Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2005
Ian Robson, Lars Lindberg Christensen (eds.)
Pages 262-265

< Prev. abstract          Table of Contents            Next Abstract >

Making Press Release Astronomical Images Compliant With the National Virtual Observatory

Abstract:

The beauty and splendour of astronomical images has made an enormously positive impact with the media and public alike. As a leading provider of astronomical imagery and a major contributor of Hubble Space Telescope press release images, the outreach division of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) recognizes the importance of making press release images compliant with Virtual Observatory standards for inclusion in databases and repositories. A small working group has been formed to define and evaluate the procedures for making outreach images accessible by Virtual Observatory applications, and more specifically, to establish a World Coordinate System (WCS) for these images, which so far have none. We report on the status of various software techniques that can be used to transform coordinates on images easily and accurately, using reference images and astronomical star catalogues when available.

Read full article (PDF 169 KB)