Information Handling in Astronomy

The pilot boat just moved away and'its lights are already fading towards the coast of Northeastern Queensland over which Saturn is going to set. There is still quite some time to go before dawn. The big ship has now regained her cruise speed following its roughly northwesterly route in the South Coral Sea along the chain of nearby reefs. Few people are around at this time, except a dozen early birds sharing some 'shipshaping' exercise on the top deck and taking advantage of the relative coolness of the night. On my way down to the stateroom, I cannot but stop once more in front of that elegant composition by British artist Brigid Collins (1963-) hanging in the monumental staircase between Decks 7 and 8. That piece 2 of art, a 1.8x 1.8m oil on canvas plus collage entitled Berinl in honour of the Danish explorer, gathers together many navigation-related themes of the time: Suns, Moons, planets, sky maps, astrolabes, small telescopes, as well as drawings, diagrams and charts of all kinds. It is somehow a digest of how astronomical information was then collected, made available, and used.

Klappentext

This book offers a unique review of how astronomical information is handled, made available and tuned to various audiences, including education and public outreach. The information flow in astronomy is indeed illustrated from sources (cosmic objects) to end (mankind's knowledge). The experts contributing to this book have done their best to write in a way understandable to readers not necessarily hyperspecialized in astronomy, while providing specific detailed information as well as plenty of pointers and bibliographical elements. Especially enlightening are those `lessons learned' sections where authors make a critical review of the experience gained. This book will be read by researchers, teachers, editors, publishers, librarians, computer scientists, project managers, public relations officers, plus those in charge of astronomy-related institutions and associations, as well as all persons interested in the impact of mankind's understanding of the universe on society at large.

Inhalt
Information in astronomy: The role of the IAU.- Astronomy and the news media.- Public outreach in astronomy: The ESO experience.- New frontiers in NASA data management.- The FITS experience: Lessons learned.- The use of the IRAF system at NOAO.- Starlink: Astronomical computing in the United Kingdom.- Computer-assisted context analysis of databases containing scientific literature.- Computational astronomy: Current directions and future perspectives.- Information handling for the Hubble Space, Telescope.- To be editor in chief of a primary scientific journal: From manual work to electronic publication.- Astronomy libraries 2000: Context, coordination, cooperation.- Astronomy education: Description, organization, and information.- Astronomy teaching at the Open University.- The role of the planetarium.- Data handling in the AAVSO: An example from a large organization of amateur astronomers.- From data files to information hubs: Beyond technologies and methodologies.