Transcript jwhitney - Astronomy at Western Kentucky University

Observations of Active Galactic Nuclei
via a Student Operated Remote
Observatory
Whitney Wills
Michael Carini-Faculty Mentor
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Western Kentucky University
Abstract
I will describe an astronomical observatory run by undergraduate
students under the supervision of faculty mentors. The facility is
operated remotely from the campus of Western Kentucky University.
Undergraduate students operate a 0.6m telescope equipped with a
CCD camera to obtain data for key science projects. Our primary
goal is the monitoring of the brightness variations of Active Galactic
Nuclei and using these variations to investigate the physics at work in
these objects. Working from a control room on WKU's campus, the
telescope and camera are controlled over the internet. The scientific
data is stored at the observatory and transferred via the internet to
WKU's campus, where it is archived and analyzed by undergraduate
students. I will report on the results of our first few months of
monitoring AGNS.
Telescope Specifics
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0.6 meter diameter primary mirror
f/11
Manufactured by Group 128
Equatorial mount
Ash Dome
Installed in 1988
Located 12 miles SW of Bowling Green
Refurbishment Work
• Astronomical Consultants and Equipment
Inc. contracted to refurbish and automate
the telescope
• Refurbishment work began July 1999
• First light for refurbished telescope came in
October, 2000
• Refurbished telescope dedicated November
22, 2000
Telescope Status
• Telescope is fully functional
• Remote and onsite observing capability
• 4 WKU undergraduate students routinely
operating the telescope remotely and obtain
data: Whitney Wills, Ashley Atkerson, Tala
Monroe & Wes Ryle
What is an AGN?
Take a normal Galaxy
At the center add:
1 supermassive BlackHole
(mass = 105 - 109 times mass
of the sun)
1 accretion disk
2 relativistic jets of material
= 1 Active Galactic nucleus (AGN)
What is a BL Lac Object?
• The most extreme example of an AGN
• Highly variable continuum emission at all
wavelengths
• Featureless optical spectra
• Highly variable polarization
Why Study these Objects?
• Featureless continuum means continuum
radiation is the only diagnostic
• They vary, so why not?
• Variability is not regular, can’t get a few
cycles and be finished
• Theoreticians need to be kept busy-models
need data.
Observations
• Data obtained with the WKU Bell 0.6m
Telescope, operated from WKU’s campus
• Axiom AP2e CCD(charge coupled device)
camera
Data Reduction
• Used Image Reduction and Analysis
Facility(IRAF) Software
• Removed background and thermal noise
from the pictures(Bias and Dark levels)
• Removed non-linearity(Flat Field)
• Measured the brightness inside a circular
aperture centered on the star
Results
• Light curve(plot of brightness vs time)
constructed
• Shows a decline in brightness of 0.4
magnitudes followed by a brightness
increase of 0.5 magnitudes over the 2
months of observing
The Bell 0.6m Telescope
External View of the Observatory
Bell Observatory from above
Whitney Wills and Lindsey Hopper at the
Telescope
Mr Rico Tyler and Dr. David Barnaby watch Mr.
Tyler’s Franklin-Simpson High School
Astronomy students operate the telescope from
WKU’s control room during the observatory
dedication ceremony
Acknowledgements
This project has been supported by NASA,
the Kentucky Space Grant Consortium and
the Applied Research and Technology
Program (ARTP) at WKU