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Published Research and Articles |
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STUDENT RESEARCH PAPERS
Double Star Measurements with a Three Inch Abstract: Observations were made of three double stars with known separations and position angles using a three inch 1960's Tasco telescope equipped with a Meade astrometric eyepiece. After these observations were completed, their mean values were compared with catalogued values. It was concluded that, under appropriate conditions, a modest aperture Tasco telescope can provide remarkably accurate and precise results.
High School Observations of the Visual Double Star 3 Pegasi Abstract: Using a Meade 10" LX 200 telescope and a Celestron Micro Guide eyepiece, students from Arroyo Grande High School learned proper techniques for visually measuring the separation and position angle of a visual double star (3 Pegasi). The project was part of a physics research seminar at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California.
Measurements of the Visual Double Star STF 2079 Abstract: With an astrometric eyepiece and self-made protractor-pointer mounted on a 12-inch aperture telescope, two first-time observers, during a physics research seminar at Cuesta College, determined the linear scale factor of the eyepiece using the drift-timing method. The separation and position angle of two well-known visual binary stars and one neglected visual binary star, STF 2079, were then measures. Measurement errors were calculated, and the observational results were found to agree with previous measurements with an accuracy consistent with the calculated errors. Both the separation and position angle of STF 2079 seem to be decreasing.
Student Group Measurements of Visual Double Stars Abstract: Eight astronomy research seminar participants made visual measurements of double stars as a group project. A reflecting and a refracting telescope were used along with illuminated reticle eyepieces to measure the separation and position angles of known and neglected double stars. The group effort allowed students with a variety of expertise and talent to work together with synergetic effects. What we learned may apply to other group efforts.
Student Group Measurements of Visual Double Stars
Exoplanet
Observations Reveal Early Ingress Abstract: Using differential photometry, a transit of exoplanet WASP-1b was simultaneously observed from three western states. Analysis of the observations revealed that the ingress occurred 0.018d (~25.9 minutes) earlier than predicted. The early ingress could be due to a still imprecise ephemeris or, perhaps, to the gravitational influence of a second planet.
STUDENT ENGINEERING
An 18-Inch Direct Drive Alt-Az Telescope
Abstract: A modest aperture alt-az
telescope has been designed and is being built for student use at California
Polytechnic State University. The telescope’s drive system has no gears, belts,
or friction wheels; instead direct drive motors and high resolution encoders are
completely integrated into the bearing assemblies and telescope superstructure.
In altitude, for instance, a ring of permanent magnets is firmly mounted to the
OTA while an opposing ring of coils is mounted on the inside of a fork arm. The
electronic control system has been designed to operate these brushless motors in
a high precision mode. To achieve the highest possible closed loop servo
bandwidth, the structure was designed—using finite element analysis as well as
traditional tools—to have a very high natural frequency. The direct drive system
and stiff structure should effectively counter wind gusts when the telescope is
operated out in the open or within a roll-off roof observatory. © 2007 Society
for Astronomical Sciences. RELATED PAPERS
Portable
0.7-Meter CDK Alt-Az Telescope for Research, Astrophotography, and Visual
Observation David Rowe, Russ Genet, Dan Gray, Rick Hedrick, Bob Peasley, Tong Liu, Ty Safreno, John Ridgely, Howard Banich, Tom Krajci, Tome Smith, Jim Widmann, Xiao-Hua Yu, Joe Habermann, Richard Berry, Mel Bartels, Richard, Kay, Craig Breckenridge, and Jolyon Johnson.
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