Warner A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis

1. Auflage 2007
ISBN: 978-0-387-33391-5
Verlag: Springer US
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 298 Seiten

Tools for amateur astronomers who wish to go beyond CCD imaging and step into 'serious' science. The text offers techniques for gathering, analyzing, and publishing data, and describes joint projects in which amateurs and students can take part. Readers learn to recognize and avoid common errors in gathering photometry data, with detailed examples for analysis. Includes reviews of available software, with screen shots and useful tips.

Brian Warner has been an astronomer for 40 years. He ran the Minor Planet Observer for ten years, and has contributed more than 60 papers to the Minor Planet Bulletin, along with regular articles. He lives in Colorado, USA.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Warner, Brian

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Foreword;5
2;Preface;7
3;Contents;9
4;Getting Started;14
4.1;1.1 What Is Lightcurve Photometry?;16
4.2;1.2 What Lies Ahead;17
5;Targets of Opportunity;19
5.1;2.1 Asteroids;19
5.2;2.2 Variable Stars;24
5.3;2.3 Eclipsing Binary Lightcurve Characteristics;27
5.4;2.4 Cataclysmic Variables;29
5.5;2.5 Cepheids;30
5.6;2.6 Long Period (Mira) Variables;30
5.7;2.7 Semi-Regular Variables;30
5.8;2.8 Other Targets;31
5.9;2.9 Summary;32
6;Photometry Fundamentals;33
6.1;3.1 A Little Bit of History;33
6.2;3.2 The First Color-Based Systems;34
6.3;3.3 The Johnson–Cousins Standard;35
6.4;3.4 Setting the Standard;36
6.5;3.5 Seeing Red;36
6.6;3.6 CCDs and Standard Magnitudes;36
6.7;3.7 Landolt Standards;37
6.8;3.8 Henden Sequences;38
7;The Photometry Primer;39
7.1;4.1 Instrumental Versus Standard Magnitudes;39
7.2;4.2 Air Mass;40
7.3;4.3 Extinction;41
7.4;4.4 Transforms and Nightly Zero-Points;43
7.5;4.5 Differential Versus All-Sky Photometry;44
7.6;4.6 Seeing and Scintillation;47
7.7;4.7 Matching Pixel Size to Seeing;48
7.8;4.8 Bias Frames;48
7.9;4.9 Dark Frames;49
7.10;4.10 Flat Fields;49
7.11;4.11 Photometry Apertures and Annuluses;53
7.12;4.12 Reporting Errors;58
8;Photometric Reductions;59
8.1;5.1 The Different Path;60
8.2;5.2 The Differential Formula;61
8.3;5.3 Clear to Visual Conversions;62
8.4;5.4 First-Order Extinctions – Are They Really Necessary?;62
8.5;5.5 The Same Color Index;64
8.6;5.6 Transforms First;65
8.7;5.7 Finding Transforms;65
8.8;5.8 The Hidden Transforms;68
8.9;5.9 First-Order Extinction;69
8.10;5.10 Finding First-Order Extinction (Modified Hardie);71
8.11;5.11 A Variation on the Modified Hardie method;73
8.12;5.12 Finding First-Order Extinction (Comp Star);74
8.13;5.13 Comparison and Target Standard Color Index Values;75
8.14;5.14 Find the Color Indices of the Comparisons and Target;76
8.15;5.15 The Comparison Star Standard Magnitudes;78
8.16;5.16 Finding the Comparison Star Standard Magnitudes;79
8.17;5.17 Target Standard Magnitudes;80
8.18;5.18 Finding the Standard Magnitudes of the Target;80
8.19;5.19 The Different Path’s End;83
8.20;5.20 A Minimalist Approach;83
8.21;5.21 Using the Minimalist Approach for Standard Magnitudes;84
9;Second Order Extinction;89
9.1;6.1 Deriving a Single-Color Approach;89
9.2;6.2 The Slope of Slopes Method;90
9.3;6.3 When Is the Second-Order Term Applied?;92
