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Serendipitous Gamma Ray Burst Observations - 50 Years Ago Michael Castelaz and Thurburn Barker Clemson University February 10, 2011 Not-for-profit foundation www.pari.edu • More than 2 million astronomical photographic plates from the late 19th to the 21st Century are historic and scientifically valuable. • Astronomical photographic plate collections are: becoming inaccessible, or neglected, or destroyed; irreplaceable resources for time-domain astronomy. Astronomical Photographic Data Archive (APDA) Established as a new type of astronomical observatory to harness the 150 years of analog data of the night sky and make that data digitally accessible APDA Mission • • Dedicated to collection, restoration, preservation and storage of astronomical photographic data. Tasked with digitizing and establishing a digital database of images Internet accessible. APDA is essential both for the health of astronomical science and for credibility of the current generation of astronomers as guardians of its unique heritage. Guide Star Automatic Measuring MAchine (GAMMA) For production of a digital database of plates in APDA Major Collections in APDA • • • • • • • • • • Royal Observatory Edinburgh CTIO, KPNO USNO Palomar Observatory Harvard (Full Sky Survey 1898-1903) Dyer Observatory – Vanderbilt University McDonald Observatory University of Michigan Spectra and Objective Prism Warner-Swasey Harvard College Observatory Meteor Project * More than 150,000 plates/films in APDA inventory * Collection dates range from 1898 through 1994 Jacchia and Whipple 1956, Vistas in Astronomy, 2, 982 Collection rescued and now in the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive (APDA) SK 6409 Examples of Film Defects Film 8299 Spots Film 8301 Trees Film 8303 Splash Feature SK6409 SK6409 SK6410 SK6415 SK6410 13 August 1956 SK6415 Possible Nature of the Transient Event Fernie 1969, PASP, 81, 374 NOVA Vul 1968A LV Vul 29 April 1968 5h 25m UT RA (2000) = 19 48 00.52 Dec (2000) = +27 10 19.3 Vmax 4.97 Vmin 16.90 BATSE 4B Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog Paciesas et al. 1999, Astrophys.J.Suppl. 122, 46 4B 95051 19h 47m 41s (2000) +27 46’ 48” Position Error Circle = 1.22 degrees 1 May 1995 3h 25m 4.0s UT Follow-up Observations at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute The 200 acre Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI), looking from the 26-m East radio telescope towards the West 26-m radio telescope. APDA is located on the lower floor of the PARI Research Building adjacent to the West 26-m radio telescope. The PARI Research Building. The lower level of this building is the home of APDA. Seen behind the building is the West PARI 26 Meter radio telescope, and the PARI 4.6 Meter Internet Accessible radio telescope (“Smiley”) used for E/PO. • 20,000 square foot, two story building with labs and offices. • RF Lab, APDA, lab space for long- and short-term projects conducted by PARI Research Faculty Affiliates. • NSF ARI-R2 Award AST-0963300 for renovation • EMC Corp. donated a storage system now installed in the Research Building