Stellar Photometry

Most of the trouble with stellar photometry arose from logging on to the right place, getting the data, and opening atv. Once those got worked through (I still do not completely understand the mysteries of how computers choose to operate), the rest of the work was fairly simple repetition. Even though all my values were internally consistent, there was an offset from Mary's results using a different calibration star. We will examine this discrepancy to a greater extent tomorrow.

I have also added a new cluster, NGC 1496, with three stars around 2.4-2.7 solar masses. New total= 24 stars.

I also read a fascinating article in Astronomy magazine about the possibility of viewing exo-zodiacal light. Written by Kuchner and Stark at the Goddard Space Flight Center, they observed 51 Ophiuchi with the Keck Interferometer Nuller and were able to distinguish between an inner ring of an asteroid belt/ exo-zodiacal dust and an outer Kuiper belt like region. They are also running simulations of the interactions of zodiacal dust and a planet. If our optics systems ever improve to the capability of directly imaging an Earth size planet, the zodiacal dust could just wash it out. On the positive side though, the planet may induce perturbations in the dust that might demonstrate the existence of a planet.

And its a small world after all- there was also an news clip about six planets that orbit contrary to the star. Another news short discussed the lack of methane on GJ436b.

Tomorrow I have a goal of collecting at least three new clusters and calculating all the exposure times.