Olvid supports international research in astronomy and astrophotography
What is your activity?
We are an astronomy association based in France with about a hundred members worldwide. Some of us practice astrophotography, which involves photographing celestial objects mostly invisible to the naked eye.
Our association, Kaus-Australis, is located near Évian-les-Bains in Haute-Savoie. We exchange dozens of photos daily among ourselves from all corners of the globe: Alaska, Louisiana, Mexico, Japan, China, both Koreas, the Philippines, Australia, and New Caledonia… We need to exchange and share hundreds of photo files, often several hundred MB each, without ever modifying them, especially their metadata, to be able to recompose the final photo through stacking.
This is why we switched from various applications to… simply Olvid! Because it’s finally the only one capable of meeting all our needs, and much more simply.
Our association has become a specialized training center 1-2-3 AFA Stars and a professional training organization. Olvid is a prerequisite for attending and leading our training sessions.
“Olvid is the only one capable of meeting all our needs,
and much more simply.”
What problems did you need to solve?
We had to find a simple and efficient solution for transferring a large number of files to generate a final photo after stacking and processing, without any loss of information (including metadata, which is essential as it contains wavelength data from the shot), without compression, and especially without file size limits.
In terms of file size, this can range from a few tens of megabytes to several gigabytes, all of which need to be transferred perfectly and globally. We were looking for the right app, and we found it in Olvid. With fiber optic internet or good 5G, transfers take off in an instant.
Why did you choose Olvid?
Olvid fulfills 300% of our demands, even though we’re far from exploiting its full potential, as its possibilities are immense. We were all frankly surprised and satisfied with how we used the app. Astronomy! Who would have thought?
So, it’s a French application, but it goes far beyond that!
For us astronomy trainers, Olvid has a huge advantage: transferring files over 150 MB, and it works perfectly. We have few files over 700 MB, but we have a multitude of them, and this has allowed us to test everything… Even on the other side of the world! Alaska, Louisiana, Mexico, Japan, China, both Koreas, the Philippines, Australia, and New Caledonia… Olvid knows no borders!
And for sending observation reports (of celestial events), it’s not 2 MB that transit, but 4 or 5 GB! We have a friend in Chile (La Silla Observatory) who sends us her images for processing in France and the other countries mentioned.
Additionally, security: in an era of widespread global applications where the slightest transmitted information is “spied on,” where authentication requires personal information (email/phone), and where file types are restricted, Olvid doesn’t ask for personal information and doesn’t filter file types, which is crucial for us. The “FITS” files we transmit pass through almost no other known applications.
A simple username and the account is created. A QR code scan in person with your contact and you’re in touch. Introduction by a trusted third party (someone you know personally) is another solution, or simply sending an invitation and a quick code exchange. Simplicity is crucial, but security is even more so! Olvid offers us these possibilities! It’s important to point that out.
Everything is encrypted, meaning only the intended recipient(s) of messages or files can read and use the content.
And you don’t need a smartphone to use Olvid. A connected device like a PC or tablet is sufficient to use this application.
Finally, there’s no limit on file exchange size. Where solutions like XYZ limit to 2 GB in the free version, requiring a cloud upload and a login to retrieve files, Olvid doesn’t limit transfer sizes, and files are directly and simultaneously received on all our devices.
Now that our association has also become a specialized training center and a professional training organization in astronomy, we still use Olvid for our training sessions, across mobiles, PCs, and tablets. Olvid is and will remain one of the installation prerequisites for attending and leading our courses: transferring files, videos, information, results, etc.
Any particular example?
Yes. This photo of the Tarantula Nebula, a tiny part of a much larger nebula (gas cloud), the Carina Nebula, visible in the Southern Hemisphere sky, is the result of 30 hours of exposure and 7 GB of files to process… Thank you, Olvid! Without it, we would never have been able to retrieve the FITS files to process them and produce this magnificent photo taken by remote control from France. Olvid allowed us, thanks to a transfer from Chile of 253 files of 120 MB each, to retrieve the raw images taken by one of the telescopes at La Silla via remote assistance… Then amateur astronomers from several countries could process the raw FITS files from their homes! In this case, we ensure that every 500 MB is received by everyone before sending the next batch.
I realize that this isn’t what Olvid was created for, but in any case, we found the particular application that perfectly matches our needs. It’s great! I just hope it doesn’t saturate the servers too much! That’s why we make sure every 500 MB is received before sending the rest.
The processing is far from over, but I wanted to share it with you in black & white, then in color. And here is NGC 2070… The Tarantula Nebula.
Towards the blue area at the arrowhead, there’s a dark zone. One of our astrophysicists is “counting” hydrogen atoms to calculate the temperature of that area.
The original black and white photo isn’t a single file but 100 files. The software stacks the files to add signal. Basically, the camera takes exposures of 1, 3, 10 minutes and generates a raw file. The processing software stacks each raw file to add the signal to generate the final photo (generating a raw file, the result of stacking, a file that can grow in size from a few hundred MB to several GB, depending on the number of raw files). We work on this file, and once the result is satisfactory, we generate an image file that is visible to everyone.
A small, tiny part of what the sky hides from us among 400 sextillion stars… That’s 400 x 1036 (400,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) stars. So again, 400 x 1036 – thank you all! To your entire team for their welcome, kindness, and everything they do! And most importantly, switch to Olvid!
Who else would you recommend Olvid to, and why?
We can imagine all the possibilities for various companies or institutions requiring optimum data transfer quality and security, such as:
- In medical imaging, where files are voluminous and must remain of superior quality.
- In architectural firms, where the transfer of confidential plans must be secured…
We can imagine anything, but for us, it’s the ideal application!
What is your story?
I’ve been practicing astronomy since I was 10 years old, when I received my first telescope to see Saturn’s rings… My parents bought me one for my 10th birthday… At 50, I’m still doing it and I still have my original telescope…
In 2015, I decided to create my own association of astronomers to share my passion for the sky. To date, we have nearly a hundred members. This association, Kaus-Australis, allows those who want to start in this field to do so with both theoretical and practical foundations.
For a year and a half, with one of the members, we completed a certifying trainer program and decided to adapt the 1st Star training (like in skiing) under a Qualiopi framework to make it a very serious training.
AFA Stars
The 2nd AFA Star (French Astronomy Association) focuses on mastering, maintaining, and using equipment.
The 3rd Star, on the other hand, is based on learning techniques for acquiring celestial objects.
In January 2022, I decided to create Novae Formation to train people in astronomy but in a different field. In this association, we maintain the Qualiopi process in the formal aspect, but this time we train people to lead, supervise, and mediate in astronomy—a kind of “train the trainers” program, but based on astronomy.
During the astronomical activities we conduct with Kaus-Australis (the 1st association), we put into practice what our learners have acquired at Novae Formation for leading activities.
I also completed my 5th Professional Star training.
- 4th Star: exoplanet detection.
- 5th Star: spectrometry. Basically, you detect an exoplanet, analyze its light, and determine its size, composition, and radial or orbital velocity.
- 5th Professional Star: we cover laser safety, sun safety, plus business accounting to manage your affairs correctly. We also learn all aspects of supervision, mediation, and animation, and if successful, you become a professional in the field of astronomy. And you are registered with the RNCP in the field of science and supervision.
Take a look at the video section 😉. You should find a nice series: https://www.kaus-australis.fr/Documentation.html.
Find and share the French version here : https://olvid.io/testimonials/astrocorvus-astronomie-astrophotographie.