Talk

The PACA Project, designed and overseen by PI Yanamandra-Fisher, is an ecosystem of several social medias (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Flickr, Vimeo) that takes advantage of the social and immediate connectivity amongst amateur astronomers worldwide and that can be galvanized to participate in a given observing campaign. The Pro-Am Collaborative Astronomy (PACA) project evolved from the observational campaign of C/2012 S1 or C/ISON in 2013. Following the success of the professional-amateur astronomer collaboration in scientific research via social media, it is now implemented in other comet observing campaigns. While PACA identifies a consistent collaborative approach to pro-am collaborations, given the volume of data generated for each campaign, new ways of rapid data analysis, mining access and storage are needed. Several interesting results emerged from the synergistic inclusion of both social media and amateur astronomers:(1) the establishment of a network of astronomers and related professionals, that canbe galvanized into action on short notice to support observing campaigns;(2) assist in various science investigations pertinent to the campaign;(3) provide an alert-sounding mechanism should the need arise;(4) immediate outreach and dissemination of results via our media/blogger members;(5) provide a forum for discussions between the imagers and modelers to help strategize the observing campaign for maximum benefit. In 2014, two new comet observing campaigns involving pro-am collaborations have been initiated: (1) C/2013 A1 (C/SidingSpring) and (2) 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (CG), target for ESA/Rosetta mission. Several Australian amateur astronomers (R. Kaufman, R.Knight, T. Lovejoy, C. Wyatt, D. Burton, S. Webb, etc.) and robotic telescope networks (such as iTelescope.net) were added to the PACA efforts during NACAA 2014. The evolving need for individual customized observing campaigns has been incorporated into the evolution of PACA portal that currently is focused on comets: from supporting observing campaigns of current comets, legacy data, historical comets; interconnected with social media and a set of shareable documents addressing observational strategies; consistent standards for data; data access, use, and storage, to align with the needs of professional observers. The integration of science, observations by professional and amateur astronomers, and various social media provides a dynamic and evolving collaborative partnership between professional and amateur astronomers. The empowerment of amateur astronomers vis-à-vis their partnerships with the professional scientists creates a new demographic of data scientists, enabling citizen science of the integrated data from both the professional and amateur communities. We will present results from the various comet campaigns and will also highlight upcoming campaigns and new partnerships, including solar and planetary observing campaigns in the next three years, and well-placed for southern hemisphere observers.

The four main components of QZ Car form a pair of close binaries that share a wide orbit with a period of about 50 years. Observing this system is not really as simple as 'two binaries for the price of one', however, as these massive young stars are involved in complex processes of interaction. The present authors have been trying to piece together a comprehensive picture of the system for some time. A review of the various aspects of this effort brings out, in the one target, many of the more general issues in close binary research.

Many of the eclipsing binary (EB) stars in the southern sky have not been studied in detail and indeed, some data available in catalogues provides incorrect information. An example is V0626 Scorpii (period 1.03 days), which has been catalogued as a detached EB with both components as being possible δ Scuti-type pulsators with spectral type A7. In fact, the secondary eclipse depth is only about half that of the primary, indicating that the temperature of the secondary is about 2000° lower than that of the primary component. The light curves during the complete eclipses indicate that the system is inclined at about 89° to our line of site. V0775 Centauri (period is 0.66 days) is an example of a EB that was catalogued as detached, but is probably in a near contact state; its smaller secondary component probably fills or slightly exceeds its inner Roche lobe. The primary components of both systems are probably F0 sub-giants; their evolution is being affected by mass transfer from the more evolved, but now less massive, secondary components.

During the past year there have been some amazing discoveries made via space probes about the objects in the solar system. For example the New Horizons probe to the Pluto system, the Rosetta probe to a comet and the Dawn probe to the asteroid Ceres. As a result our knowledge and understandings of these solar system objects has changed. This presentation will outline some of these findings using the latest NASA data and images.

In this talk I will present the video method for observing of eclipsing variable stars which we used in 2015 to obtain more than 70 times of minima.

Luminous features surrounding peculiar galaxies have been imaged since the early 1900s. Their nature has become clearer as our understanding of galaxy evolution developed in the light of merger models from the Toomre brothers' work in the 1970s. I present findings after deeply imaging southern galaxies in an attempt to detect tidal streams in galactic halos resulting from gravitational interactions and passages between galaxies of similar or disproportional mass ratios. These images of many hours' exposure time were subjected to severe processing and then inverted to reveal as much tidal disruption as possible.

Margaret will present a summary of the work achieved and published to date. This includes two papers published by the JAAVSO, with a third paper in preparation. Few new data sets on any targets are now being received. However, both David Moriarty and Margaret Streamer are collecting data in several band passes over the full orbital cycle for specific targets. These data will lead to preliminary astrophysical modelling of the systems. However, for precise mass determination, orbital radial velocity measurements are needed. These can be determined from spectroscopy and given the magnitude range of project targets, telescopes larger than a typical amateur telescope are required. To this end, I have collaborated with two professional astronomers (at the Australian National University and University of Sydney) to obtain spectral data for TT Horologii, a binary with a delta Scuti component, using the ANU 2.3m telescope at Siding Springs. The future for the EA binaries project is very sound. 1) There remains plenty of opportunity for beginners to be involved with the many targets for which we still have very little data. 2) For the more adventurous, there are plenty of targets waiting to have preliminary models determined. 3) Hopefully, I shall continue my partnership with the professional astronomers to enable future access to the big telescopes so that the precise astrophysical properties of the systems can be determined.

During preparation of the "Revised Light Elements of 78 Southern Eclipsing Binary Systems" paper, numerous pitfalls for Analysts were discovered. This paper is a combination of lessons learned from that and a description of new techniques developed then and later.

Here are eleven relatively unknown women who have been instrumental or pivotal in the development of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Hypatia of Alexandria, Caroline Herschel, Maria Mitchell, Williamina Fleming, Henrietta Levitt, Antonia Maury, Annie Jump Cannon, Cecilia Payne, Ruby Payne-Scott, Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Vera Rubin.