The Software Behind the Stars: How did Frank Marek's SETI Astro Suite Pro become the go-to tool for image processing?

This episode dives into the world of astrophotography and the software that powers it, featuring Frank Marek, the creator of SETI Astro Suite Pro. We explore his journey from Navy veteran to astrophotography developer and his commitment to making advanced image processing accessible to everyone.

00:02:53 - The Ritual: Sharing a Drink

00:15:20 - Introduction to Frank Marek

00:28:10 - Astrophotography Journey: From Navy to Hobby

00:45:30 - Seti Astro Suite Pro Development

01:00:19 - YouTube Channel and Content Creation

01:06:32 - Thumbnail Creation and Props

01:08:05 - Surprise at Community Growth

01:13:52 - Encouragement for New Astrophotographers

- Frank's transition from Navy nuclear power to astrophotography

- The importance of community support and user feedback in software development

- The role of AI in creating and improving astrophotography tools

- The significance of accessible and affordable equipment for newcomers to the hobby

- The science behind color theory and its application in image processing

- SETI Astro Suite Pro

- Pix Insight

- AI and machine learning in astrophotography

- Color theory and chroma vs. saturation

- Robotic telescopes like Sea Stars

- NINA acquisition software

- SETIAstro.com

- SETI Astro Discord

- Frank Marek's YouTube channel

- GPU-accelerated Riemann–Siegel Z scanner (whaaaaa?)

- That YouTube video where we talk about the nature of the Galaxy

# Join the Current

So download SETI Astro Suite Pro, grab your drink for The Ritual, and join us as we take a trip down Frank Marek's tributary of the Star River!

How does an observatory thrive amidst urban lights?

Explore the challenges and triumphs of the University of New Mexico Observatory, nestled in the heart of Albuquerque. Observatory Director Jessica Dowell and her husband, Jayce Dowell discuss the observatory's history, outreach efforts, and the quest for a darker sky site.

00:02:53 - The Ritual: Sharing a Drink

00:11:08 - Challenges of Light Pollution and City Expansion

00:22:20 - Visual Astronomy and Public Outreach

00:31:04 - Dreams for the Observatory

00:38:00 - Public Reactions to Observing Nights

00:45:30 - Optical Telescopes and Research Instruments

00:52:00 - Historical Context and Future Plans

• The observatory's 72-year-old building faces encroaching city lights and infrastructure.
• Friday night open houses engage the public and students with telescopes and starry skies.
• Efforts to restore a 26-inch telescope for research and educational purposes.
• Balancing accessibility and research goals in a changing urban landscape.
• The importance of community outreach and fundraising for the observatory's future.

• Encroaching city lights
• Public outreach and education
• Restoration of old telescopes
• Dark sky sites
• ADA accessibility
• Radio astronomy vs. optical astronomy

• University of New Mexico Observatory
• Albuquerque Astronomical Society
• Long Wavelength Array
• Dark Sky International

So visit the University of New Mexico Observatory's website, grab your drink for The Ritual, and join us as we take a trip down Jessica and Jayce Dowell's tributary of the Star River!

What does it mean to look at the the entire sky all at once in radio waves?

This episode dives into the world of radio astronomy with Dr. Jayce Dowell, research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and a leading scientist for the Long Wavelength Array (LWA). Unlike the VLA the LWA explores the entire visible sky all at once, and electronics and software give it unique abilities and views of the universe. I met him at the LWA-2 facility at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge.

00:02:34 - Touring the Long Wavelength Array at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge

00:07:56 - Electronic Beamforming, All-Sky Imaging, and LWA Resolution

00:15:03 - LWA Ground Planes, Lightning Protection, and Air Force Experiments

00:24:12 - Inside the LWA Electronics Shelter: Fiber, Cable Delays, and Calibration

00:30:55 - RF Shielding, Custom Boards, FPGA Digitizers, and GPU Processing

00:43:45 - Formal Introduction to Dr. Jayce Dowell and the Long Wavelength Array

00:50:24 - LWA TV: All-Sky Images and Watching the Radio Sky

00:56:13 - Growing the LWA Network and Building a Backyard Station

01:00:04 - Software-Defined Radio, Hydrogen Line Astronomy, and Amateur Radio

01:07:25 - Seeing a Different Universe: Searching for Exoplanet Magnetospheres

01:14:59 - A Lunar Far-Side Radio Array and the Cosmic Dawn

01:18:18 - Dr. Jayce Dowell's Career Path and the Origins of His Work with LWA

• The LWA captures low-frequency radio waves, providing a different perspective on celestial objects.
• Interference from Earth and the ionosphere pose significant challenges for radio astronomy.
• The LWA's ability to detect solar flares and Jupiter's radio emissions highlights its scientific value.
• The concept of the LWA Swarm aims to expand the array's capabilities by involving multiple institutions.
• Citizen science projects like e-Callisto allow individuals to contribute to solar monitoring.

