Improving Photometry and Astrophotography by Eliminating Dark Frames and Flat Fields

I report on the efforts to improve the dark frames and flat fielding procedure for the charged-coupled device (CCD) camera for the Celestron C14 telescope at the UNH observatory. Dark frames are images taken while the shutter of the camera is closed so that only electronic and dark noise and other internal inconsistencies are recorded. These are important because they allow astronomers to subtract out interference from dark current. Additionally, flat fields are images of the entire field of the telescope so that the brightness in the pixels of the telescope’s field of view is uniform. Flat fields are vital since they provide a consistent illumination for all photos taken from the camera. With the combination of these two features, I was able to optimize the clarity of the telescope’s pictures and show through photometry how the new calibrated images appear in comparison to images prior to the calibration. Overall, these enhanced photographs will assist in achieving better results for future astronomy labs at UNH

Radiosity Integral Equation Model for an Interior Space Illumination Design: Mars Project

This research project is focused on finding the true solution of the exterior Dirichlet problem to determine the convergence results for the Spherical Quatrefoil using the Galerkin Method. A mathematical model, based on the Radiosity integral equation will be utilized to investigate the role of incoming light waves for different surfaces with various emissivity and reflectivity functions. Theoretical and computational details of the method will provide sufficient information for designing proper lighting of an interior space inside a habitat that can ultimately be used for future endeavors in Mars exploration

Conceptual design study for a teleoperator visual system, phase 2

An analysis of the concept for the hybrid stereo-monoscopic television visual system is reported. The visual concept is described along with the following subsystems: illumination, deployment/articulation, telecommunications, visual displays, and the controls and display station

