alberto conti - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by alberto conti
With the new generation of deep, space-based imaging surveys, such as those proposed for the SNAP... more With the new generation of deep, space-based imaging surveys, such as those proposed for the SNAP satellite, we will have an unprecedented opportunity to characterize the evolution of the clustering properties of galaxies across a wide range of look-back times. We consider ...
Many astronomers and amateurs have noted that upon discovery of Google Earth, after its release i... more Many astronomers and amateurs have noted that upon discovery of Google Earth, after its release in mid-2005, they thought it would be a great interface for astronomical data. We came to the Sky project along separate trajectories, but by January 2006 we had joined forces and engaged the GoogleEarth team in Mountain View, CA. After an initial high energy meeting with Google, in 2006, we began experiments using the GoogleEarth technology and protocols, specifically Keyhole Markup Language (KML), and designed a mechanism for placing HST press release images and ancillary information into the Google Earth interface. We will briefly describe our primary role in providing HST Press Release images and supplementary information on the images for the Sky interface. We also have explored catalog services from custom analysis provided through the new Hubble Legacy Archive. We also will mention our plans for interaction with the Virtual Observatory. We also have worked with colleagues at the Un...
Most people who've taken an astronomy course are familiar with the Hertzsprung-Russell diagra... more Most people who've taken an astronomy course are familiar with the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. It was developed to show the relationships between the temperature (or colour) of a star and its luminosity. Following this premise and an original idea by Stuart Lowe, we asked ourselves if american astronomer as a group have a "Main Career Sequence" in the space of Peer Reviewed papers and "absolute" Google index. Here we expand on Stuart's original idea examining several cuts in publication and Google parameter space with the help of proper ADS data
The Hubble Deep Field gives us an unprecedented view of our universe and an opportunity to study ... more The Hubble Deep Field gives us an unprecedented view of our universe and an opportunity to study a wide range of questions in galaxy evolution and cosmology. Here we focus on the search for unresolved faint quasars and AGN in the crude combine images using a multicolor imaging analysis that has proven very successful in recent years. Quasar selection was
Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 2014
In the past year, the Multimission Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (MAST) has ta... more In the past year, the Multimission Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (MAST) has taken major steps in making MAST's holdings available using VO-defined protocols and standards, and in implementing VO-based tools. For example, MAST has implemented the Simple Cone Search protocol, and all MAST mission searches may be returned in the VOTable format, allowing other archives to use
Software and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy, 2010
The challenges facing the developers of user interfaces for astronomy applications has never been... more The challenges facing the developers of user interfaces for astronomy applications has never been greater. Astronomers and engineers often use well-designed commercial and web applications outside their work environment and have come to expect a similar user experience with applications developed for their work tasks. The connectivity provided by the Internet and the ability to work from anywhere can improve
The Astrophysical Journal, 2009
The Astronomical Journal, 2003
Astrophysics and Space Science, 2011
The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) was successfully launched on April 28, 2003. Over the last ... more The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) was successfully launched on April 28, 2003. Over the last 7 years, the GALEX mission has expanded our understanding of the process of star formation and galaxy evolution. GALEX data, consisting of far-UV (1344-1786A) and near-UV (1771-2831A) imaging over most of the sky, and grism spectroscopy, are available to the entire astronomical community and to
Astrophysics and Space Science, 2011
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 2007
We propose to obtain identification spectra of high redshift quasar candidates selected from 20 d... more We propose to obtain identification spectra of high redshift quasar candidates selected from 20 deg^2 of multicolor imaging taken with the BTC at the CTIO 4m telescope in November 1997 and November 1998. The primary targets are candidates for quasars at 5 < z < 6 and I < 22 chosen from VIZ imaging data. This allows for quasar selection to M_B < -24, providing a unique data set from which to calculate reliable quasar space densities and differentiate between different proposed forms of evolution in the quasar luminosity function at early epochs.
Galaxies exhibit a wide range of physical properties (eg, luminosities, colors, velocity widths, ... more Galaxies exhibit a wide range of physical properties (eg, luminosities, colors, velocity widths, star formation, gas and stellar content) and the evolutionary processes responsible for these properties are numerous and complex. Understanding which processes shape the ...
ABSTRACT By combining satellite imagery, maps, community supported data, and a powerful search te... more ABSTRACT By combining satellite imagery, maps, community supported data, and a powerful search technology, GoogleEarth allows anyone to explore, search and discover features on our planet. We want exploit this technology to provide similar access to astronomical imagery, data and related information.We will illustrate a proof of concept astronomical interface that invokes protocols and formats currently employed for Earth data by GoogleEarth. Our experiment demonstrates how community supplied and hosted data such as that provided by the National Virtual Observatory, can be revealed on top of the GoogleEarth application.
ABSTRACT Scientific visualization involves the presentation of interactive or animated digital im... more ABSTRACT Scientific visualization involves the presentation of interactive or animated digital images for interpretation of potentially huge quantities of observed or simulated data. Astronomy Visualization has been a tool used to convey astrophysical concepts and the data obtained to probe the cosmos. With the emergence of large astrophysical data archives, improvements in computational power and new technologies for the desktop, visualization of astronomical data is being considered as a new tool for exploration of data archives with a goal to enhance education and public understanding of science. We will present results of some exploratory work in the use of visualization technologies from the perspective of education and outreach. These tools are also being developed to facilitate scientists' use of such large data repositories as well.
