of a single object. However, the trial version of the service appears to have a temporary limit on the amount of continuous photo taking of about three objects with three photos for each subject. This is probably due to the fact that the previous photos are being uploaded to each member's photo gallery. Also, currently the quality of the images are best viewed on the computer, but future plans are in the works to improve image quality.

Time Frame:

There are currently about 12 hours of coverage with future plans to expand to 24 hours of coverage. Luckily, the time of coverage starts around 1 p.m. and goes until 1 a.m., which gives students plenty of time to view stellar objects between and during classes.

Memberships - Explorer vs. Commander:

The Explorer package is by far the best deal for the casual stargazer. For $20 a year, you receive 200 minutes of viewing time, which figures to about 40 views a year. But it also charges five minutes each time you reserve a mission and you don't get a personal gallery page.

The Commander is the best deal for anyone who wants to stargaze throughout the majority of the year and who doesn't want to worry about spending minutes. Although it cost $100 a year, you get unlimited time on the telescopes and no charges for reserving missions. You also get a seven-day free trial without charge.

Needed Improvements for Slooh:

According to O'Dea, there are many much-needed improvements coming to Slooh in the upcoming years.

One major improvement is the installation of the new observatory in Chile, which would give subscribers about 24 hours of stargazing opportunities.

"Our ultimate goal is 24-hour coverage, but we're not there yet with Chile," says O'Dea. "Our new observatory there will open up the southern hemisphere skies to our members."

Another major improvement is with the image quality. According to O'Dea, "the current cameras are capable of producing images up to 2,184 x 1,472 pixels. A future membership level that we are tentatively calling the ‘Advanced Imaging Interface' will allow members to plan, execute, and download longer exposure, full-resolution images, though not in the current "live" observing mode. We hope to have this new program in testing some time next year." This feature will greatly open Slooh membership to anyone who wants to peruse high-end astrophotography.

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