About the I.A.P.P.P.

ABOUT THE IAPPP

A new organization, called International Amateur-Professional Photoelectric Photometry = I.A.P.P.P. was formed in June 1980 in Fairborn, Ohio by Douglas S. Hall and Russell M. Genet at the time of the first I.A.P.P.P. Symposium. The proceedings of that Symposium, which was held at the Fairborn Observatory and the Apollo Observatory in the Dayton Museum of Natural History, were published as issue No. 1 of the I.A.P.P.P. Communications. To view this issue, click on "The First Issue".

The role of I.A.P.P.P. is to facilitate collaborative astronomical research between amateur, student, and professional astronomers by providing a medium for the exchange of practical information not normally discussed at symposia or published in other journals.

To learn how to become involved with this venture, click on "Joining the IAPPP". In addition to amateur, professional, and student astronomers, we invite professors at small colleges with no astronomy department as well as science libraries at any college or university.

Before going into how I.A.P.P.P. does its work, let me make something perfectly clear. Photometry with a CCD chip is, it simply is, photoelectric photometry. As such, CCD photometry is fully embraced by I.A.P.P.P, and was since Day One, when chips cost tens of thousands of dollars. The photoelectric effect is a physical phenomenon wherein a photon of light (photo...) is converted into an electron (...electric). Photoelectric photometry began (in 1892) as "single-channel photometry", in which the intensity of a single point source of light is measured. A CCD chip allows for two-dimensional photometry, simultaneous measurement of as many points of light as there are pixels on the chip. There is no other difference. The I.A.P.P.P. Communications have contained dozens and dozens of articles, letters to the editors, meeting announcements, etc. pertaining to CCD photometry.

Photoelectric photometry embraces any type of photometry that relies on the photoelectric effect. Thus it includes wavelengths other than the visible band pass, such as gamma, x-ray, far ultraviolet, infrared, microwave, and radio. It also includes spectrophotometry, where the light is spread out by wavelength before being subjected to photometry.

The power of the photoelectric effect is its linearity, i.e., the fact that the output (in the form of electrical voltage or amperage) is strictly proportional to the input (the intensity of photon flux from the light source). The only two types of photometry not embraced by I.A.P.P.P. are photographic photometry and visual photometry, because the photographic emulsion and the human eye both lack that sine qua non of linearity.

Collaboration between amateur and professional astronomers is facilitated by diverse mechanisms:

1. Foremost is the quarterly publication the I.A.P.P.P. Communications. For details and specifics, click on "About the IAPPP Communications".

2. I.A.P.P.P. encourages and hosts so-called "I.A.P.P.P. Symposia". These are held in any part of the U.S. where interest in this activity arises, as well as in any other country. Click on "IAPPP Symposia" for a list of all Symposia that have been held to date, in the U.S. and in other countries. Some I.A.P.P.P. Symposia include hands-on, how-to workshops in the techniques of photoelectric photometry, often with night-time, behind-the-telescope observing and collecting of data.

I.A.P.P.P., as an organization, can provide a subsidy of up to $500.00 to the host of any I.A.P.P.P. Symposium that does not break even in actual expenses.

3. For many years the I.A.P.P.P. Communications included a feature called "Papers Published by Amateurs" that listed papers published in mainstream astronomical journals, involving the technique of photoelectric photometry, and authored or co-authored by amateur astronomers. This on-going list demonstrates to the world that amateurs can be and have been contributing research scientists.

Lately this list has not been kept up to date in the Communications so the Co-Editors are relocating this feature to a page on the I.A.P.P.P. web site. Click on "Scientific Papers Published by Amateurs" to learn how you can add to this list and bring it up to date.

4. For many years the I.A.P.P.P. Communications included a feature called "Announcements" that listed up-coming symposia, colloquia, conferences, workshops, star parties, schools, and other meetings of interest to photoelectric photometrists, both national and international.

Lately this feature has not been kept up to date in a timely fashion so the Co-Editors are relocating this feature to a page on the I.A.P.P.P. web site. Click on "Announcements" to keep yourself up to date and also to learn how you can submit relevant announcements for posting.

