Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis

Name: Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis
Price: 17.25 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780387293653

ISBN-10: 0387293655

ISBN-13: 9780387293653

Edition: 2006

Authors: Brian D. Warner, Alan W. Harris

List price: $39.95

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Description:

The Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis provides those with access to even a modest telescope and a CCD camera the background and detailed steps to take part in important astronomical research. Readers learn about the joint projects in which they can take part, as well as the techniques of gathering, analyzing, and then publishing their data. The primary market for this book is amateur astronomers, but undergraduate students will also find its easy going friendly style ideal for help with their studies in this subject. There is of course more to lightcurve photometry than simply taking pictures. For the results to be of value, the data must be gathered and processed in…

Book details

List price: $39.95
Copyright year: 2006
Publisher: Springer
Publication date: 2/22/2006
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 298
Size: 6.00" wide x 9.00" long x 0.75" tall
Weight: 0.968
Language: English

Alan W. Harris is a practicing veterinarian and homeschooling father of six. In the over thirty years of training his children, Dr. Harris discovered that stories most engaged the attention of his children, whose ages range over twenty years. Through the format of story-telling, Dr. Harris was able to incorporate spiritual insights and lessons about good character that opened up worthy discussions and opportunities to apply the lessons to individuals. The excitement, humor, and sitting-on-the-edge-of-their-seats suspense made the learning a joyful, family-bonding experience that all of them thrill to remember. He hopes his books do the same for your family.



Getting Started



What Is Lightcurve Photometry?



What Lies Ahead


Targets of Opportunity



Asteroids



Variable Stars



Eclipsing Binary Lightcurve Characteristics



Cataclysmic Variables



Cepheids



Long Period (Mira) Variables



Semi-Regular Variables



Other Targets



Summary


Photometry Fundamentals



A Little Bit of History



The First Color-Based Systems



The Johnson-Cousins Standard



Setting the Standard



Seeing Red



CCDs and Standard Magnitudes



Landolt Standards



Henden Sequences


The Photometry Primer



Instrumental Versus Standard Magnitudes



Air Mass



Extinction



Transforms and Nightly Zero-Points



Differential Versus All-Sky Photometry



Seeing and Scintillation



Matching Pixel Size to Seeing



Bias Frames



Dark Frames



Flat Fields



Photometry Apertures and Annuluses



Reporting Errors


Photometric Reductions



The Different Path



The Differential Formula



Clear to Visual Conversions



First-Order Extinctions - Are They Really Necessary?



The Same Color Index



Transforms First



Finding Transforms



The Hidden Transforms



First-Order Extinction



Finding First-Order Extinction (Modified Hardie)



A Variation on the Modified Hardie method



Finding First-Order Extinction (Comp Star)



Comparison and Target Standard Color Index Values



Find the Color Indices of the Comparisons and Target



The Comparison Star Standard Magnitudes



Finding the Comparison Star Standard Magnitudes



Target Standard Magnitudes



Finding the Standard Magnitudes of the Target



The Different Path's End



A Minimalist Approach



Using the Minimalist Approach for Standard Magnitudes


Second Order Extinction



Deriving a Single-Color Approach



The Slope of Slopes Method



When Is the Second-Order Term Applied?



Summary


Telescopes and Cameras



The Telescope



The CCD Camera



Digital and Web Cameras



Filter Wheels



Guiding Considerations


Imaging and Photometry Software



Image Acquisition Software



Specific Features



Photometry Software



Conforming to Accepted Standards



Manual Versus Automated Measuring


Collecting Photons



The First Step - Getting the Right Time



Planning the Observing Program



Selecting Targets



General Considerations



Asteroids



Variable Stars



The Observing Run



Measuring Images



From Image to Data



The Hands-On Approach for Measuring Images



Checking the Comparison Stars



The Automated Approach to Measuring Images


Analyzing the Data



The Quality of Data


Period Analysis



About Merging Data and Setting Zero-Points



A Simple Start



To What Precision



Refining the Search Process



The Amplitude of the Lightcurve



Aliases in Depth



Plotting the Half-Period



A Specific Alias Example



The Case of 3155 Lee



Period Analysis on a Spreadsheet



From Lightcurve to Shape


Building Star Systems



Getting Started



Binary Maker



The Many Possibilities



The Effects of Changing the Inclination



The Effects of Temperature Changes in the Primary



The Effects of Temperature Changes in the Secondary



The Effects of Changing the Mass Ratio



The Effects of Gravity/Limb Darkening and Reflection


Publishing Your Data and Results



Confirm Before You Publish



Asteroids



Variable Stars



Learn by Association


Bibliography


Glossary



Constellation Names



Transforms Example


Example Transforms Data


The Spreadsheet


The Hidden Transforms



First-Order (Hardie) Example


The Data


The Spreadsheet



First-Order (Comp) Example


The Data


The Spreadsheet



Standard Color Indices


The Data


The Spreadsheet



Comparison Standard Magnitudes


The Data


The Spreadsheet



Target Standard Magnitudes


The Data


The Spreadsheet



Landolt/Graham Standard Fields



Henden Charts



Hipparcos Blue-Red Pairs


Steps used to produce the List


Hipparcos Blue-Red Pairs



SDSS Blue-Red Pairs


Index