Talk

DSLR Photometry Highlights

Mark Blackford

VSS, ASNSW, AAVSO

A basic digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera can provide research-quality photometry if appropriate care is taken when recording and analysing images. This talk will give a general background to the equipment and techniques employed by the author. This will be followed by descriptions of several research projects in which DSLR photometry has complemented professional spectroscopic studies.

The need for an Australian Astronomy and Space Science Education Network

Paul Floyd

Astronomy & Space Science Education in Australian Prep to Year 12 schools is not preparing our students for their future employment options. The causes are multiple and can include:

• a crowded curriculum
• a lack of teacher knowledge and/or interest
• a scarcity of quality, easy to use and accessible Southern hemisphere focused astronomy resources, and
• the speed of change in astronomy, space science and technology 

When covered, the topics might be glossed over and can be covered in worst case scenarios in a superficial manner. At worst, for astronomy this could even be through the reading of a brief few pages of a Science textbook. Students will likely leave school not having experienced emotionally engaging activities such as looking at Saturn’s rings through a telescope. 

The author strongly believes that it is time to establish a dedicated Australian Astronomy & Space Science Network to address the above issues.

The presentation will briefly look at the lessons learnt from his interactions with teachers over the past 25 years through co-convening numerous astronomy education events. These have included the Brisbane Astronomical Society’s Queensland Astronomy Education Conference and activities undertaken through his ongoing employment as a classroom teacher. The insights gained will hopefully inspire you to contribute to the establishment of an Australian Astronomy & Space Science Network.

Note that the opinions expressed in this presentation will be that of the author and do not reflect the opinion of his employer.

The future of lighting is better if it's dim

Mike Chapman

Sydney Outdoor Lighting Improvement Society

Humans have created an environment illuminated by non-solar light. The need for illumination has come about from various needs and the resultant levels of illumination have often attempted to parallel the levels achieved during daylight. In recent times, Standards and Regulations developed to guide lighting design for particular situations are seen to be insufficient in prescriptive detail. The recent changes in lighting technologies suggest that there is a need to reassess how humans interact with an environment lit by non-daylight methods. As population centres continue to grow, the spread of light at night is not moderated and the only possible trend is for an increase in the use of light at night. The issues surrounding light pollution can only be exacerbated. The only solution to reducing potential light pollution aside from legislative control is to develop new ways of using light to satisfy current usage applications. Ideas for supplanting existing lighting applications with new technologies will be examined using a combination of ideas in lighting preferences, technical innovations and identifying specific primary causes of light pollution.

Photometry and astrophysical modelling of the Eclipsing Binary BC Gruis

David Moriarty

AAQ, VSS, UQ

BC Gruis is an over-contact system with the components differing by about 9% in temperature and thus displaying uneven eclipse depths.  The orbital period has changed since discovery, which may be due to error in the original determination and also possible mass exchange and/or the effects of a third component. A third component in the system, revealed by spectroscopy, has been reported from the ESO and may contribute to variability in the orbital period.  An astrophysical model was developed by Plewa & Kaluzny in 1992 before the 3rd component was discovered. A revised model will be presented.  

Plumbing the Depths - The problems of measuring eclipse minima

Tom Richards

VSS, ASA, RAS, RASNZ

Measuring the minimum of an eclipse light curve has practical and theoretical difficulties. The two common methods - Kwee & van Woerden and polynomial fitting, often disagree significantly. This talk will discuss various methods, their good and weak points, and when and how best used.

Guide to Visual Comet Observing

Chris Wyatt

UNENTAS - UNE & Northern Tablelands Astro Society

A basic guide to observing comets visually through measuring and processing your information to upload to International Comet Databases and Pro-Am Collaborative Astronomy Comet Groups.

The career path of a teenage asteroid hunter

Peter Lake

iTelescope

An entry-level to advanced-level look at the process of finding and tracking asteroids, how it's done and why it's important. Covering the image capture methods, blinking and stacking techniques, from beginner to advanced methods and working closely with the Minor Planet Center. Peter Lake navigates the pathway for an aspiring Asteroid hunter from basic citizen-science activities like Asteroid Zoo, Nasa’s Asteroid Data Hunter, the IASC program and the University of Arizona’s Target Asteroids program to advanced techniques using Astrometrica. The session culminates with the speaker’s own recent observations of Near Earth Objects during the past 12 months including Asteroid 2015 TB145, a 460m, which was discovered by Panstarrs Survey only three weeks before a very close approach at 1.3 Lunar distances in October 2015.

SKJELLERUP and the COMETS

Ian Sullivan

ASV and MPAS

Frank Skjellerup was born in Victoria, but spent over 20 years of his adult life in Capetown, South Africa, where he worked as a telegraphist. There, he became an avid amateur astronomer, independently discovering five comets including P/ Grigg-Skjellerup. 

After he returned to Australia in 1923, he found Skjellerup-Maristany in 1927, which gathered much media acclaim, and De Kock-Skjellerup in 1941. He was fortunate in that he found a short-period comet of period 5 years, and two others of naked-eye brightness!

He joined the ASV in 1933, served as its President (1942-4) and, as a Life Member, was also involved in work on variable stars until his death in 1952.

Video Astronomy

Hristo Pavlov

The use of video cameras in astronomy has been increasing steadily in recent years. The lower cost and wide range of applications of modern video cameras are making them an interesting alternative for imaging in astronomy. In this talk, I will discuss the quality of scientific data that can be achieved with video systems in the areas of occultations, astrometry, variable stars and spectroscopy. Recently obtained and specific results will be also presented for all four covered areas.

SASER and the 2015 Gamma 2 Velorum campaign

Jonathan Powles

VSS, SASER, Canberra Astronomical Society, University of Canberra

The Southern Astronomical Spectroscopy Email Ring (SASER) is a small group of spectroscopists from Australia, New Zealand and South America active in pro-am campaigns conducting research projects, led by professionals, into bright spectroscopic targets in the Southern skies. Recent campaigns include the 2014 Eta Carinae periastron, Zeta Puppis, and Gamma 2 Velorum. The latter is a massive binary pair consisting of a Wolf-Rayet star and O-type companion. The recent observation campaign, led my Anthony Moffat and Noel Richardson from the University of Montreal, sought to examine the detailed structure of clumping in the radiation-driven stellar winds of the system, and the interaction of these winds as the stars approached periastron. The observations involved ground-based spectroscopy coupled with BRITE satellite photometry. This presentation will report on the progress of the campaign, from the perspective of the amateur spectroscopists involved, as well as some of the preliminary findings.