5. Almost from the beginning, namely, in I.A.P.P.P. Communication No. 3 (December 1980), I.A.P.P.P. Committees were born. Over the next few years, volunteers stepped forward to chair those Committees, and Committee Reports were published from time to time in the Communications. Click on "IAPPP Committees" to learn more. We must say, however, that Committee activity has waned in recent years.

6. Letters to the Editors have appeared as a feature in the Communications, also since Communication No. 3 (December 1980). They have served to handle input that members did not feel warranted a full-blown article. Later, namely, in Communication No. 31 (March 1988), a related feature, called the I.A.P.P.P. Forum, was begun. As with the Papers Published by Amateurs and the Announcements, we have decided to re-locate the Letters to the Editors to a page on the I.A.P.P.P. web site. Click on "Letters to Editors" to learn how you can submit your letters, now with more rapid response time.

7. Notices of equipment, telescopes, books, etc. for sale by members or wanted by members never was a separate feature in the Communications. Such notices were handled as Letters to the Editors. The I.A.P.P.P. web site, however, now has a new web page to deal solely with such notices. Click on "Equipment Exchange for Members" to learn how you can post your own notice, if you are an I.A.P.P.P. member.

8. An editorial in Communication No. 26 (December 1986) announced the establishment of I.A.P.P.P. Wings "to facilitate really effective interaction on the relatively local level". In the years following, wings sprouted in two dozen countries. Many of the Wing Leaders have had Wing Reports published in the Communications. Moreover, many of the Wings have been directly responsible for organizing and hosting I.A.P.P.P. Symposia. Click on "IAPPP Wings" to learn more. We must say, however, that Wing activity has fallen off in recent years.

9. As announced in Communication No. 44 (June 1991) I.A.P.P.P. has established an annual "Special Award for Student Research in Astronomy", to be given to the outstanding student exhibitor at the International Science and Engineering Fair (I.S.E.F.) each year. The first was awarded in 1991, at the 42nd Annual I.S.E.F. As announced in Commmunication No. 57 (September 1994) this award was renamed the "I.A.P.P.P. Richard D. Lines Special Award in Astronomy", with the first under this new name made in 1994 at the 45th I.S.E.F. To learn more, click on "The Richard D. Lines Award at the ISEF".

10. The latest mechanism whereby collaboration between amateurs and professionals is facilitated is this web site itself, which you are viewing right now. It contains features never appearing in the Communications. Examples are:

a. Links to astronomical organizations
b. Links concerning photoelectric photometry
c. Books concerning photoelectric photometry
d. Articles concerning photoelectric photometry
e. Variable stars discovered by amateurs
f. Lost members of the I.A.P.P.P.
g. Deceased members of the I.A.P.P.P.
h. Current publication status of the Communications
i. The complete book "PEP Manual" by Jeffrey L. Hopkins
j. Equipment exchange for I.A.P.P.P. members

So, how can you become more involved in I.A.P.P.P. and the rewarding pursuit of photoelectric photometry. Here are a few ideas:

1. Join I.A.P.P.P. and subscribe to the Communications.
2. If your membership has lapsed, let us hear from you.
3. Encourage a colleague to join I.A.P.P.P.
4. Get your library to subscribe to the Communications.
5. Help us find a lost I.A.P.P.P. member.
6. Complete your collection of the Communications, by ordering missing back issues.
7. Submit an article to the Communications.
8. Submit a Letter to the Editors.
9. Submit a relevant Announcement.
10. Submit an entry to the Equipment Exchange.
11. Notify us of a new variable star you may have discovered.
12. Notify us of a scientific paper co-authored by an amateur.
13. Inform us of books or articles pertaining to photoelectric photometry that are not on our list.
14. Inform us of links relevant to photoelectric photometry that are not on our list.
15. Make a (tax deductible) contribution to I.A.P.P.P. 16. Organize and host an I.A.P.P.P. Symposium. .


