MARCH 31, 2008--Recognizing that some universities were considering giving iPhones to incoming freshmen, professor Jeff Terry of the Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL, USA; www.iit.edu) recognized other opportunities. "Many students may not be able to afford their own computers, and this will allow anyone with an iPhone or iPod touch to perform remote astronomical observations, affordably," Jeff says. "A strong possibility exists that this will allow processing of these images to be performed using an iPhone."

Terry is developing software that facilitates remote telescope control and image gathering for the iPhone, which will support third-party applications starting in June. An image of the Orion Nebula is one of many taken using a telescope controlled from an iPhone.

For more information, go to mrmac.mr.aps.anl.gov/~astronut/pages/M42iPhone.htm.

Mon Mar 31 14:44:00 CDT 2008