A pilot program to promote astronomical observations from a Defense Department/Air Force observatory was conducted under a 2-year grant funded by NSF and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The AEOS (Advanced Electro Optical System) facility has a 3.7 meter telescope on Mt. Haleakala, Hawaii, an ideal site for imaging experiments to study the sodium and potassium exospheres of the jovian moons Io and Europa. With the scientific goals of (1) investigating the latitude and orbital phase dependence of jets of high speed Na from Io's anti-Jupiter hemisphere, and (2) obtaining the first set of 2-D images of Europa's exospheric appearance, several types of observing modes were tried. An extensive series of observations are in hand from four separate runs at AEOS, and this project will perform a comprehensive data analysis and modeling effort on those data. The datasets to be examined include times with (a) adaptive optics (AO) on without HDI (i.e., classic coronagraphic imaging), (b) with AO and HDI both being used to see if HDI can improve images when AO cannot cope with poor seeing conditions, and (c) with AO-off as a test of pure HDI on a large telescope. Thus, there is a rich selection of data for signal processing algorithm development and testing, as well as for state-of-the-art planetary science on transient atmospheres and the sources of surface-boundary exospheres in the jovian system.
The research group's commitment to education and outreach activities is demonstrated through a new program of observatory Open Night discussion sessions for the general public. They will use researcher and student involvement in mini-lectures about HDI and Jovian science as a way to promote informal education both in technology areas and about the Solar System to the broad spectrum of visitors to the Boston University Observatory each month. ***