	I.A.P.P.P. About

	ABOUT THE IAPPP A new organization, called International Amateur-Professional Photoelectric Photometry = I.A.P.P.P. was formed in June 1980 in Fairborn, Ohio by Douglas S. Hall and Russell M. Genet at the time of the first I.A.P.P.P. Symposium. The proceedings of that Symposium, which was held at the Fairborn Observatory and the Apollo Observatory in the Dayton Museum of Natural History, were published as issue No. 1 of the I.A.P.P.P. Communications. To view this issue, click on "The First Issue". The role of I.A.P.P.P. is to facilitate collaborative astronomical research between amateur, student, and professional astronomers by providing a medium for the exchange of practical information not normally discussed at symposia or published in other journals. To learn how to become involved with this venture, click on "Joining the IAPPP". In addition to amateur, professional, and student astronomers, we invite professors at small colleges with no astronomy department as well as science libraries at any college or university. Before going into how I.A.P.P.P. does its work, let me make something perfectly clear. Photometry with a CCD chip is, it simply is, photoelectric photometry. As such, CCD photometry is fully embraced by I.A.P.P.P, and was since Day One, when chips cost tens of thousands of dollars. The photoelectric effect is a physical phenomenon wherein a photon of light (photo...) is converted into an electron (...electric). Photoelectric photometry began (in 1892) as "single-channel photometry", in which the intensity of a single point source of light is measured. A CCD chip allows for two-dimensional photometry, simultaneous measurement of as many points of light as there are pixels on the chip. There is no other difference. The I.A.P.P.P. Communications have contained dozens and dozens of articles, letters to the editors, meeting announcements, etc. pertaining to CCD photometry. Photoelectric photometry embraces any type of photometry that relies on the photoelectric effect. Thus it includes wavelengths other than the visible band pass, such as gamma, x-ray, far ultraviolet, infrared, microwave, and radio. It also includes spectrophotometry, where the light is spread out by wavelength before being subjected to photometry. The power of the photoelectric effect is its linearity, i.e., the fact that the output (in the form of electrical voltage or amperage) is strictly proportional to the input (the intensity of photon flux from the light source). The only two types of photometry not embraced by I.A.P.P.P. are photographic photometry and visual photometry, because the photographic emulsion and the human eye both lack that sine qua non of linearity. Collaboration between amateur and professional astronomers is facilitated by diverse mechanisms: 1. Foremost is the quarterly publication the I.A.P.P.P. Communications. For details and specifics, click on "About the IAPPP Communications". 2. I.A.P.P.P. encourages and hosts so-called "I.A.P.P.P. Symposia". These are held in any part of the U.S. where interest in this activity arises, as well as in any other country. Click on "IAPPP Symposia" for a list of all Symposia that have been held to date, in the U.S. and in other countries. Some I.A.P.P.P. Symposia include hands-on, how-to workshops in the techniques of photoelectric photometry, often with night-time, behind-the-telescope observing and collecting of data. I.A.P.P.P., as an organization, can provide a subsidy of up to $500.00 to the host of any I.A.P.P.P. Symposium that does not break even in actual expenses. 3. For many years the I.A.P.P.P. Communications included a feature called "Papers Published by Amateurs" that listed papers published in mainstream astronomical journals, involving the technique of photoelectric photometry, and authored or co-authored by amateur astronomers. This on-going list demonstrates to the world that amateurs can be and have been contributing research scientists. Lately this list has not been kept up to date in the Communications so the Co-Editors are relocating this feature to a page on the I.A.P.P.P. web site. Click on "Scientific Papers Published by Amateurs" to learn how you can add to this list and bring it up to date. 4. For many years the I.A.P.P.P. Communications included a feature called "Announcements" that listed up-coming symposia, colloquia, conferences, workshops, star parties, schools, and other meetings of interest to photoelectric photometrists, both national and international. Lately this feature has not been kept up to date in a timely fashion so the Co-Editors are relocating this feature to a page on the I.A.P.P.P. web site. Click on "Announcements" to keep yourself up to date and also to learn how you can submit relevant announcements for posting. 