Stargazing from Mauna Kea with the CFHT: the Hawaiian Starlight

An introduction talk on digital imaging at CFHT
followed by a short film showcasing the new techniques.



Dr. Jean-Charles Cuillandre
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope & Observatoire de Paris

For the longest time, magazine editors and other "cool image" starved
media complained about the lack of material images in astronomy. Indeed,
after the death of the photographic plates, replaced by the favored use of
electronic detectors, low resolution false color images of the deep sky
were produced with little concern about aesthetics. However, Space
Telescope Science Institute, was the first to understand the great
potential for producing stunning images of pictures taken through the eyes
of the Hubble telescope.  On Mauna Kea, the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
has been the leader in electronic wide-field imaging for the past decade,
bringing the largest CCD mosaic cameras in the world at its prime focus.
Since 1999, it operates the CFH12K camera, a 100 million pixel CCD mosaic
that produces incredibly detailed images of the sky over a field of view
1.5 times the size of the full moon.  Besides allowing key scientific
programs, this instrument, with a field of view, depth and resolution
never before reached at CFHT, is also a great tool for producing beautiful
images of the sky. This presentation will describe the image creation
process, starting with the basics of target selection and concluding with
the various methods CFHT has adopted for the purpose of showcasing their
images.

The talk will be followed by a short film unveiling a deeper vision of our
Universe through CFHT's eye. Digital cameras, including the large-market
consumer hand held ones, have open a new realm of possibilities to explore
the world of photography. Being more sensitive than the old-fashioned
film, they allow to see more of our world; and being directly linked to
computers, they allow fancy high resolution image animations to be
created. The feature presentation is a collection of images animations and
timelapse movies accompanied with music, taking you from Mauna Kea up to
the sky to visit the wonders of the colorful Universe. [A preview of some
public outreach efforts conducted at CFHT in association with Coelum
Astronomia.]


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