• Daguerreotypes
• Epoch of reionization
• Cosmic dawn
• VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array)
• Interference
• Ionosphere

• Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge
• LWA TV
• e-Callisto
• NASA Sunrise mission

So explore the LWA's unique view of the cosmos, grab your drink for The Ritual, and join us as we take a trip down Dr. Dowell's tributary of the Star River!

About Dr Jayce Dowell

Dr. Dowell is a Research Assistant Professor in Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico and a core scientist behind the Long Wavelength Array (LWA). Specialized in low-frequency radio astronomy, Jayce focuses on understanding cosmic phenomena ranging from solar radio bursts and planetary ionospheres to cosmic rays and transient radio sources.

Beyond observational research, he plays a key role in the software development, data processing pipelines, and operations that keep the LWA stations (LWA1 at the VLA and LWA-SV in Sevilleta) capturing the long-wavelength universe.

Watch LWA TV and see the sky like you've never seen it!

What does it take to see the surface features of distant stars or track satellites in deep space? In this episode we sit down with Professor Michelle Creech-Ekman, Professor of Physics and Project Scientist at New Mexico Tech. From her roots in North Dakota to her pivotal work at JPL on the Keck Interferometer, Dr. Creech-Ekman shares her journey and her current groundbreaking project: the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer (MROI).

Perched 10,500 feet high in central New Mexico, the MROI is a engineering marvel. We dive deep into the tech behind this massive optical and infrared array, including:

• High-Precision Engineering: Custom Belgian-built altitude-altitude mounted telescopes and Italian "squashed" domes that can be relocated across 28 stations in just four hours.
• Extreme Resolution: How "optical trombones" in a light vacuum delay line allow the array to achieve spatial resolution down to half a milliarcsecond—roughly 90 times sharper than the angular size of Betelgeuse.
• Cutting-Edge Science: The observatory's historic milestone of reaching first fringes on July 12th, and its mission to image starspots, track expanding supernovas, and monitor objects in geosynchronous orbit.

Plus, Dr. Creech-Ekman reflects on her passion for inspiring the next generation of scientists, the importance of human spaceflight, and why maintaining a sense of wonder is vital.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation on human ingenuity, big tech, and reaching for the stars! BONUS - find out what the shape of a wire suspended between two poles is called!

As we pull up stakes on the Plains of San Augustin and wrap up our time with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, let's take a quick pit stop to reflect on our journey so far and set the stage for what's coming next on the Enchanted Frequencies Mission to New Mexico.

In this interlude episode, I preview the next leg of the expedition:

• 🏔️ Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer (MROI): Bleeding-edge optical and infrared astronomy at 10,600 feet.
• 📡 The Long Wavelength Array (LWA): Listening to the universe at the lowest radio frequencies from vast fields of dipole antennas.
• 🎓 University of New Mexico Observatory: Bridging academic science, student training, and community stargazing.
• 🔭 The Grand Finale with John Briggs: A marathon sit-down with the astronomical historian and founder of the Magdalena Astronomical Lyceum.

Take a breath, catch up on any VLA episodes you've missed, refresh your glass, and get ready for the next bend in the river!

Join the Community & Support Outreach:

• 🌌 Explore More: Visit thestarriver.com for episodes, reviews, and to join our Discord community!
• 🍸 The Deep Sky Hotline: Have a cocktail/mocktail recipe for my space-themed fundraiser booklet or a question for a future guest? Call 855-DEEP-SKY (855-333-7759) and leave me a message!

Clear skies, and we'll see you in the dark!

Can a star make a cookie and searching for techno- and bio-signatures to find signs of extraterrestrial life.

What do cosmic cookies, giant space spectrometers, and artificial intelligence in deep space have in common? They're all part of the daily work of Dr. Chenoa Tremblay, project scientist with the SETI Institute, Breakthrough Listen, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

In this episode of The Star River Podcast, host Eric Loyd sits down with Dr. Tremblay to explore the cutting edge of astrochemistry and the modern search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). From her unconventional journey starting out in laboratory chemistry testing dirt samples to hunting for complex molecules and technosignatures with world-class radio telescopes, Chenoa shares a mind-bending look at how we listen to the universe.

