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Presented by: Kevin Beaulieu & Dustin Crabtree
_______________ RIT Observatory Data Pipeline & Automation Project: Summer Research ______________________ Presented by: Kevin Beaulieu & Dustin Crabtree
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CIS South Pole Involvement
CARA has pioneered the operation of telescopes in Antarctica. Advantage Dry, cold weather ideal for IR astronomy Disadvantages: Harsh climate results in few astronomers begging to visit Antarctica. Few understand how to process the data obtained. Solution: RIT CIS in 1999 built a pipeline to provide uniform data products to the world astronomy community However the pipeline was far from efficient…
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Motivations for RIT Observatory Project
Objective of Summer Based on the CIS Astronomy Pipeline Project RIT Observatory Data Pipeline and Automation Project serves as a local ‘model’ for South Pole astronomy Ultimate Goals: 1. Images obtained remotely with ease 2. Data reduction accurate and timely 3. Find and report “roadblocks” in process 4. Apply lessons learned from this experience (and the 1999 SPIREX/Abu program) to a next generation IR telescope
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How it relates to Imaging Science...
The body of knowledge resulting from our ability to detect and display information in visual formats. We have all necessary components in process: Input, System, Output Imaging System Analysis Goals: Improve efficiency of system Provide user with automatic tools with minimal maintenance and user intervention
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RIT Observatory Facility
10” Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope mounted on Astro Pier 5-meter Ash Dome
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RIT Observatory Facility
CCD camera 1530 x 1020 pixels FOV: 0.4 degrees Four filters: B, V, R, I 2nd smaller array: used for tracking read out in “binned” mode CCDops Software Image Capture Interface connecting Dell computer to telescope
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Automation Project (Ideal)
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Dome Automation Assisted in Dome Circuitry Analysis
Circuitry housed in a NEMA protective box Became familiar with PSpice™ Schematics© software
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TASS Mark IV Data Pipeline
The pipeline is designed for use with the Mark IV prototype camera used by the Amateur Sky Survey, but has been adapted for use by the RIT Observatory The pipeline processes an entire data set automatically. The Data Reduction Pipeline operates through several steps in order to reduce the data:
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Reference Catalogue - Dark Image - Flat Field Image Image Cleaning Find and Measure Stars Astrometry -
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Astronomical Image Acquisition
Participated in several nights at the Observatory for image acquisition Assembled a well-documented binder for future reference Motives for Researching Selected Objects Brief Description of Data Pipeline Separate Sections for Each Night’s Observations Meticulous Logs Sample Images Plots- Julian Date Vs. Magnitude, Julian Date Vs. Background, Julian Date Vs. Full Width at Half Max
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Motives for Researching Selected Objects
ST Virgo- Variable Star Berkeley 87- Star Cluster 2001 KP41- Asteroid 756 Lilliana- Asteroid WZ Sagittae- Cataclysmic Variable Binary Star System Unknown- Eclipsing Binary Star System
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ST Virgo Focus of Research in June/Early July Pulsating Variable Star
Objective: Selected as a target to learn more about the entire image acquisition and data reduction processes “Roadblocks” in Observatory Automation Project noted as astronomical data was collected and analyzed
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ST Virgo Data Proof of Variability Magnitude Vs. ID Number
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June 28, 2001: Cloud Cover Example
ST Virgo Data June 28, 2001: Cloud Cover Example Magnitude Vs. ID Number Sky Vs. ID Number
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Berkeley 87 Star Cluster Objective:
Used as a target while the Observatory’s 10-inch Meade telescope Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope was tested for slew accuracy COMPLETE automation will require telescope to accurately move from one object to another
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WZ Sagittae (sah-JIT-ee)
Cataclysmic Variable Binary Star System Objective: Help in a global effort to determine its period during a RARE SUPER-OUTBURST display Theory: By analyzing the light curves, humps are found in the plots that suggest that the larger secondary star is transferring mass to the smaller, yet denser white dwarf.
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WZ Sge Light Curve from 2001 Super-Outbursts (from )
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WZ Sge Data: Magnitude Vs. Julian Date
July 26 August 4 August 7
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Unknown Eclipsing Binary Star System
We noticed that a star within the FOV of WZ Sge was changing brightness over the course of his shift at the Observatory. Collecting and analyzing data (plotting light curves) to find out more
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Unknown System’s Light Curve
Magnitude Vs. Phase
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Challenges Telescope and Camera Automation Data Pipeline Dome Control
Weather- open, close Alignment with telescope Telescope DOES NOT have a memory Need automatic focus Data Pipeline Automating reduction process (as soon as data arrives in archive) Data Storage Limits
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Conclusion RIT Observatory summer research has been a start to building the local ‘model’ for the South Pole. Experimental Design: Creation of a pilot software package is underway. Data Acquisition: The Dome Automation Project will continue into the fall of 2001. Data Reduction: Most of the major problems of the Data Pipeline have been addressed. Archiving: A universally accessible storage area for raw/cleaned images and processed data has been created.a
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