9.4;6.4 Summary;93
10;Telescopes and Cameras;94
10.1;7.1 The Telescope;94
10.2;7.2 The CCD Camera;98
10.3;7.3 Digital and Web Cameras;106
10.4;7.4 Filter Wheels;107
10.5;7.5 Guiding Considerations;108
11;Imaging and Photometry Software;109
11.1;8.1 Image Acquisition Software;109
11.2;8.2 Specific Features;110
11.3;8.3 Photometry Software;112
11.4;8.4 Conforming to Accepted Standards;116
11.5;8.5 Manual Versus Automated Measuring;119
12;Collecting Photons;121
12.1;9.1 The First Step – Getting the Right Time;121
12.2;9.2 Planning the Observing Program;122
12.3;9.3 Selecting Targets;123
12.4;9.4 General Considerations;124
12.5;9.5 Asteroids;125
12.6;9.6 Variable Stars;127
12.7;9.7 The Observing Run;128
12.8;9.8 Measuring Images;130
12.9;9.9 From Image to Data;133
12.10;9.10 The Hands-On Approach for Measuring Images;135
12.11;9.11 Checking the Comparison Stars;139
12.12;9.12 The Automated Approach to Measuring Images;140
13;Analyzing the Data;143
13.1;10.1 The Quality of Data;143
14;Period Analysis;147
14.1;11.1 About Merging Data and Setting Zero-Points;147
14.2;11.2 A Simple Start;149
14.3;11.3 To What Precision;152
14.4;11.4 Refining the Search Process;153
14.5;11.5 The Amplitude of the Lightcurve;154
14.6;11.6 Aliases in Depth;155
14.7;11.7 Plotting the Half-Period;159
14.8;11.8 A Specific Alias Example;160
14.9;11.9 The Case of 3155 Lee;161
14.10;11.10 Period Analysis on a Spreadsheet;162
14.11;11.11 From Lightcurve to Shape;167
15;Building Star Systems;171
15.1;12.1 Getting Started;171
15.2;12.2 Binary Maker;174
15.3;12.3 The Many Possibilities;176
15.4;12.4 The Effects of Changing the Inclination;176
15.5;12.5 The Effects of Temperature Changes in the Primary;178
15.6;12.6 The Effects of Temperature Changes in the Secondary;179
15.7;12.7 The Effects of Changing the Mass Ratio;181
15.8;12.8 The Effects of Gravity/Limb Darkening and Reflection;182
16;Publishing Your Data and Results;183
16.1;13.1 Confirm Before You Publish;183
16.2;13.2 Asteroids;185
16.3;13.3 Variable Stars;186
16.4;13.4 Learn by Association;187
17;Bibliography;190
17.1;Asteroids;190
17.2;Variable Stars;191
17.3;CCD Imaging;191
17.4;Image Processing;192
17.5;Photometry;192
17.6;Telescope Control Software;192
17.7;Camera Control Software;193
17.8;Photometry Software;193
17.9;Miscellaneous;193
17.10;Organization Web Sites;194
18;Glossary;195
19;Appendix A: Constellation Names;211
20;Appendix B: Transforms Example;213
20.1;Example Transforms Data;213
20.2;The Spreadsheet;214
20.3;The Hidden Transforms;216
21;Appendix C: First-Order (Hardie) Example;218
21.1;The Data;218
21.2;The Spreadsheet;220
22;Appendix D: First-Order (Comp) Example;223
22.1;The Data;223
22.2;The Spreadsheet;223
23;Appendix E: Standard Color Indices;225
23.1;The Data;225
23.2;The Spreadsheet;225
24;Appendix F: Comparison Standard Magnitudes;228
24.1;The Data;228
24.2;The Spreadsheet;229
25;Appendix G: Target Standard Magnitudes;231
25.1;The Data;231
25.2;The Spreadsheet;232
26;Appendix H: Landolt/ Graham Standard Fields;234
26.1;Graham Fields;234
27;Appendix I: Henden Charts;256
27.1;Close but not Quite;257
28;Appendix J: Hipparcos Blue–Red Pairs;288
28.1;Steps used to produce the List;288
28.2;Hipparcos Blue–Red Pairs;290
29;Appendix K: SDSS Blue–Red Pairs;294
30;Index;298