In this episode, we explore:

• Cosmic Chemistry: How stars bake the ingredients for life - and cookies!
• Physics in the Vacuum: Why atoms actually grow bigger in the near-vacuum of interstellar space.
• Technosignatures vs. Biosignatures: Why SETI is looking for cosmic "Wall-E" robots and technological waste rather than little green men.
• The Power of Radio Astronomy: How arrays like the VLA, MeerKAT, and more process massive streams of data to hunt for artificial signals.
• The Human Side of Science: Transitioning from lab tech to lead scientist, and making space science accessible to everyone.

With a quick detour to the Wow! signal, and a fast jaunt to Asteroid (514107) 2015 BZ509, grab your favorite drink, join us for the Ritual, and take a trip down Dr. Tremblay's tributary of the Star River!

What happens when you leave the high-stakes, "level-10 emergencies" of political campaign management to find your center among the stars? In this episode, I sit down with Corrina Jaramillo-Feldman, Senior Public Information Officer for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) VLA, VLBA, and ngVLA. Together, we navigate her fascinating, meandering journey from running statewide campaigns to translating the invisible, silent data sets of radio astronomy for the global public.

As I continue my Enchanted Frequencies series of episodes from New Mexico, I saved the best for last. Corrina opens up about occupying the liminal spaces of identity, the liberating power of "cheerful nihilism" under a pitch-black Santa Fe sky, and the exciting future of the Next Generation Learning Center at the VLA. It's a deep, soulful conversation about public policy, workforce development, and remembering the sacred magic of being small.

• The "Cheerful Nihilist" Perspective: Discover how a childhood solar system book and a spooky, dark house on a Santa Fe mountain shaped Corrina's unique, joyful framework for handling life's heaviest moments.
• Sneak Peek at the Future of Space Education: Learn how the upcoming Next Generation Learning Center at the VLA is going K-12, expanding into adult trades, and transforming New Mexico into a premier global hub for workforce development.
• A Call to Action for Citizen Science: Hear Corrina's passionate defense of the permanence of science funding, why your phone calls to representatives matter, and how everyday people can protect the future of space exploration.

Whether you are looking to reconnect with your own sense of wonder or want a fascinating peek behind the curtain of the world's most advanced radio telescopes, this conversation is the perfect antidote to the noise of everyday life. From political campaigns to the hum of the cosmos, Corrina's journey reminds us just how beautiful and liberating it is to be small. So grab a glass of your favorite drink, settle in for our Ritual, and join us on the banks of the river for an unforgettable journey into the deep cosmic stream. You won't want to miss this splash!

Remember that the Deep-Sky Hotline is always open at 855-DEEP-SKY (855-333-7759) if you want to leave a question or share your own stargazing rituals. If you want to join the crew, unlock our private Discord channels, and claim one of the few remaining limited-edition Enchanted Frequencies mission stickers, head over to astropotamus.com/support.

Until the next bend in the River, clear skies, and I'll see you in the dark!

Gather around the campfire, fellow Star River navigators! In this episode, we sit down with Signe Mason, an Operations Specialist at the world-renowned Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico and an astrophysics researcher simulating black holes at Northwestern University for part 2 of her journey down the River.

I continue my conversation with Signe, from the outdoor patio at the Capital Bar and Grill in Socorro, complete with interruptions, sirens, and train horns. Now with more people! The editing on this one got a little wonky because I actually ended part 1 prior to our break, but it was a better place to split the conversatios. So in this "end of part 1 plus part 2,", we look at what made young Signe tick, why astrophysics was the farthest thing from her mind, and how she thinks that overcoming adversiy is what makes us thrive.

Don't forget to listen to part 1 of my conversation with Signe, where the River starts its journey, and the bar was quieter!

Grab a drink, join the current, and see where the river continues takes us.

• Dance: What does ballet have to do with running the receivers at the VLA?
• Perserverance: Did you know that overcoming crushing, emotional and physical defeat can make you a better person? Signe does.
• The Future: It won't be long after this episode airs that Signe starts the next chapter of her life. Find out what it will be.

Remember that the Deep-Sky Hotline is always open at 855-DEEP-SKY (855-333-7759) if you want to leave a question or share your own stargazing rituals. If you want to join the crew, unlock our private Discord channels, and claim one of the few remaining limited-edition Enchanted Frequencies mission stickers, head over to astropotamus.com/support.

Until the next bend in the River, clear skies, and I'll see you in the dark!