Aperture photometry at the Unisa observatory; system evaluation via light curves of eclipsing binaries
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Authors
Pieters, Vanessa
Issue Date
2015
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The University of South Africa has built a small observatory for teaching and
research. The 35cm Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector and the SSP-5A photometer with
Johnson UBV filters were used to evaluate the local possibilities for aperture
photometry. Extinction and transformation coefficients and zero points were
determined with the RPHOT software package from standard star photometry. To
determine the system limits, UBV light curves were obtained for four eclipsing
binaries, ranging between magnitudes 7 and 13. In B the limit is 12,5, in U it is
12,0 and in V only 11,0 with large scatter even for bright objects. The rapidly
varying sky background in an urban site may be a major cause. A related problem
is the large, fixed photometer diaphragm, aggravating the bright sky situation.
Possible solutions to this and other problems were suggested. The system can be
used fruitfully, especially for single filter photometry of periodic and nonperiodic
variables.
Description
Citation
Pieters, Vanessa (2015) Aperture photometry at the Unisa observatory; system evaluation via light curves of eclipsing binaries, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18321>