Comments for Pewaukee Astronomy Club http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog News and Information About the Pewaukee Astronomy Club and the Harken Observatory Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:37:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Comment on Fun with Astrometrics! and a Near Earth Object by twalkowski http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2010/04/24/fun-with-astrometrics-and-a-near-earth-object/comment-page-1/#comment-124 twalkowski Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:37:34 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/?p=245#comment-124 ps. I think it is a safe bet to say that asteroid YU55 - at 800feet wide - is the smallest thing imaged at the observatory! ps. I think it is a safe bet to say that asteroid YU55 – at 800feet wide – is the smallest thing imaged at the observatory!

]]> Comment on Fun with Astrometrics! and a Near Earth Object by twalkowski http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2010/04/24/fun-with-astrometrics-and-a-near-earth-object/comment-page-1/#comment-123 twalkowski Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:35:31 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/?p=245#comment-123 Randy, I really enjoyed this post! I agree -- that comet thingy has to be a lens flare or something. Do you know the magnitude of that floodlight. . .err star? I think the faint blob below the star is a clincher. A straight line connecting the two blobs passes through the middle of the bright star in each image. Can you do photometry on those 5-minut exposures to see how deep the set-up can reach? Do you think we can get mag 17? It would be fun to "re-discover" Pluto this summer using this method! Great article! Tim Randy,

I really enjoyed this post! I agree — that comet thingy has to be a lens flare or something. Do you know the magnitude of that floodlight. . .err star? I think the faint blob below the star is a clincher. A straight line connecting the two blobs passes through the middle of the bright star in each image.

Can you do photometry on those 5-minut exposures to see how deep the set-up can reach? Do you think we can get mag 17?

It would be fun to “re-discover” Pluto this summer using this method!

Great article!

Tim

]]> Comment on Things Passing In Front Of Other Things. . . Part I by Kate http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2010/03/05/things-passing-in-front-of-other-things-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-110 Kate Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:36:33 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/?p=170#comment-110 Wow! Interesting ... Wow! Interesting …

]]> Comment on Things Passing In Front Of Other Things. . . Part I by mpaquette http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2010/03/05/things-passing-in-front-of-other-things-part-i/comment-page-1/#comment-109 mpaquette Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:07:30 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/?p=170#comment-109 Tim, that was an excellent explanation of eclipses and transits, and the Shuttle/ISS transit of the Sun was a spectacular photo! Very timely information as well, given the upcoming talk next Saturday the 13th at 7 PM in the Pewaukee Library. I had no idea that Venus transits were so rare! Thanks for the posting. Tim, that was an excellent explanation of eclipses and transits, and the Shuttle/ISS transit of the Sun was a spectacular photo! Very timely information as well, given the upcoming talk next Saturday the 13th at 7 PM in the Pewaukee Library. I had no idea that Venus transits were so rare! Thanks for the posting.

]]> Comment on Observations of an Exoplanet! by twalkowski http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2010/01/16/observsations-of-an-exoplanet/comment-page-1/#comment-62 twalkowski Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:32:19 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/?p=165#comment-62 I think there is another planet transit candidate for the summer. I'll have to look it up, but there is one near the Dumbbell Nebula that we should be able to detect. The latest Sky & Telescope magazine carries an article about the Kepler spacecraft and its serach for traniting planets. Worth a look-see! Tim I think there is another planet transit candidate for the summer. I’ll have to look it up, but there is one near the Dumbbell Nebula that we should be able to detect. The latest Sky & Telescope magazine carries an article about the Kepler spacecraft and its serach for traniting planets. Worth a look-see!

