Science with Your Telescope Brian D. Warner Palmer Divide Observatory Space Science Institute

Science with Your Telescope

Brian D. Warner

Palmer Divide Observatoryhttp://www.MinorPlanetObserver.com

Space Science Institutehttp://www.SpaceScience.org

Science is Fun!

• You can use what you already have

• Expands your knowledge

• Professionals depend more, not less, on amateur observations

• Satisfaction of collaborations and publication

Asteroid Lightcurves at The Palmer Divide Observatory

• Correlation between size and period.

• Slow rotators - what about them is common?

• Size, shape, pole orientation

• Size, shape, pole orientation

• Additional observations in support of radar observations

• Remove observational bias towards brighter, main belt asteroids, i.e., increase

statistical sampling

• Correlation between size and period.

• Slow rotators - what about them is common?

• Size, shape, pole orientation

• Size, shape, pole orientation

• Additional observations in support of radar observations

• Remove observational bias towards brighter, main belt asteroids, i.e., increase

statistical sampling

Why Do Asteroid Lightcurves?

The Palmer Divide Observatory

20”

14”

The Palmer Divide Observatory

0.5m f/8.1 Ritchey-Chretien

FLI-1001E (1Kx1Kx24m)

FLI filter wheel - BVRC

80mm/ST-237 guiding

0.35m LX-200GPS

North:FLI-1001E - unfiltered

South:ST-9E, f/5.0 reducer, VRC

The Palmer Divide Observatory

A Typical Night

• Select targets

• Open observatories

• Write scripts

• Start runs

• Download images during/after runs

• Measure images and analyze data

A Typical Night

• Works 2 asteroids

• Periodically syncs

• Periodically focuses

• Shuts down camera

• Homes scope

A Typical Night

• Measure images with MPO Canopus

• Plot raw data and look for obvious outliers

• Do Period Search with MPO Canopus Fourier analysis

Follow up

• Merge multiple nights

• Do Period Search on combined data set

It’s Not Always Pretty!

Binary Asteroids

Initial Discovery at PDO (Oct. 2004 - present)

3309 Brorefeld5477 1989 UH25905 Johnson9069 Hovland

34706 2001 OP83 76818 2000 RG79

Results - Hungarias

From Harris Lightcurve List (August 2006)

• Total Number: 70

• PDO (primary): 49 (70%)

• Spin Rate Distribution:

– Two peaks

– Less “Spin barrier” effect versus NEO population

Results - Hungarias

• Published quarterly by Minor Planets Section of ALPO.

• Best place for amateurs to submit.

• Juried publication, in many professional libraries around the world (good PR for school programs)

• Inexpensive: FREE!

http://www.MinorPlanetObserver/mpb/default.htm

The Minor Planet Bulletin

Publishing Your Work

Data Mining Asteroid Images

Variable Star Search

Data Mining Asteroid Images

Variable Star Search

Data Mining Asteroid Images

Variable Star Search

Data Mining Asteroid Images

Data Mining Asteroid Images

Binary Stars

Modeling Binary Stars

Binary Maker 3http://www.binarymaker.com

Modeling Binary Stars

Binary Maker 3

Mass ratio input = 1.500000 mass ratio < 1 = 0.666667Omega 1 = 4.439516 Omega 2 = 4.439516Omega inner = 4.526136 Omega outer = 3.948668Fillout 1 = 0.150000 Fillout 2 = 0.150000

Surface area 1 = 2.298928 Surface area 2 = 1.612613Volume 1 = 0.321256 Volume 2 = 0.186599Mean radius 1 = 0.426171 Mean radius 2 = 0.355198Temperature 1 = 5400.00 Temperature 2 = 6000.00Luminosity 1 = 0.4662 Luminosity 2 = 0.5338Inclination = 72.000

Variable Stars (Visual/CCD)

American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)

http://www.aavso.org

Double Stars

• Easy to do with CD/DSLR/Webcam equipment

• Many targets in one night

• Help is needed on neglected stars

Double Stars

Washington Double Star Catalog (WDS)

http://ad.usno.navy.mil/wds/wds.html

Yahoo News Group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/binary-stars-uncensored/

Double Stars

a / a RA / Dec of the primaryb / b RA / Dec of the secondary

Double Stars

Double Stars

Publishing Your Results

Journal of Double Star Observationshttp://www.jdso.org/

The Webb Society Double Star Circularshttp://www.webbsociety.freeserve.co.uk/notes/doublest01.html

Science is FUN!

Society for Astronomical Sciences

http://www.SocAstroSci.org

Acknoweldgements

Funding for this research was provided by:

NASA grant NNG06GI32G

NASA grant NNX06AB30G

NSF grant AST-0607505