Penn Summer Academy: Astronomical Techniques Research Academy

The Astronomical Techniques Research Academy provides students with an understanding of the techniques of observational astronomy and data analysis, and will allow them to understand and build the tools to acquire and analyze astronomical data in the form of images and spectra. We will discuss the theory behind imaging and spectroscopy, and students will construct their own simple cameras and spectrometers. We will also discuss detectors for both optical light and radio waves, and the role of wavelengths beyond visible light in the study of the universe. The recording and digitizing of photons and radio waves will be discussed and demonstrated with hands-on exercises which can be reproduced outside the course, as well as using specialized equipment (digital spectrometers, radio telescopes). We will also learn tools for computing the positions of astronomical objects and methods for tracking them. Students will learn to analyze and visualize the data with modern software using Python.

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