Developments in global robotic telescopes networks for amateurs and education
Presenter(s): Andrew Yen, Michael Fitzgerald, Saeed Salimpour
Affiliation(s): ASV, Deakin/IAU, Next Astronomy International
Session details: Saturday, 2026-04-04 03:30:00
Abstract
Over the last few decades, progress in networking and sharing telescope resources has come a long way from dialup modems sharing tiny CCD images across home telephone lines up to the current large-scale telescope networks used for education such as SkyNet, Las Cumbres Observatory and NextAstronomy. It is now the time in the development of these networks that economical large-scale sharing of resources is available to users from amateurs, youth up to graduate students and beyond and from simple colour images to long-term research projects like exoplanet monitoring. This talk will provide a unique perspective of how to tap into the immense potential of robotic telescope access and sharing in the resources for education, outreach and research that it brings. This talk will provide a brief overview of the history of robotic telescopes, the current landscape, the range of tools and networks available as well as possibilities and inevitabilities for the future of robotic telescopes, student research and education.
Biography
Andrew Yen has been a member of the ASV for many decades and has a keen interest in astronomy education, he is an Astronomy teacher at a high school Michael Fitzgerald is a world leading expert in the use of robotic telescopes in education and research. He has worked at a number of universities including Monash and Edith Cowan but more recently has signed systems at As Cubres Observatory network. Saeed Salimpour is an astronomy education researcher at Deakin University and a representative of Astronomy Education at the IAU. Saeed manages a significant observatory connected to the Next Astronomy network. The three presenters have been instrumental in designing and establishing the Next Astronomy network for Education and Amateur astronomers and observatory owners