5. Almost from the beginning, namely, in I.A.P.P.P. Communication No. 3 (December 1980), I.A.P.P.P. Committees were born. Over the next few years, volunteers stepped forward to chair those Committees, and Committee Reports were published from time to time in the Communications. Click on "IAPPP Committees" to learn more. We must say, however, that Committee activity has waned in recent years. 6. Letters to the Editors have appeared as a feature in the Communications, also since Communication No. 3 (December 1980). They have served to handle input that members did not feel warranted a full-blown article. Later, namely, in Communication No. 31 (March 1988), a related feature, called the I.A.P.P.P. Forum, was begun. As with the Papers Published by Amateurs and the Announcements, we have decided to re-locate the Letters to the Editors to a page on the I.A.P.P.P. web site. Click on "Letters to Editors" to learn how you can submit your letters, now with more rapid response time. 7. Notices of equipment, telescopes, books, etc. for sale by members or wanted by members never was a separate feature in the Communications. Such notices were handled as Letters to the Editors. The I.A.P.P.P. web site, however, now has a new web page to deal solely with such notices. Click on "Equipment Exchange for Members" to learn how you can post your own notice, if you are an I.A.P.P.P. member. 8. An editorial in Communication No. 26 (December 1986) announced the establishment of I.A.P.P.P. Wings "to facilitate really effective interaction on the relatively local level". In the years following, wings sprouted in two dozen countries. Many of the Wing Leaders have had Wing Reports published in the Communications. Moreover, many of the Wings have been directly responsible for organizing and hosting I.A.P.P.P. Symposia. Click on "IAPPP Wings" to learn more. We must say, however, that Wing activity has fallen off in recent years. 9. As announced in Communication No. 44 (June 1991) I.A.P.P.P. has established an annual "Special Award for Student Research in Astronomy", to be given to the outstanding student exhibitor at the International Science and Engineering Fair (I.S.E.F.) each year. The first was awarded in 1991, at the 42nd Annual I.S.E.F. As announced in Commmunication No. 57 (September 1994) this award was renamed the "I.A.P.P.P. Richard D. Lines Special Award in Astronomy", with the first under this new name made in 1994 at the 45th I.S.E.F. To learn more, click on "The Richard D. Lines Award at the ISEF". 10. The latest mechanism whereby collaboration between amateurs and professionals is facilitated is this web site itself, which you are viewing right now. It contains features never appearing in the Communications. Examples are: a. Links to astronomical organizations b. Links concerning photoelectric photometry c. Books concerning photoelectric photometry d. Articles concerning photoelectric photometry e. Variable stars discovered by amateurs f. Lost members of the I.A.P.P.P. g. Deceased members of the I.A.P.P.P. h. Current publication status of the Communications i. The complete book "PEP Manual" by Jeffrey L. Hopkins j. Equipment exchange for I.A.P.P.P. members So, how can you become more involved in I.A.P.P.P. and the rewarding pursuit of photoelectric photometry. Here are a few ideas: 1. Join I.A.P.P.P. and subscribe to the Communications. 2. If your membership has lapsed, let us hear from you. 3. Encourage a colleague to join I.A.P.P.P. 4. Get your library to subscribe to the Communications. 5. Help us find a lost I.A.P.P.P. member. 6. Complete your collection of the Communications, by ordering missing back issues. 7. Submit an article to the Communications. 8. Submit a Letter to the Editors. 9. Submit a relevant Announcement. 10. Submit an entry to the Equipment Exchange. 11. Notify us of a new variable star you may have discovered. 12. Notify us of a scientific paper co-authored by an amateur. 13. Inform us of books or articles pertaining to photoelectric photometry that are not on our list. 14. Inform us of links relevant to photoelectric photometry that are not on our list. 15. Make a (tax deductible) contribution to I.A.P.P.P. 16. Organize and host an I.A.P.P.P. Symposium. . Created 24 June 2005 Modified 23 July 2005 RETURN