How much time is required of my school and students to complete a PULSE@Parkes remote observing session?
What will such a session involve?

A PULSE@Parkes remote observing session requires that the students be brought to ATNF Headquarters at Marsfield, Sydney. Typically an observing session lasts two hours, which includes:

  1. A brief introductory talk and movie
  2. The actual observing session
  3. Initial data analysis.

For observations, classes are usually split into groups of 3-5. Each group observes a few pulsars then starts analysing their data so that students are actively engaged throughout the session. Given the time available, we encourage you to bring no more than one class of students to an observing session. This ensures that all students will have the chance to actually control the telescope and make their own observations.

WA students observing during a PULSE@Parkes session.
Credit: Paul Ricketts, SPICE, UWA.
Students from Duncraig Senior High School, WA, observing at SPICE, UWA, March 2008.

A key part of any observing session is the interaction via videoconferencing between the students controlling the telescope and the astronomers in the control tower at Parkes. Project staff including astronomers, PhD students and astronomy educators are also present at the observing site, typically Marsfield, to help guide the students.

Muswellbrook High students observing
Credit: R. Hollow, CSIRO
Students from Muswellbrook High School observing, assisted by ATNF astronomer Dr David Champion.

Classes selected for a remote observing slot are expected to be familiar with some of the project material prior to visiting Marsfield to make their observations. This is likely to take a few lessons of class time as a minimum. Once students have taken their observations they may continue analysing their data back at school or from home. The first activity that students work on involves them determining the Dispersion Measure (DM) of a pulsar which they then use to estimate the distance to the pulsar.

We plan to have activities that enable students from different schools to collaborate available soon.

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