Daylighting of the Finnish townhouse

The townhouse has been a subject of active discussion in the field of Finnish architecture in recent years and has generated interest among architects and city planners. It is seen as a solution that would combine benefits of both detached houses and apartment blocks. Finland has long lacked an urban, small-scale typology like the townhouse, while in many other European countries, townhouses have been a common form of housing for centuries. Because townhouses typically have a deep building frame and narrow facades, ensuring adequate amounts of daylight in the house requires effort and skill from the architect. Daylighting of townhouses is especially challenging in a country like Finland, where the long and dark winters limit daylight availability for a large proportion of the year. Yet light is known to have significant effects on human health, and daylighting of a home will therefore influence the wellbeing of its occupants. Recent research suggests that these effects are even more wide-ranging than previously thought, and the increased understanding on the matter has underlined the need for more attention to lighting in the design of our living environment. This is especially important in developed countries where people generally spend a large proportion of the day inside. Yet to date, daylighting of townhouses in general has been researched relatively little. There is some literature on daylighting strategies for the Finnish climate, but this too is limited and provides very little for townhouses. This thesis examines how architectural solutions affect the daylighting of the Finnish townhouse and aims to find strategies that would help create health-supporting lighting conditions in the townhouse. Central design solutions studied include city and master plans, massing, fenestration and floor plan solutions. For improved daylighting, Finnish townhouses should have limited frame depth and increased room height. More complex facade forms allow for increased fenestration space. A sufficient window surface area is needed, and the upper frames of the windows should be higher in order to guide light deep into the space. Skylights are a powerful daylighting strategy and can be effective in guiding light into the building’s core. Floor plan solutions should aim to avoid formation of dark areas in the core of the building: auxiliary spaces and dividing walls have to be placed strategically. This thesis also includes a simplified townhouse design that serves as a test house in descriptive and experimental research. In the experiments, the daylight conditions in a typical townhouse are studied. In addition, the effects of modifying the design according to the ideas discussed in the theoretical section are tested and demonstrated.Suomalaisesta rakennuskannasta ovat pitkään lähes kokonaan puuttuneet pienen mittakaavan urbaanit asumismuodot, joilla esimerkiksi Keski-Euroopassa on pitkä historia ja edelleen vahva asema. Viime vuosina kiinnostusta suomalaisen arkkitehtuurin ja kaupunkisuunnittelun piireissä on kuitenkin herättänyt townhouse-talotypologia, joka nähdään kerrostalo- ja omakotiasumisen etuja yhdistävänä asumismuotona, jolla voisi olla asuntovalikoimaa ja kaupunkirakennetta monipuolistava vaikutus. Townhouse-typologia on kuitenkin vaativa luonnonvalon käytön kannalta, sillä sille ominaiset kapeat julkisivut ja syvä runko tekevät päivänvalon saannin rakennuksen keskiosiin haastavaksi. Suomessa haasteellisuutta lisäävät luonnonvalon vähäisyys talvikaudella sekä suuret vaihtelut valaistusolosuhteissa vuodenaikojen välillä. Aihe on kuitenkin tärkeä, sillä valon tiedetään vaikuttavan ihmisten terveyteen ja hyvinvointiin monin tavoin. Viimeaikainen tutkimus on osoittanut valon vaikutusten olevan vielä merkittävämpiä ja laaja-alaisempia kuin aiemmin on tiedetty, ja niin ollen myös rakennetun ympäristön valaistusolosuhteiden merkitystä on alettu ymmärtää paremmin. Rakennusten valaistusolosuhteet ovat erityisen tärkeitä länsimaissa, joissa ihmiset viettävät suurimman osan päivästä sisätiloissa. Vapaa-ajasta suuri osa vietetään kotona, minkä takia erityisesti kodin valaistusolosuhteiden merkitys korostuu. Townhouse-talojen luonnonvalaistusta on tutkittu hyvin vähän, eikä varsinkaan suomalaista kirjallisuutta aiheesta ole juurikaan saatavilla. Tässä diplomityössä tutkitaan arkkitehtisuunnittelun vaikutusta suomalaisen townhouse-talon luonnonvalaistukseen, ja pyritään löytämään suunnittelukeinoja, jotka edistävät terveyttä tukevan valaistusympäristön luomisessa. Keskeisessä roolissa ovat niin kaavoitus kuin rakennussuunnittelukin. Massoittelulla, aukotuksella ja pohjaratkaisulla on kaikilla merkittävä vaikutus luonnonvalon saantiin rakennuksessa. Rakennuksen runkosyvyyden rajoittaminen, tavallista suurempi huonekorkeus ja monimutkaisemmat julkisivumuodot ovat oleellisia keinoja luonnonvalon määrän lisäämiseksi. Pohjaratkaisun suunnittelussa keskeistä on välttää pimeiden kulmien muodostumista. Aputilojen ja väliseinien strateginen sijoittelu on ensiarvoisen tärkeää, jotta valoa saadaan ohjattua pitkälle tilaan. Myös riittävä ikkuna-pinta-ala on välttämätön. Sijoittamalla ikkunan yläreuna korkeammalle saadaan valoa johdettua syvemmälle tilaan. Suomen ilmasto on pilvinen, ja pilvisissä ilmastoissa erityisen tehokkaita luonnonvalaistuksessa ovat kattoikkunat. Yksi kattoikkunoiden vahvuuksista townhouse-talojen osalta on myös se, että niiden kautta voidaan johtaa valoa rakennuksen keskiosiin. Tämä diplomityö sisältää myös yksinkertaisen townhouse -suunnitelman, jonka avulla suunnitteluratkaisujen vaikutusta tilojen luonnonvalaistukseen testataan ja havainnollistetaan. Suunnitelman avulla havainnollisestaan myös luonnonvalaistusolosuhteita tyypillisessä suomalaisessa townhouse-talossa

Analysis of Customers' Visual Comfort Perception and Mood for Cafes using Colored Glass Curtain

People generally prefer to work or spend leisure time under natural light rather than artificial light. Direct sunlight that enters into leisure places interrupt guests when having a meal or are enjoying the surrounding natural environment. Bamboo curtains are commonly used in Indonesia to control natural light but they do not allow people to look outside. This research was aimed at solving this problem by developing three sets of colored glass curtains"“cool colored, warm colored and combined (warm/cool colored) "“ and testing them in a real situation, which involved test subjects having a meal in a café with a natural view, to find out which alternative had the best effect on the subjects' visual comfort and mood. Forty-two student respondents participated voluntarily in the experiment. The one way repeated measured ANOVA statistic results showed that there were significant differences in visual comfort and mood response in the same space between a number of manipulated conditions. The subjects had a significantly different visual comfort and mood response when the cool colored glass curtain was used compared to using the warm colored glass curtain or the combined glass curtain. This research concludes that bamboo shades and cool colored glass curtains are preferable to satisfy customers' visual comfort and that all the spatial conditions contribute to the customers' mood during dining