Photometry

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In: Observatory, Photometry

As replacement for the Bowers Beetle CCD camera, I have just taken delivery of a new CMOS camera.  It is a QHY183M, a 20 megapixel CMOS camera. It is currently on my desk being tested.  I don’t know how a CMOS sensor will perform in high precision photometry so this testing will be more detailed than usual.  In particular I want to understand a type of noise that CCDs don’t have – RTS (Random Telegraph Signal) and if necessary develop a way to fix the problem. These tests are described on my new CMOS photometry pages.  Have started, but more testing to come…  Read More →

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In: Exoplanets, Photometry, Software

I have now made available the set of programs I use for processing photometry and producing plots and reports, the ‘PEST Pipeline‘. I’ve included an overview, downloads as well as a tutorial.  The Pipeline is the result of several years of development, with the TESS project (in particular Karen Collins) driving requirements over the last year.  It’s quick and efficient in getting from raw photometric data to plots and reports, mainly because there little fiddling with settings and selections on windows, and lots of standardisation of everything from workflow to file location and naming. I’d like to acknowledge David Motl and his fantastic C-Munipack packageRead More →

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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In: Exoplanets, Observatory, Photometry, TESS

TESS launched this week.   Not many minutes after lift-off on a SpaceX Falcon 9, it was in space.  It will find tens of thousands of new planets, but will need help from the ground.  PEST has been gearing up for this support role since March last year.Read More →

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In: Exoplanets, Photometry

Astronomers sometimes blithely talk about ‘bright’ stars.  If an exoplanet transits a bright star, we will be able to measure the the parameters of the planet, eg mass and radius to greater precision, and perhaps to sniff its atmosphere.   But in everyday terms, how bright are these stars?Read More →