With the new generation of deep, space-based imaging surveys, such as those proposed for the SNAP... more With the new generation of deep, space-based imaging surveys, such as those proposed for the SNAP satellite, we will have an unprecedented opportunity to characterize the evolution of the clustering properties of galaxies across a wide range of look-back times. We consider ...
Many astronomers and amateurs have noted that upon discovery of Google Earth, after its release i... more Many astronomers and amateurs have noted that upon discovery of Google Earth, after its release in mid-2005, they thought it would be a great interface for astronomical data. We came to the Sky project along separate trajectories, but by January 2006 we had joined forces and engaged the GoogleEarth team in Mountain View, CA. After an initial high energy meeting with Google, in 2006, we began experiments using the GoogleEarth technology and protocols, specifically Keyhole Markup Language (KML), and designed a mechanism for placing HST press release images and ancillary information into the Google Earth interface. We will briefly describe our primary role in providing HST Press Release images and supplementary information on the images for the Sky interface. We also have explored catalog services from custom analysis provided through the new Hubble Legacy Archive. We also will mention our plans for interaction with the Virtual Observatory. We also have worked with colleagues at the Un...
Most people who've taken an astronomy course are familiar with the Hertzsprung-Russell diagra... more Most people who've taken an astronomy course are familiar with the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. It was developed to show the relationships between the temperature (or colour) of a star and its luminosity. Following this premise and an original idea by Stuart Lowe, we asked ourselves if american astronomer as a group have a "Main Career Sequence" in the space of Peer Reviewed papers and "absolute" Google index. Here we expand on Stuart's original idea examining several cuts in publication and Google parameter space with the help of proper ADS data
The Hubble Deep Field gives us an unprecedented view of our universe and an opportunity to study ... more The Hubble Deep Field gives us an unprecedented view of our universe and an opportunity to study a wide range of questions in galaxy evolution and cosmology. Here we focus on the search for unresolved faint quasars and AGN in the crude combine images using a multicolor imaging analysis that has proven very successful in recent years. Quasar selection was
Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 2014
In the past year, the Multimission Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (MAST) has ta... more In the past year, the Multimission Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (MAST) has taken major steps in making MAST's holdings available using VO-defined protocols and standards, and in implementing VO-based tools. For example, MAST has implemented the Simple Cone Search protocol, and all MAST mission searches may be returned in the VOTable format, allowing other archives to use
Software and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy, 2010
The challenges facing the developers of user interfaces for astronomy applications has never been... more The challenges facing the developers of user interfaces for astronomy applications has never been greater. Astronomers and engineers often use well-designed commercial and web applications outside their work environment and have come to expect a similar user experience with applications developed for their work tasks. The connectivity provided by the Internet and the ability to work from anywhere can improve
The Astrophysical Journal, 2009
The Astronomical Journal, 2003
Astrophysics and Space Science, 2011
The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) was successfully launched on April 28, 2003. Over the last ... more The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) was successfully launched on April 28, 2003. Over the last 7 years, the GALEX mission has expanded our understanding of the process of star formation and galaxy evolution. GALEX data, consisting of far-UV (1344-1786A) and near-UV (1771-2831A) imaging over most of the sky, and grism spectroscopy, are available to the entire astronomical community and to
Astrophysics and Space Science, 2011
The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 2007
We propose to obtain identification spectra of high redshift quasar candidates selected from 20 d... more We propose to obtain identification spectra of high redshift quasar candidates selected from 20 deg^2 of multicolor imaging taken with the BTC at the CTIO 4m telescope in November 1997 and November 1998. The primary targets are candidates for quasars at 5 < z < 6 and I < 22 chosen from VIZ imaging data. This allows for quasar selection to M_B < -24, providing a unique data set from which to calculate reliable quasar space densities and differentiate between different proposed forms of evolution in the quasar luminosity function at early epochs.
Galaxies exhibit a wide range of physical properties (eg, luminosities, colors, velocity widths, ... more Galaxies exhibit a wide range of physical properties (eg, luminosities, colors, velocity widths, star formation, gas and stellar content) and the evolutionary processes responsible for these properties are numerous and complex. Understanding which processes shape the ...
ABSTRACT By combining satellite imagery, maps, community supported data, and a powerful search te... more ABSTRACT By combining satellite imagery, maps, community supported data, and a powerful search technology, GoogleEarth allows anyone to explore, search and discover features on our planet. We want exploit this technology to provide similar access to astronomical imagery, data and related information.We will illustrate a proof of concept astronomical interface that invokes protocols and formats currently employed for Earth data by GoogleEarth. Our experiment demonstrates how community supplied and hosted data such as that provided by the National Virtual Observatory, can be revealed on top of the GoogleEarth application.
ABSTRACT Scientific visualization involves the presentation of interactive or animated digital im... more ABSTRACT Scientific visualization involves the presentation of interactive or animated digital images for interpretation of potentially huge quantities of observed or simulated data. Astronomy Visualization has been a tool used to convey astrophysical concepts and the data obtained to probe the cosmos. With the emergence of large astrophysical data archives, improvements in computational power and new technologies for the desktop, visualization of astronomical data is being considered as a new tool for exploration of data archives with a goal to enhance education and public understanding of science. We will present results of some exploratory work in the use of visualization technologies from the perspective of education and outreach. These tools are also being developed to facilitate scientists' use of such large data repositories as well.