Click the above image to join SLOOH.com and help support the Beckington Astronomical Society!

Joining SLOOH.com through BASNET?  |  What is SLOOH.com?  |  SLOOH Frequently Asked Questions

Joining SLOOH.com through BASNET to Support the Society

Beckington Astronomical Society are among the first  affiliates to SLOOH.com's exciting new astronomy observing programme.  Membership to SLOOH.com offers you the opportunity to view live astronomical images, as they are taken, using telescopes based at the professional Mount Teide observatory on the island of Tenerife.  You can also control the telescopes using your "Solo Mission" time which is provided as part of your subscription!  If you join SLOOH.com through the links on the BAS website, the society will receive 15% of your SLOOH.com membership subscription (see below) - but only if you join through our links!

SLOOH.com have two levels of membership:

REMEMBER, THE SOCIETY WILL ONLY BENEFIT IF YOU JOIN USING ONE OF THE LINKS FROM THIS WEBSITE WHICH LNKS DIRECTLY TO SLOOH'S JOINING PAGE!
If you go to SLOOH's website to take a look prior to joining, please remember to come back here to join through the BASNET link so the society will also benefit!

What is SLOOH.com?

This is how SLOOH's CEO describes SLOOH.com:

SLOOH, the first of its kind, is a live online astronomy experience that captures the rhythms and wonders of the universe.  SLOOH's mission is to give people a window to the natural world; to give pause to the daily crush of our lives; to enjoy the grandeur of our perch, to ponder God.

SLOOH is not a simulation or an animation or a collection of old photos--it is a real live view through a powerful telescope. You will watch light that has been travelling for 37 million years from a distant galaxy accumulate in the telescope. As you watch the light collect, you may consider its spiral arms and their similarity to our own Milky Way. You might even think about what was happening in your hometown when that light started its journey. You will view your own life from an entirely different perspective.

SLOOH is for every human being on Earth. The backyard astronomer socked in by clouds. People that believe in God. The parent with neither the time, money nor expertise required to operate a telescope. People that believe in aliens. The city dweller drenched in light pollution. Anyone who has ever looked up in wonder.

It is our hope that SLOOH will help society remain connected to the miraculous physical and spiritual forces that govern life in the universe. Please let us know how we can better fulfil this mission.

Best regards,
Michael Paolucci

SLOOH.com Frequently Asked Questions

How will joining SLOOH.com benefit the Beckington Astronomical Society?

If you join SLOOH.com though the links on the Beckington Astronomical Society's website, the Society will receive 15% of your membership subscription from SLOOH - at no extra cost to you!

 

About the SLOOH Experience | About Membership | About Astronomy

About the SLOOH experience

What is a SLOOH mission?
As a subscriber, you get unlimited access to group missions. Most missions are five to fifteen minutes in length. Using SLOOH's patent pending technology, each mission presents a LIVE view of one of the known wonders of the universe. This view improves in quality during the mission as our telescopes gather more light. Our observatory aims multiple different telescopes at the subject, which allows you to zoom from a huge expanse of sky all the way to a close up view. Through our user interface, you can capture photographs during the mission and save them in your mission log book. During the mission, our storytellers will explain the history, mythology, science and beauty of the subject.

What objects will I see on the missions?
For starters, the Moon and planets (when they are visible), as well as the most beautiful galaxies, nebulae and globular clusters, including M51, the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, NGC4565, the Crab Nebula, the Whirlpool Galaxy, Pleiades and Hercules, to name a few.

How much time on the telescope do I get for my $49 (approx. £28)  annual membership fee?
You receive unlimited group missions – you can participate in as many as you like throughout the year.  Simply log-on to the site and join the mission in progress, and then prepare to SLOOH to whatever object is next. The basic membership package also includes 15 minutes of solo time per year and you can buy additional 15-minute increments of solo time for $19.95 (approx £12), or upgrade to the Deluxe membership which includes 90 minutes of solo time for $99 (approx. £58) annually. Unused solo time carries over from year to year.

How do you decide what the telescope will point at during a group mission?
Our goal is to show you the best and brightest of outer space, at the specific times that are the most ideal to view any particular object. Since the night sky is generally changing in a predictable rhythm, we know, for example, that Mars is the closest it will be to Earth this year than it will be for the next several centuries, so now is one of the best times to view it. During the ‘voting’ group missions, participating members will get to vote on which object to SLOOH the telescope to next.

