For immediate release
Author: Dr. Gianluca Masi
Email: [log in to unmask]
The Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory announces the
organization of the "2nd Virtual Meeting on Modern
Astronomy" (ViMMA) to celebrate the first 10 years of
activity of its website. To register online, just check the
section of interest below.
Three years after its innovative introduction, the Bellatrix
Observatory launches the second edition of the Virtual
Meeting on Modern Astronomy (formerly "Virtual Meeting on
Amateur Astronomy"), a revolutionary idea making possible to
both professional and amateur astronomers to virtually meet
and discuss projects, ideas and discoveries. Thanks to
modern technologies, participants will have no needs to
physically meet somewhere on the globe, as all the meeting
(including presentations, questions and answers) will be
hosted by the Bellatrix Observatory website
(www.bellatrixobservatory.org), as for the previous edition.
This way, people will join at the most comfortable time and
with the lowest costs, this helping less advantaged people
participating to this international meeting.
In 2004 more than 150 participants, both professional and
amateur astronomers, joined the first edition and the
“proceedings” of that meeting are still available on the
web (http://www.bellatrixobservatory.org/cvaa_en.html) and
had more than 45,000 accesses since then. Many impressive
projects and studies were introduced by individuals very
active in the field.
This second edition, recording a change in the name of the
event, comes to celebrate a very important anniversary: the
first 10 years of activity of the Bellatrix Observatory
website, started on 30 april 1997, when a unforgettable
comet Hale-Bopp was leaving the sky after a great show. By
chance, while this first circular is issued, another
memorable comet is still shining out there, C/2006 P1 –
McNaught. That site is now one of the oldest in Italy
offering astronomical contents and very likely the private
one which recorded the largest number of visitors since
then: 2.5 millions of UNIQUE VISITORS, with about 15
millions of pages served in the same time span. An amazing
record for a private, astronomical website in Italy!
A new version for the Observatory’s website will be
presented on the opening day.
So, the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory announces the
“2nd Virtual Meeting on Modern Astronomy”.
It will open on 14th of May and will last for two weeks.
Astronomers (both professional and amateurs) are welcome to
join the Meeting, as well as people having less obvious
relationships with astronomy. The Meeting will be in
English.
FIELDS OF INTEREST. As for the previous edition, the Meeting
will offer many different sessions. Some of the areas of
interest are:
- History of Astronomy;
- Professionals and Amateurs joint projects;
- Communication of Astronomy and Education;
- Visual Observations (techniques, special observations,
..);
- Technologies;
- Light Pollution;
- CCD Astronomy;
- Digital Astronomy (webcams, digicams, ...);
- Celestial Mechanics and Computation in Astronomy;
- Observing Techniques (astrometry, photometry,
spectroscopy, ...);
- Data reduction;
- Astrophotography;
- Research Activities (Variable Stars, Asteroids, Novae,
Supernovae, GRBs, comets, Sun, ...);
- Astronomical Software;
- Astronomical Instruments;
- Astronomical Observatories;
- Associations.
CONTRIBUTIONS. Authors wishing to send their contribution
(even multiple ones) are kindly asked to send an abstract to
the Organizing Committee ([log in to unmask]) -
within 31 March 2007 – for evaluation; then, a complete
version in html of the presentation (if accepted) will be
due no later than 30 April 2007. An html template will be
made available and only presentations matching the template
will be published. Authors can even send pdf and ppt files,
but TOGETHER with the html version (and the pfd/ppt files
will be available from their html page).
REGISTRATION. To register, both authors and participants
need to submit their application here:
http://www.bellatrixobservatory.org/ViMMA2registration.html
providing the requested data (name, surname and a valid
email address are mandatory). These data will be used to
prepare a list of participants (without publishing the email
address). Participants will be included in a mailing list
announcing all the news related to the meeting.
The forum will require a separate registration, once the
service will be made available on the opening day. This to
limit unwanted "noise".
Registration and participation are free of charges.
SPONSORS. Sponsors wishing to provide financial support are
welcome. The Organizing Committee
([log in to unmask]) is available for details.
DISCLAIMER. The Observatory is absolutely not responsible
for the contents of the published contributions: the full
responsibility is of the authors.
The Organizing Committee ([log in to unmask]) is
available for any question.
This first Circular mainly wants to introduce this new
edition of the Meeting and further details will follows, as
well as the presentation of the new web corner for the
event.
Hoping that this meeting will be fruitful and enjoyable, I
wish to you the very best.
Dr. Gianluca Masi
For the Organizing Committee
10 Feb. 2007
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