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The Team

 

Prof. Tom Gehrels, Founding Advisor


Prof. Tom Gehrels observes through the 0.9-metre and 1.8-metre Spacewatch telescopes on Kitt Peak, which detect mostly main-belt asteroids, Near-Earth Asteroids and other objects of special interest. He was the founder and General Editor of the Space Science Series of the University of Arizona Press. He works part-time in India where he is a Fellow at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad.

Vishnu Vardhan Reddy

Astronomy has always been a part of life for Vishnu Vardhan Reddy. Born in the Indian space city of Sriharikota in 1978, he grew up along with the fledgling Indian space programme. An amateur astronomer for over a decade now, Reddy's initial interests in asteroids was reflected through an entirely different field, art. He painted half a dozen asteroids even before looking at one. In 2000, he met Prof. Tom Gehrels from the University of Arizona's Spacewatch programme. Inspired by Prof. Gehrels, Reddy started working towards setting up of a small independent NEO follow-up observatory in India. With the help of Kyle Smalley of Powell Observatory (MPC Code 649) and Roy Tucker of Goodricke-Pigott Observatory (MPC Code 683), Reddy learned the practical side of asteroid hunting. This dream to set-up an observatory in India came closer to reality with a generous donation by Mr. T.M. Kumar. The donation was used to procure a .30-meter Schmidt Cassegrain telescope and the construction of a small observatory in New Delhi, India. Mr. Darrel Dullack, a fellow amateur astronomer from South Lyon, Michigan, donated money for procuring a small front-illuminated CCD imager/guider. In summer of 2002, Reddy visited the Goodricke-Pigott Observatory in Tucson, Arizona, as its first guest observer. During the 3-week observing run, he discovered a main-belt asteroid, 2002NT, and the first by an Indian amateur astronomer. Reddy has discovered nine more main-belt asteroids using data from 683. At the Minor Planet Amateur-Professional workshop, Reddy met Jay Tate, director of Spaceguard UK. The plan to set-up a Spaceguard in India was finalised at the workshop. A former journalist, Reddy gave up his newspaper job for asteroids and is currently pursuing a second masters in Space Studies at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Marc Chamberlin

Marc is a computer scientist and a senior software engineer with over 25 years of experience programming computers. Born in Ashland Oregon, USA in 1953, Marc has held a deep interest in astronomy and has been an amateur astronomer ever since he was a young boy. He graduated from Oregon State University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, and from the University of Oregon in 1978 where he received Masters of Science degree in Computer Science.

Marc’s career has focused on the usage of computers in scientific applications. His first job was working on array processors at a company called Floating Point System. These computers were attached to host computer and handled high-speed, complex mathematical matrix calculations such as FFTs and video image processing. Here he developed programmer tools such as compilers, assemblers, simulators etc which enabled customers to design their own custom applications for the array processor.

In 1981, Marc joined the Multiple Mirror Telescope Observatory near Tucson, Arizona which was a prototype telescope employing six 72 inch mirrors mounted in a single framework. Using computer controls and active optics, the Multiple Mirror Telescope achieved the performance of a single 280-inch telescope, making it effectively the largest telescope in the world at the time. Marc worked there to develop the real time operating system, and the telescope mount pointing and tracking software. Using software dithering techniques, Marc was able to help the telescope achieve a pointing accuracy which approached a thousandth of an arc second and tracking accuracy which exceeded a hundredth of an arc second. This made the MMTO one of the most accurate large telescopes in the world and enabled it to use active optics and interferometry techniques to combine the light gathered from the 6 separate mirrors into a single image, as if it had been acquired from a single large mirror.

Other highlights of Marc’s career include consulting abroad in Sweden on telephone switching networks, developing the operating system and tools for the Amiga computer, working on electronic test and measurement instrument communication, building real time embedded compilers for electronic digital oscilloscopes which does math analysis and measurements on signals acquired by the scope and worked on an automated software robot which has the ability to characterise the ease of using web sites based on human behaviour modelling factors.

Marc is a member of the Northwest Astronomy Group and has been developing a software system that will allow the group’s members and guests to collaboratively control the group’s 12 inch and 24 inch telescopes from the internet. This software system allows members to share the telescope-operation and data-collection experience from disjoint locations over the internet and collaborate with each other as they do so. Users will be able to view star charts that show where the telescopes are pointing, control or monitor the telescopes pointing and tracking and control or monitor the CCD cameras and image viewers on the telescopes.

Marc has discovered a couple of asteroids and became interested in the Spaceguard project after he met Mr Vishnu Vardhan Reddy and Ms Pratibha Kumar through a mutual astronomer friend and fellow collaborator, Mr Roy Tucker. He has helped the Spaceguard India project by building the website for it and installing it on his own servers.

Roy A. Tucker

Born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1951, Roy spent most of his early years in Memphis, Tennessee. He became a member of the Memphis Astronomical Society in 1966. Roy holds a Master's degree in Scientific Instrumentation from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Having acquainted with electronics at an early age, he works as a senior instrumentation engineer at the Steward Observatory, Tucson.

In 1996, Roy set up a private observatory, Goodricke-Pigott Observatory, in his backyard. Using a C14 telescope and home-brewed CCD camera, Roy discovered two Near-Earth Asteroids, a Mars-Crosser and a Comet. Since then, he has upgraded his equipment and has built a new search system, MOTESS or Moving Object Transient Event Search System to hunt for NEOs. He is credited with the discovery of more than 200 main-belt asteroids. Roy will offer his expertise to Spaceguard India as instrumentation advisor.

Lawrence Garrett

Lawrence Garrett was born in Vermont, USA, in 1959. An avid amateur astronomer since his childhood, Lawrence currently serves as assistant co-ordinator for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers' Minor Planet Section. In 1997, Lawrence started the Magnitude Alert Program for the ALPO and has visually observed over 1,100 minor planets. He is the author of America Online's Asteroids Online and published Near-Earth Asteroids bulletin (1988-1995). On a clear night he observes asteroids as faint as 15th magnitude from his Fairfax home with a 12.5-inch reflector. Lawrence will serve as the director of Visual Observing Section of Spaceguard India and will assist Indian amateur astronomers in their asteroid projects.

Pratibha Kumar

Pratibha is a journalist with immense interest in astronomy. She has been deeply involved in the setting up of the observatory for over two years. She raises funds and works as its founding secretary. She also manages the finances of the observatory.She assists in nightly observations and writes popular articles. She intends to generate public education about NEO threats and create awareness among school children.Though not inclined towards asteroids, Pratibha is fascinated by supernovae and hopes to discover one soon.

Kedar Bhat

Kedar Bhat was born in Pune, and grew up in Thane near Mumbai, India. A physics graduate, Kedar works as a freelance news photographer and is an active amateur astronomer. He is also an astrophotographer and has photographed many comets, eclipses, transits, occultations and sunspots. Kedar is also an amateur telescope maker and loves to trek. With excellent organising skills, Kedar helps organising popular events and assist in astrometry projects.

Edward Raj

Edward Raj, dreamed of being an astronomer since his childhood. Born and brought up in Tamil Nadu, Edward collected meteorites, fossils and minerals. While working as an educator at a local science centre, he developed over 150 science teaching kits for children. An avid science populariser, Edward now works with the Indian Space Research Organisation's Satellite centre at Bangalore and has made many photometric observations of variable stars. He has contributed to 15 research papers and actively writes popular articles.


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