Testing and Fine-Tuning HANDS’ Automated Photometric Pipeline Austin Barnes Oceanit Mentor: Russell Knox Advisors: Rita Cognion and Curt Leonard Home Institution: Harvard University 2009

Overview Problem: Space Situational Awareness Solution: Introduction to HANDS Automated Photometric Pipeline –Calibration Star Correlator Recommendations Goal of Photometric Pipeline

Problem: Space Situational Awareness >19,000 objects larger than 10 cm known to orbit the planet at ~17,000 mph >300,000 objects between 1 and 10 cm February 2009 satellite collision Nasa Orbital Debris Program Office:

Solution: HANDS Network of deployable robotic telescopes Capable of: –Astrometry –Photometry High Accuracy Network Determination System

Automated Photometric Pipeline Satellite Image Aperture Photometry Reduced Satellite Image Star Field Image Calibration Star Correlator Reduced Star Field Image Calibration Images

Calibration Star Correlator 276 stars found 35 matched by position to stars in Landolt catalogue with known magnitudes Image Credit: Kawailehua Kuluhiwa

Determining Tolerance Magnitude Offset: Landolt – Observed Angular Separation (arcsec): Landolt – Observed Average Magnitude Offset

Automated Photometric Pipeline Satellite Image Aperture Photometry Reduced Satellite Image Star Field Image Calibration Star Correlator Reduced Star Field Image Calculate Extinction Coefficients Calibration Images

Calculating Extinction Coefficients Slope = Extinction Coefficient Y-Intercept = Instrumental Magnitude Offset Airmass Magnitude Offset: Landolt – Observed

Recommendations –Reject outliers based on deviation of ~0.8 mag from average –Allow ≥3 arcseconds of angular separation (up to 5) Average Magnitude Offset Magnitude Offset: Landolt – Observed Angular Separation (arcsec): Landolt – Observed

Calculating Extinction Coefficients Slope = Extinction Coefficient Y-Intercept = Instrumental Magnitude Offset Airmass Magnitude Offset: Landolt – Observed

Calculating Extinction Coefficients Slope = Extinction Coefficient Y-Intercept = Instrumental Magnitude Offset Airmass Same Plot Using Outlier Rejection Magnitude Offset: Landolt – Observed

Automated Photometric Pipeline Satellite Image Aperture Photometry Reduced Satellite Image Star Field Image Calibration Star Correlator Reduced Star Field Image Calculate Extinction Coefficients Standardized Light Curves and Measurements of Tracked Objects Calibration Images

Goal of Pipeline Catalogue standardized magnitudes of detected objects Identify and differentiate each object Identify when particular objects change Time 

Acknowledgments Thank you to: –Rita Cognion, Curt Leonard, Russell Knox, James Frith, Kawailehua Kuluhiwa, Brooke Gibson, and the rest of the Oceanit Ohana –Dave Harrington, Mike Foley, Mark Pitts –Lisa Hunter, Nina Arnberg, Mike Nassir, Mark Hoffman –Aunty Lani LeBron, Akamai Workforce Initiative, and the rest of the Maui 2009 Interns The 2009 Maui Akamai Internship Program is funded by the University of Hawaii, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, the National Science Foundation Center for Adaptive Optics (NSF #AST ).

Questions? Nasa Orbital Debris Program Office:

Using Extinction Coefficients Equation for Standardized Satellite Magnitude: M s = M i – k*X + C M s = Standardized Satellite Magnitude M i = Instrumental Magnitude k = Extinction coefficient (slope of fitted line) X = Airmass (1 directly overhead, increases towards horizon) C = Instrumental Offset (Y-intercept of fitted line)