June 26, 2020: IMPORTANT ALERT: AMATEUR-PROFESSIONAL VENUS OBSERVING OPPORTUNITY
The ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury will fly-past Venus in late August. To support this there is a ground -based campaign
to image Venus. All ALPO Venus Observers are strongly encouraged to participate if possible. Observers interested in participating are urged to contact the ALPO Venus Section Coordinator for additional information and guidance. This observing effort is in addition to the regular observational endeavors of the ALPO Venus Section.
Details: The Europlanet Telescope Network is a network of professional telescopes that can be used by professional or amateur astronomers willing to access these telescopes and participate in scientific studies of the solar system. The network forms part of the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure and will fund observations of solar system bodies (all fields in planetary science including planets, comets, asteroids, NEOs, stellar occultations, etc.) and exoplanets. The first call for observations is officially open. There is no a closed deadline to submit applications and proposals will be evaluated every 2 months by a scientific board. The project will last 3.5 years. Although this is an European project 20% of the funds of the project can be used by citizens from countries outside of the European Union and proposals by american amateur astronomers are acceptable.
Potential observers may contact the different telescopes/observatories taking part in the network (there are 16 observatories including remote access to some robotic telescopes) and get information about how to access observational time. They can write a short proposal to be funded by the network. The network will cover travel cost, stay and observation time at the telescope if chosen. Proposals will be evaluated every 2 months and can be submitted by individuals or small teams. The proposals will be judged on their scientific merit (or in terms of the scientific value of the observations that will be obtained).
Useful links:
Europlanet Telescope Network: https://www.europlanet-society.org/europlanet-2024-ri/telescope-network/
Call for observations: https://www.europlanet-society.org/europlanet-2024-ri/networking-activities-na/europlanet-2024-ri-na-call-for-observations-at-the-europlanet-telescope-network/
Application form: tinyurl.com/NA2-application (application form has to be sent to: na2@europlanet-society.org)
Reimbursement Rules: tinyurl.com/NA2-reimbursement
Table of observatories of the Europlanet Telescope network: https://tinyurl.com/telescope-network
Observers interested in participating are urged to contact the ALPO Venus Section Coordinator for additional information and guidance as needed. This observing effort is in addition to the on-going regular observational endeavors of the ALPO Venus Section.
Best regards and clear skies,
Julius
Julius L. Benton, Jr. Ph.D.
Executive Director;
Coordinator, Saturn and Venus Sections
Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO)
ASSOCIATES IN ASTRONOMY
P.O. Box 30545
Wilmington Island
Savannah, GA 31410 USA
iPhone 11 Pro Max (912) 508-1087
Primary E-Mail: jlbaina@msn.com
Alternate E-Mail: Jbenton55@comcast.net
ALPO Website: http://www.alpo-astronomy.org
