Blog
Binning
Binning is a method of combining pixels on a CCD chip into one “super” pixel. This provides some advantages and disadvantages.
SNR
The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) characterizes the quality of a measurement and determines the ultimate performance of the system. The three primary sources of noise in a CCD imaging system are photon noise, dark noise, and read noise, all of which must be considered in the SNR calculation.
FITS Files
FITS files are the end product of a CCD image of an astronomical object, and are designed to store data sets consisting of multi-dimensional arrays and 2-dimensional tables.
CCD Filters Overview
To get information from a target and make color pictures, filters are used. Filters block certain EM wavelengths.
How to Give Good Talks Part III
Practice your presentation before you present, acknowledge your audience, don't have unnecessary body language, use active voice, and don't use too many acronyms.
How to Give Good Talks Part I
To give a good talk, you should first plan. The planning phase includes finding a hook, knowing your takeaway, knowing your audience, and know your time limit.
Common Proper Motion
Common proper-motion pairs are a subset of binaries where the stars share similar proper motions
Theta and Rho
Theta & Rho are the position angle, measured from North, and separation of two objects.
Group Intrinsic
The group of Intrinsic variable stars is classified based on internal stellar structure causing the changes to the star, and thus the variability to their flux. It covers most of the variable star classes: Eruptive, Cataclysmic, and Pulsation.
Stellar Death – High Mass Stars
High mass stars have a more stable evolution from one fusion process to the next. As iron fills the core, the star begins to implode and fall into itself. There are two types of supernovae, based on the hydrogen content.
Stellar Life after the Main Sequence
The path a star takes after the main sequence is dependent on the star's mass. Stages 8-11 are Subgiant Branch, Red-Giant Branch, Helium Fusion/Horizontal Branch, and Asymptotic Giant Branch.
Doppler Shift
The Doppler shift is the change of a wavelength with motion, and is most used in astronomy in the field of spectroscopy
Stellar Life Interstellar Medium to the Main Sequence
The process from the interstellar medium to the main sequence is how a star forms.
HR Diagram and Star Clusters
Clusters (which come in open, associations, and globular varieties) provide the best means for us to compare theories to actual stellar evolution and can be studied via photometry and spectroscopy.
Analyzing the Proper Motion of Two Double Star Systems from Astrometric Measurements
Author: Parra, A., Beltzer-Sweeney, A., Stojimirovic, I., Boyce, P., and Boyce[pdf-embedder...
CCD Astrometric Measurements of WDS 13513-3928 (HJ 4618)
Authors: Pat Boyce, Grady Boyce