[vsnet-chat 1635] Re: plate archives

[aah@nofs.navy.mil]

  Brian's suggestion of scanning the 6500 Pluto Camera plates
sounds like a good thing to do, and I hope someone scans them
someday.  I think Dave has considered the project (at least,
I remember overhearing the phase 'Pluto Camera' on occasion),
but I don't know the outcome.  We (meaning mostly Dave, of
course; the staff gets involved by changing plates) have
just finished the Lick Northern Proper Motion Survey plates
and are getting ready to scan the SPM.  Machines can generate
far more numbers than humans can comprehend; someday, all
of these billions of detections will result in some science.
Plates have the obvious advantage of compact long-term
archival, but they are certainly not computer-friendly.
  If anyone goes to the Sonneberg meeting, I'd like to
hear a summary of the meeting, either privately or over
the maillist.  Data mining is getting to be a hot topic
in astronomy.
Arne

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