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2023 NEON Observing School

Astrophysical Observatory of Asiago

4 - 16 February 2024

The 2023 NEON Observing school will take place in Northern Italy at the Astrophysical Observatory of Asiago 4 - 16 February 2024. During the school we will use the 1.8 metre, 1.22 metre and 92cm/67cm telescopes.

During this two week school you will plan observation, observe with professional 1-2 metre telescopes, and reduce and analyse data. All this will be done with a help of an experienced tutor. The school also includes lectures on topics related to telescopes and observing techniques.

The school is primarily meant for PhD students in Astronomy, who do not have prior experience in observing with professional 1-2 metre class telescopes. MSc students in the late stages of their thesis work, and young PostDocs who do not have observing experience, can also be considered.

If you are interested in hands-on observing experience, and learning all the steps from planning the observations to reducing the data, this school is perfect for you.

ORP

Credits: Regione Del Veneto.

How to Apply


The application deadline for this school was Friday August 11, and the applicants have been notified about the selection.

Note that we usually have many people applying to the NEON Observing Schools. Therefore, it is important that you motivate your application well and also have a recommendation letter sent to the organisers by the application deadline.

Preliminary Programme

Sunday 4 February 2024

15:30 Bus leaving from Venice airport
16:30 Bus leaving from Vicenza train station
~18:00 Arrival in Asiago and room assigments
18:30-19:30 Practical information on the school
19:30-20:15 Dinner
20:15-20:45 Introductions of students, tutors and teachers

Monday 5 February 2024

09:00 - 09:15 Welcome (Asiago, INAF, Padova, ORP)
09:15 - 10:45 Lecture: Telescope optics (Ragazzoni)
10:45 - 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 - 12:45 Lecture: Observing techniques - photometry (Congiu)
12:45 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 15:30 Observatory visit
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 17:00 Introduction of the observing projects
17:00 - 19:30 Group work: first group meeting
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 21:00 Group work: planning observatios

Tuesday 6 February 2024

11:00 - 13:15 Group work: planning observations
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Lecture: Observing techniques - spectroscopy (Korhonen)
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 19:30 Group work: planning observations
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 1st observing night

Wednesday 7 February 2024

11:00 - 13:15 Group work: planning observations
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Lecture: Astronomical detectors (Amico)
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 19:30 Group work: planning observations
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 2nd observing night

Thursday 8 February 2024

11:00 - 13:15 Group work: planning observations
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Lecture: Introduction to Adaptive Optics (Amico)
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 19:30 Group work: planning observations
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 3rd observing night

Friday 9 February 2024

11:00 - 13:15 Group work: planning observations
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Discussion: Proposal writing (Korhonen)
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 19:30 Group work: planning observations
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 4th observing night

Saturday 10 February 2024

11:00 - 13:15 Group work: reducing and analysing data
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Group work: reducing and analysing data
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 - 19:30 Group work: reducing and analysing data
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 5th observing night

Sunday 11 February 2024

17:00 - 19:30 Preparations for the observing night
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 6th observing night

Monday 12 February 2024

11:00 - 12:00 Group work: reducing and analysing data
12:00 - 13:15 Talk: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Primas)
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Discussion: Careers in science (Korhonen)
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 19:30 Group work: reducing and analysing data
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 21:00 Group work: reducing and analysing data

Tuesday 13 February 2024

09:30 - 11:00 Introduction to optical/infrared interferometry (Merand)
11:00 - 13:15 Group work: reducing and analysing data
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Group work: reducing and analysing data
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 19:30 Group work: reducing and analysing data
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 21:00 Group work: reducing and analysing data

Wednesday 14 February 2024

09:30 - 11:00 Lecture: Introduction to radio astronomy (Shimwell)
11:00 - 13:15 Group work: reducing and analysing data
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Group work: reducing and analysing data
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 19:30 Group work: reducing and analysing data
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 21:00 Group work: reducing and analysing data

Thursday 15 February 2024

09:30 - 11:00 Talk: Dark and quiet sky protection (Józsa)
11:00 - 13:15 Group work: presentation preparation
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Group work: reducing and analysing data
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 19:30 Group work: reducing and analysing data
19:30 - 20:15 Dinner
20:15 - 21:00 Group work: presentation preparation

Friday 16 February 2024

09:00 - 09:30 Group presentation 1
09:30 - 10:00 Group presentation 2
10:00 - 10:30 Coffee break
10:30 - 11:00 Group presentation 3
11:00 - 11:30 Group presentation 4
11:30 - 12:00 Packing and preapring for leaving
12:00 - 12:45 Lunch
12:45 - 13:00 Closing remarks
13:00 Leaving Asiago

Main organisers

Heidi Korhonen, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany
Alessandro Pizzella, University of Padova, Italy

Tutors

Cristina Cabello González, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
Enrico Congiu, European Southern Observatory, Chile
Johanna Hartke, Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO, Finland
Andrea Reguitti, INAF Brera Astronomical Observatory, Italy

Lecturers

Paola Amico, European Southern Observatory, Germany
Enrico Congiu, European Southern Observatory, Chile
Gyula I. G. Józsa, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Germany
Heidi Korhonen, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany
Antoine Mérand, European Southern Observatory, Germany
Francesca Primas, European Southern Observatory, Germany
Roberto Ragazzoni, University of Padova and INAF Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Italy
Tim Shimwell, ASTRON, the Netherlands

Contact: send a message to the main organiser.