UCSC acquires powerful new astrophysics supercomputer system
TIM STEPHENS
The Hyades astrophysics computer system, seen from the front (left) and back (right), is the primary on-campus supercomputer used by astrophysics researchers in the departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Physics, as well as by computer scientists in the Baskin School of Engineering. PHOTO/P. Madau)
State-of-the-art computer systems have been instrumental in making UC Santa Cruz one of the world’s leading centers for computational astrophysics and planetary science. A new supercomputer recently installed on campus provides an order of magnitude improvement in the ability of researchers to address fundamental questions in cosmology and astrophysics. Its value is further enhanced by a high-capacity data storage system for archiving and sharing the results of astrophysical simulations.
The powerful new “Hyades” supercomputer will be used by UCSC researchers to simulate phenomena such as exploding stars, black holes, magnetic fields, planet formation, the evolution of galaxies, and how structure emerged in the cosmos after the big bang. The $1.5 million machine was funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation grant of $910,000, augmented by campus contributions and favorable deals from vendors such as Dell and Intel.
Physorg for more
Mixing Art and Astrophysics, Students Explore the Universe
by LESLIE HARRIS O’HANLON
or centuries, people have been blending science with art to create new and imaginative creations. Leonardo di Vinci did this most notably with Vitruvian Man, a world-famous sketch that drew on his interest and knowledge of human anatomy. John James Audubon melded his knowledge of art, the wilderness and birds to develop detailed pictures and paintings of North American birds. And James Calder used engineering to create sculptures and mobiles, huge and small, which grace public spaces in this country and abroad.
Now students, with a few keystrokes on their computer can try their own hand at mixing science with art by controlling small telescopes that take pictures of planets, stars, galaxies, asteroids, nebulas and other astronomical objects. They can then use those images to create their own artistic renditions of the cosmos through the MicroObservatory Robotic Telescope Network, a group of five automated telescopes controlled online.
Users can control field of view, exposure time, and a filter for those telescopes and take pictures of certain targets up at night, including Jupiter and other planets, moons, asteroids and the Milky Way. The pictures are e-mailed to users within 24 to 48 hours. With free downloadable software, users can then process and enhance those images in a number of ways to create astronomical artwork.
“The sky belongs to everyone,” said Mary Dussault, a science education program manager at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Boston, and a presenter at a recent online conference for educators about classroom applications of the micro observatory program. “One of the nice things about having a telescope of your own online to use at any time is that you start to develop a relationship with the sky that I imagine people have always had in the past. It’s neat to develop that relationship through technology.”
KQED for more