CARMEL-BASED MIDWEST GEOSCIENCES CREATES ONE OF A KIND TELESCOPE FOR SAFE VIEWING ON APRIL 8

CARMEL, IN: Midwest GeoSciences Group has built a one-of-a-kind telescope for safely witnessing the anticipated Total Solar Eclipse on April 8 and in a partnership with the City of Carmel, will bring the telescope to the city’s official viewing event at Carmel City Hall.

People can witness the eclipse from anywhere around the world and without looking directly at the sun, thanks to a special viewing station that will be set up to capture the image of the sun and then transmit it on a live streaming platform that will be shared both on the ground and across the globe.

“Eclipse Glasses seem to be available everywhere now, but if you’re participating in the on-site festivities at City Hall, you’ll be able to look at this unique equipment and watch the real-time solar eclipse on a large TV monitor,” said Dan Kelleher, Geologist and President of Midwest GeoSciences.

The viewing station will use Smart Telescope Technology to capture the image of the sun and then electronically transmit it to a platform accessible online. That means that anyone can login to the internet and witness the real-time eclipse progression from Carmel. The weblink will be provided on the City of Carmel Website on April 1.

Kelleher searched different telescope manufacturing companies for the latest imagery technology after he realized that a pin-point mirror reflection would fail to provide a practical eclipse image at the large image scale Dan envisioned. Astronomics Inc., from Norman, Oklahoma had the answer, pointing Kelleher to a new “first-generation” Smart Telescope Technology using an imaging system called Seestar S50.  This apparatus calibrates itself to Earth Geometry Coordinates allowing self-search and targeting of space objects.  

Sun image taken on 23FEB2024.  Sunspots visible.

At nighttime, the powerful Seestar S50 is a remarkable tool for easily finding and photographing deep-space objects. It comes with a solar filter that works perfectly for capturing images of the sun and its surface. Solar flares and sunspots are visible real time using the solar filter.

Plus, if you’re participating in the on-site festivities at City Hall, you’ll be able to look at this unique equipment and watch the real-time solar eclipse on a large TV monitor.  Eclipse Glasses seem to be available everywhere now, but the monitor screen allows an alternative to watch the eclipse without glasses.

CHALLENGES IN BUILDING THIS SMART TELESCOPE FOR LIVE STREAMING 

The process for live streaming is a sequence of firmwares, Apps and softwares leading ultimately to YouTube Live.  The Seestar S50 uses Bluetooth with the iPad for operation which restricts some Apps for live streaming.   Thanks to a team of IT professionals working together, we found the answer for transmitting the live stream of the telescope imagery. Luckily persistence prevailed and today we are able to stream a live broadcast of this specialized Smart Telescope.

FREE LECTURE AT CARMEL LIBRARY

Midwest GeoSciences Group is hosting a Pre-Eclipse Lecture at the Carmel Clay Public Library on Sunday, April 7 featuring two lectures by experts in their field:

ECLIPSES AND CELESTIAL BODIES: Shining a Light on History and Science during this Magical Moment of Darkness, with Dr. Tom Sale, Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering and Past Director of the Center for Hydrology in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University.

SETI: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - Perspectives of an Earth Scientist, with Dr. Donna Jurdy, Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University.

ABOUT MIDWEST GEOSCIENCES GROUP

Midwest GeoSciences Group is based in Carmel, Indiana and was founded in 1996 by Dan Kelleher and Tim Kemmis, professional geologists and recognized experts in their field. The organization offers high-level training to hydrogeologic, environmental, and engineering professionals mainly around the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia.  “MidwestGeo” also performs professional consulting services to help solve complex ground water problems.

MORE INFORMATION

Midwest GeoSciences Group prepared a schedule of events that are happening in and around Carmel:

https://midwestgeo.com/solareclipse2024/index.php

MEDIA CONTACT

Dan McFeely, Midwest GeoSciences Group,  mcfeely@midwestgeo.com or by phone, 317.847.9266.

Free stickers are available at:
https://midwestgeo.com/solareclipse2024/index.php

First idea for a viewing station was the traditional pin-point mirror reflection but the image remains small (and projects far away) even using high-precision optics.

Pictured is a set up with more experimenting with mirror sizes, reflection strategies, and experimental optics.