Tim

]]> Comment on Observations of an Exoplanet! by mpaquette http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2010/01/16/observsations-of-an-exoplanet/comment-page-1/#comment-61 mpaquette Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:30:59 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/?p=165#comment-61 Randy, That is some amazing work you did! I really didn't follow all the technical issues you brought out in your analysis, but I got the gist of what you were doing. Besides all the planning for this, you were very persistent and patient throughout the entire process, and I'm so glad you had optimum viewing conditions as a reward for all your preparations. I am looking forward to your upcoming talk on Feb 13th about more of how you did it all. Many, many kudos to you! Randy,
That is some amazing work you did! I really didn’t follow all the technical issues you brought out in your analysis, but I got the gist of what you were doing. Besides all the planning for this, you were very persistent and patient throughout the entire process, and I’m so glad you had optimum viewing conditions as a reward for all your preparations. I am looking forward to your upcoming talk on Feb 13th about more of how you did it all. Many, many kudos to you!

]]> Comment on Observations of an Exoplanet! by rbuchwald http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2010/01/16/observsations-of-an-exoplanet/comment-page-1/#comment-58 rbuchwald Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:40:28 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/?p=165#comment-58 Hello all! Sorry for the delayed reply. The planet is going around the star on the left, which is the slightly brighter member of the pair. This was the ideal situation to observe because the right hand star was used as the reference star (it is known to not vary with time and is of the same type-sequence as the measurement object). By definition, the reference star was "constant" at a magnitude 9.1. On Feb 13th I will talk more about the "noise" in the measurements and how statistical analysis is useful in the analysis to this level of accuracy. Clear Skies! Hello all! Sorry for the delayed reply. The planet is going around the star on the left, which is the slightly brighter member of the pair. This was the ideal situation to observe because the right hand star was used as the reference star (it is known to not vary with time and is of the same type-sequence as the measurement object). By definition, the reference star was “constant” at a magnitude 9.1. On Feb 13th I will talk more about the “noise” in the measurements and how statistical analysis is useful in the analysis to this level of accuracy.
Clear Skies!

]]> Comment on Observations of an Exoplanet! by twalkowski http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2010/01/16/observsations-of-an-exoplanet/comment-page-1/#comment-49 twalkowski Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:29:01 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/?p=165#comment-49 Randy, First, let me say thank you for such a fantastic effort! It is amazing to realize that you can detect a planet crossing in front of a star 190 light years away!! The change in brightness matched your prediction -- even though the change is so small, the light curve clearly shows it. Second, are you able to plot the light curve of the other star as a reference? I don't know how difficult that would be, though. Lastly, which star is has the planet -- right or left in the image? Well Done! Tim Randy,

First, let me say thank you for such a fantastic effort! It is amazing to realize that you can detect a planet crossing in front of a star 190 light years away!! The change in brightness matched your prediction — even though the change is so small, the light curve clearly shows it.

Second, are you able to plot the light curve of the other star as a reference? I don’t know how difficult that would be, though.

Lastly, which star is has the planet — right or left in the image?

Well Done!

Tim

]]> Comment on Another Nova in Scutum by rbuchwald http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2009/11/11/another-nova-in-scutum/comment-page-1/#comment-18 rbuchwald Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:16:42 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2009/11/11/another-nova-in-scutum/#comment-18 South is toward the top of the image. The finder chart seems too to show a more dense star population below (northward of) the nova. The region of the sky was also getting somewhat low in the southwest. A quick look at Starry Night confirms your hunch. The field is in the Milkyway near some dark patches. South is toward the top of the image. The finder chart seems too to show a more dense star population below (northward of) the nova. The region of the sky was also getting somewhat low in the southwest. A quick look at Starry Night confirms your hunch. The field is in the Milkyway near some dark patches.

]]> Comment on Another Nova in Scutum by twalkowski http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2009/11/11/another-nova-in-scutum/comment-page-1/#comment-17 twalkowski Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:39:29 +0000 http://pewaukeeastro.com/blog/2009/11/11/another-nova-in-scutum/#comment-17 Its looks like there is a nocticible increase of stars going from top to bottom. A dust patch of the Milky Way, perhaps? Its looks like there is a nocticible increase of stars going from top to bottom. A dust patch of the Milky Way, perhaps?

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