Astronomy: Principles Of Observing (Thursday 22/02/18 @ Cleopatra Hotel)
Astronomy: Principles of Observing Everything we know about the universe is through the observation of waves, visible radiation for the first few tens of thousands of years of our civilization, the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum in the past century or so, and gravitational waves for the past couple of years. This talk will examine the factors in making astronomical observations possible, and their evolution from the time of ancient Greece to the recent detection of gravitational waves. Specifically, we will discuss the collection of waves, their analysis and their detection, including how to optimize each observation to the 'family' of waves it aims to use, the environmental factors affecting these observational ventures and technological factors improving or deteriorating them. We will…