Amateur astronomers who want to enhance their capabilities to contribute to science need look
no farther than this guide to using remote observatories. The contributors cover how to build
your own remote observatory as well as the existing infrastructure of commercial networks of
remote observatories that are available to the amateur. They provide specific advice on which
programs to use based on your project objectives and offer practical project suggestions.
Remotely controlled observatories have many advantages-the most obvious that the observer does
not have to be physically present to carry out observations. Such an observatory can also be
used more fully because its time can be scheduled and usefully shared among several astronomers
working on different observing projects. More and more professional-level observatories are
open to use by amateurs in this way via the Internet and more advanced amateur astronomers can
even build their own remote observatories for sharing among members of a society or interest
group. Endorsements: Remote Observatories for Amateur Astronomers Using High-Powered Telescopes
from Home by Jerry Hubbell Rich Williams and Linda Billard is a unique contribution
centering on computer-controlled private observatories owned by amateur astronomers and
commercialized professional-amateur observatories where observing time to collect data can be
purchased. Before this book trying to piece together all of the necessary elements and
processes that make up a remotely operated observatory was daunting. The authors and
contributors have provided in this single publication a wealth of information gained from
years of experience that will save you considerable money and countless hours in trying to
develop such an observatory. If you follow the methods and processes laid out in this book and
choose to build your own remotely operated observatory or decide to become a regular user of
one of the commercial networks you will not only join an elite group of advanced astronomers
who make regular submissions to science but you will become a member of an ancient fraternity.
Your high-technology observatory will contain a high-powered telescope no matter how large it
is and from the comfort of home you can actively contribute to the work that started in
pre-history to help uncover the secrets of the cosmos. Scott Roberts Founder and President
Explore Scientific LLC. In the past three and a half decades since I first became involved
with remote observatories the use of remote unmanned telescopes at fully automated
observatories has advanced from a very rare approach for making astronomical observations to an
increasingly dominant mode for observation among both professional and amateur astronomers. I
am very pleased to see this timely book being published on the topic. I highly recommend this
book to readers because it not only covers the knowledge needed to becomean informed user of
existing remote observatories but also describes what you need to know to develop your own
remote observatory. It draws on more than two decades of remote observatory operation and
networking by coauthor Rich Williams as he developed the Sierra Stars Observatory Network
(SSON) into the world-class network it is today. This book is the ideal follow-on to coauthor
Jerry Hubbell's book Scientific Astrophotography (Springer 2012). Remote observatories have a
bright future opening up astronomy to a new and much larger generation of professional
amateur and student observers. Machines and humans can and do work well together. I hope you
enjoy reading this book as much as I have and will take advantage of the developments over the
past several decades by the many pioneers of remote observatories. Russ Genet PhD. California
Polytechnic State University Observing Saturn for the first time is a memory that stays with us
for the rest of our li
