I2 Projects and Applications @ MTU

Physics: Continuous monitoring of the Night Sky
The CONtinuous CAMera (CONCAM) Project.
The CONtinuous CAMera (CONCAM) project continuously monitors the night sky from horizon to horizon and acquires image data for a range of astrophysical projects at the rate of about one image of the entire sky each minute. The current version, CONCAM1, has been operating at the Michigan Tech Observatory since fall 1999. CONCAM2 is slated to start observations at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona before the end of April 2000 (installation trip planned for late March 2000).

CONCAM2 will benefit greatly from the Internet2 connection to Michigan Tech's Physics building. We assume that Kitt Peak National Observatory, a major national asset under the guidance of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO), will also be connected to this backbone. Current estimates indicate that CONCAM2 will generate at least 10 Gigabytes of data per night. Michigan Technological University and the National Science Foundation supply development of the CONCAMs.

Contact Dr. Bruce Rafert