How do I learn more about what I am looking at?
There are "storyteller" audio segments that you control during the missions, the purpose of which is to blow your mind. Written by one of America's most popular and distinguished astronomy authors, they will dazzle you as you start to grasp the scale and beauty of the universe, and man's attempt throughout the ages to understand it.

How often does the telescope SLOOH to a new object?
Normally, we will SLOOH the telescope every 5, 10 or 15 minutes, depending on the object we are looking at. The telescope takes longer to collect light from deep space objects, like galaxies or nebulae, than it does for objects in our own solar system such as Saturn or the Moon, so generally the further the object from Earth, and the less bright the object, the longer the mission will be. During the mission, you’ll watch the object become clearer and clearer before your eyes, as the telescope collects more light.

What is the difference between a group mission and a solo mission?
During group missions, any member logged-on to the site at that time can join the mission and view whatever the telescope is pointed at. Solo missions are reserved in advance, and enable an individual user to to choose from the SLOOH mission list what they want to see and for how long. During a solo mission, the member in control of the telescope is the only one who sees what it is pointing at.

Why is SLOOH located at a professional observatory?
80% of nights at our observatory are clear enough for astronomy. If we have to close the observatory due to poor weather, you will be notified on the site. If poor weather ever prevents you from completing a solo mission, your account will be credited accordingly.

 

About Membership

What is the appropriate age group for SLOOH?
SLOOH has been designed to introduce people of all ages to astronomy, although we expect even the most advanced users will appreciate the view through a powerful telescope situated at a professional observatory. Once we capture your imagination, we'll continue to add new and advanced features to hold your burgeoning interest. Once you've used the site, please tell us what else you'd like to see and do.

Why is the membership limited?
It is very difficult to construct sensitive astronomical equipment at high altitude, and space at the top of the mountain is precious.  As such, SLOOH was given permission by the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands to construct only enough equipment to introduce the concept of remote astronomy to a limited audience, which we are capping to ensure the availability of missions on the site.

What specifications does my computer need to make this site operate?
A colour monitor, an Internet browser (e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer), and an Internet connection of at least 56Kbps (an enhanced version of SLOOH for high-speed connections is available). Your browser will automatically download the Flash plug-in.

 

About Astronomy

What is the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands?
Formed in 1979, it is a consortium of European governments under the authority of Spain, and the leading professional observatory in Europe. There is astronomical equipment belonging to over 60 academic and government institutions from 19 countries on two mountain peaks in the Canary Islands, including one of the largest telescopes in the world, the 10 meter ‘GTC’ due to come online in 2004.

Why do professional astronomers locate their equipment in remote areas at high altitude?
The sky is not equally steady and transparent all over the world, and few locations can offer the observing conditions necessary for modern astronomy. The Canary Islands, however, are one such privileged site. The cold ocean currents surrounding the islands in combination with the trade winds provide a unique stable climate with little atmospheric turbulence. Low altitude clouds generally remain well below the mountain peak and have the added effect of blocking artificial light sources from populated areas.

What equipment is at the observatory?
SLOOH's observatories are on Mount Teide in the Canary Islands. 44 times more powerful than a typical backyard telescope, each observatory is enclosed in a motorized dome and has a motorized equatorial mount. On each mount is a catadioptric telescope, which has a focuser, a filter wheel and a CCD camera. Next to the catadioptric is a refractor telescope with a focuser, a filter wheel and a CCD camera, which we use for wide field imaging. There are several computers in the domes, which control the equipment, and which have a telecommunications connection to our web site. Outside the domes is another CCD camera with an all sky lens.

What Telescopes Does SLOOH Use?
SLOOH has two telescopes in service right now:

Also, our monochrome all sky camera has a fisheye field of view of 175 degrees.
Going into service soon will be:

We use CCD cameras with up to 3 mega pixels.

What makes it so difficult to do astronomy in my backyard?
Most people live in or near major cities, which create large amounts of artificial light – “light pollution” – that makes it difficult for telescopes to capture the light from distant objects. Also, poor climate in lowland areas creates cloudy weather and atmospheric turbulence, both of which will seriously impair a night of astronomy. Furthermore, very sensitive astronomical equipment is expensive and extremely heavy – as such, it is not practical for most people to own, and small telescopes generally present a disappointing image, if they capture anything at all.

 

If you have any difficulties joining SLOOH.com through the BASNET links, please e-mail us at info@basnet.org.uk 

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