From: "Tom Krajci" 
To: 
Reply-To: "Tom Krajci" 


>From: "Frank Q" 

>Could you please give me an example/some insight into
>the science/research that you are involved in.

Currently I do unfiltered CCD time-series aperture photometry.  (What a
mouthful!)  My targets are cataclysimic variables, and eclipsing binaries.

In plain language I measure the brightness of variable stars by comparing
them to constant stars in the same CCD field of view...and do it over and
over again for hours because the stars I study change their behavior in
timescales as short as minutes or seconds.

See:
http://overton.tamu.edu/aset/krajci/
and examples such as:
http://overton.tamu.edu/aset/krajci/pq-gem.htm
and
http://overton.tamu.edu/aset/krajci/dw-uma.htm

and a briefing I gave on photometry is at:
http://overton.tamu.edu/aset/krajci/photometry_files/frame.htm

I submit my data on cataclysmic variables to the CBA (Center for Backyard
Astrophysics).  See:
http://cba.phys.columbia.edu
and a description of what they do at: http://cba.phys.columbia.edu/about/

I submit my eclipsing binary work to a small group of AAVSO folks.  See:
http://www.aavso.org/

My eclipsing binary targets are bright enough (magnitude 8 - 13) that some
of them are monitored visually...no CCD needed in some applications.

It is amazing what you can do with a not-large telescope, decent mount, and
small-chip (inexpensive) CCD.

And there are other projects...asteroid light curves, etc. for photometry. 
(Astrometry...position measurement is another field entirely.)  Add certain
color filters to your CCD rig and other research opportunities present
themselves.

Once you demonstrate to the pro's that collaborate on these projects that
you do decent work...you'll never be bored again.  There are always more
targets and not enough telescopes.

The photometry I do can even be accomplished on moonlit nights, with cirrus
clouds, wind, and lousy seeing...OK, with 'noisier' results...but
oftentimes still scientifically useful.  In other words you can reserve the
pristine/new moon nights for visual work...and still have lots of
opportunities to do science on the 'crappy' moonlit nights.

A CCD equipped scope in your yard is a powerful research instrument.

My observatory?  An inexpensive 'pad' of paving bricks on which to place
the scope, and a 4FT x 4FT x 4FT cube shaped shelter that rolls out of the
way for observing.  I have the computer on a cart, so I wheel it from the
house to the scope.  Scope is already polar aligned, and I only have to
hook up electronics, cool the CCD, and find my target star field.  Once the
autoguider is working I can do other things.  The next morning I reduce the
data.

An example of the data that I send to CBA is at: http://cba.phys.columbia.edu/data/
and looks like this:

347.6890   1.437
347.6905   1.448
347.6920   1.420
....

That's Julian day and differential magnitude.

With AIP4WIN software I can reduce hundreds of exposures automatically and easily.

Tom Krajci
Tashkent, Uzbekistan


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