Process overview - abstract

1
Process overview - abstract
Quick peek target lightcurve with raw target
instrumental magnitudes
Start
Acquire field images - Reference - Target
Extract magnitudes
Calibrate images
Choose plot

• Reduce
• Transforms
• Color index
• Extinction

Convert target field to standard magnitudes
Plot target lightcurve with standard magnitudes
Entire lightcurve phase obtained ?
yes
no
Gather more lightcurve phase data to fill-out the
curves entire phase
End
2
Process overview package based
MPO Canopus
Quick peek target lightcurve with raw target
instrumental magnitudes
Start
Calibrate images
Acquire field images - Target -
Comparisons - Object
Choose plot
Plot target lightcurve with standard magnitudes
Extract target magnitudes
import
import
PhotoRed

• Reduce - Target
• Color index
• Extinction

Acquire field images - Reference - Color
Index - Extinction
Convert target field to standard magnitudes

• Reduce - Reference
• Transforms
• Color index
• Extinction

Extract reference magnitudes
Calibrate images
3
Acquire images two alternative workflows
Basic hi-low method
High color index reference field V,R,C Landolt,
Henden
Continuous target field V or C, V preferred
lt2º
Continuous VRC method
Best comparison star in target field
High color index reference field V,R,C Landolt,
Henden
lt2º
Best comparison star in target field
High-low extinction reference field V,R,C
Landolt
Continuous target field V, R, C
Low extinction reference field V,R,C
High extinction reference field V,R,C
4
PhotoRed reduction coefficients set from acquired
images
Basic hi-low method
Transforms
High color index reference field V,R,C Landolt,
Henden
lt2º
Continuous target field V or C, V preferred
Comps Standard Mags
First-Order Comps
Best comparison star in target field
Color Index (Comps/Target)
Target Standard Mags
High-low extinction reference field V,R,C
Landolt
First-Order All Sky
5
PhotoRed reduction coefficients set from acquired
images
Continuous VRC method
Transforms
High color index reference field V,R,C Landolt,
Henden
High extinction reference field V,R,C
lt2º
Continuous target field V, R, C
Comps Standard Mags
First-Order Comps
Color Index (Comps/Target)
Best comparison star in target field
Target Standard Mags
Low extinction reference field V,R,C
First-Order All Sky
6
Process overview Three methods to convert to
standard magnitudes

• Only one of the three methods the basic
  rigorous method is graphed here, using only the
  basic high-low imaging method.

PhotoRed

• Reduce - Target
• Color index
• Extinction

Calibrate images
Convert target field to standard magnitudes

• Reduce - Reference
• Transforms
• Color index
• Extinction

Extract reference magnitudes

• Basic rigorous
• can use
• in all cases

• Binzel
• use where
• comp stars
• of same color index
• are in target field

Quick Mags - use for long-period AAVSO variables
Report to MPO Center
Report to AAVSO
7
Extract target field image data
MPO Canopus
Acquire field images - Target -
Comparisons - Object
Extract target magnitudes
Calibrate images
Extract data (Lightcurve wizard)
Comparison stars variable?
Target field image in V and/or C
Make observations .FF2 files
Reference Field image low-high in V,R and C
Choose other comparison stars or reshoot
session
Choose other comparison stars or reshoot
session
View raw comparison plots
View raw comparison plots
yes
no
Quick peek target lightcurve with raw target
instrumental magnitudes
Choose best comparison star
Save image of comp stars note best comp star
or
Continue import data to PhotoRed
8
Extract reference field data - reduce transform
coefficients
PhotoRed
Acquire field images - Reference - Color
index - Extinction
Extract target magnitudes

• Reduce - Reference
• Transforms
• Color index

Calibrate images
Deselect outliers
yes
Extract data (Photometry wizard)
Comparison stars plot bad?
Reference field image high color-index
Make observation .obs files
Reduce - Reference Transforms Color index
Reference Field image low-high in V,R and C
View transforms plot
no
Set transform coefficients
Transform error plot bad?
Reduce - Reference Errors
View errors plot
yes
Deselect outliers
no
Continue To set rough extinction
9
Extract reference field data - reduce rough
extinction coefficients
PhotoRed
Acquire field images - Reference - Color
index - Extinction
Extract target magnitudes

• Reduce - Reference
• Transforms
• Color index

Calibrate images
Deselect outliers
yes
Extract data (Photometry wizard)
Extinction plot bad?
Reference field image high-low extinction
Make observation .obs files
Reduce - Reference Extinction First Order
All Sky
Reference Field image low-high in V,R and C
View extinction plot
no
Set rough extinction coefficients
Continue To set target extinction
10
Reduce target field fine-tune extinction
(modified Hardie)
PhotoRed
MPO Canopus

• Reduce - Target
• Color index
• Extinction

Extract target magnitudes
import
Make observation .obs file
Make special single group table
Store special observation .obs file
Import target field data from MPO Canopus
Reimport original target field data from MPO
Canopus
Deselect outliers
yes
Extinction plot bad?
Reduce Target Extinction First-Order Comps
Continue To set target color index
coefficients
View extinction plot
no
Set target fine extinction coefficients
Note on best comp star in target field
Use only 1 - best of 5 possible comp stars
11
Reduce target field set color index coefficients
PhotoRed
MPO Canopus

• Reduce - Target
• Color index
• Extinction

Extract target magnitudes
import
Deselect outliers
yes
Color index plot bad?
Reduce Target color index Color-index
(Comps/Target)
Original target field data from MPO Canopus
Continue To set standard magnitudes
View color index plot
no
Set target color index coefficients
12
Reduce target field standard magnitudes of
comparison stars
PhotoRed

• Reduce - Target
• Color index
• Extinction

• Reduce - Reference
• Transforms
• Color index
• Extinction

Convert target field to standard magnitudes
Coefficients in Reductions dialogue
Coefficients in Reductions dialogue
Convert target comp stars to standard
magnitudes Comps Standard Mags
Convert target to standard magnitudes Target
Standard Mags
Target field - stored special observation .obs
file
Target field - original observation .obs file
Make standard mag .FF2 archive file
Save the Reductions tab coefficients
Continue To plot lightcurve
13
Plot lightcurve
PhotoRed
MPO Canopus
Convert target field to standard magnitudes
Plot target lightcurve with standard magnitudes
import
Extract choose sessions to plot
Standard mag .FF2 File from PhotoRed
Import standard mag target field data from
PhotoRed to MPO Session
Multiple session data
Best period estimate?
Estimate period
Plot refined target magnitudes with aligned
phases (phase scale)
Plot raw target magnitudes (Julian Day scale)
Print/save aligned lightcurve plot
yes
no
14
Acquire more images until lightcurve phase is
filled-out
MPO Canopus
End
yes
Acquire field images - Target -
Comparisons - Object
Plot target lightcurve with standard magnitudes
Entire lightcurve phase obtained ?
Gather more lightcurve phase data to fill-out the
curves entire phase
no
Find next opportunity to Image missing phase
segment with time-of-minimum calculator
Identify missing phase portions
Data for entire phase plotted?
no
Get Julian Date of minimum point
Print/save aligned lightcurve plot
yes
End
To start acquire more images