Data Mining Workshop
Friday, October 17, 2008
9:00 am — 12:00 pm
9:00 am
Introduction
powerpoint | pdf | video
Paula Szkody
15 minutes
9:15 am
Using the ASAS-3 Database
poweroint | pdf | video
Aaron Price
25 minutes
9:40 am
Using the AAVSO International Database
powerpoint | pdf | video
Aaron Price
20 minutes
10:00 am
An Introductory Overview of the National Virtual Observatory & How It Might Benefit the AAVSO
powerpoint | pdf | video
Richard 'Doc' Kinne
20 minutes
10:20 am
Coffee Break
30 minutes
10:50 am
Data Mining, ADQL, & the National Virtual
Observatory's OpenSkyQuery Utility
powerpoint | pdf | video
Richard 'Doc' Kinne
30 minutes
11:20 am
SDSS and GALEX Databases
powerpoint | pdf | video
Paula Szkody
15 minutes
11:35 am
Palomar-Quest and other new surveys
powerpoint | pdf | video
Arne Henden
25 minutes
Automated calibration and an open-source sky survey
pdf | video
Abstract:
I describe a system that can take any astronomical image (professional, historical, or amateur) and, based on the content of the pixels alone, determine the pointing, rotation, and scale of that image, plus other calibration information (such as date, bandpass, point-spread function, and sensitivity). We are using this system to start an "open-source sky survey" in which we build up time-resolved imaging of the sky, and a physical model of the sources therein, from heterogeneous data from all available sources. This is a great opportunity to start a rich communication channel between professional and amateur astronomers, with data and ideas flowing both ways.
David Hogg
30 minutes
MMO Session: History and Current Research
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Maria Mitchell Observatory
Friday, October 17, 2008
2:00 pm — 5:00 pm
2:00 pm
Opening Remarks
Toni McKerrow
10 minutes
2:10 pm
The Mitchells Good
powerpoint | pdf
Jascin Finger
20 minutes
2:30 pm
Mentored by Stars
powerpoint | pdf
Frances Karttunen
20 minutes
2:50 pm
Recollections of the inspirational Dorrit Hoffleit by her first male assistant at MMO
powerpoint | pdf
John Briggs
20 minutes
3:10 am
Nantucket: an Astronomical Island
powerpoint | pdf
Vladimir Strelnitski
20 minutes
3:30 pm
Coffee Break
30 minutes
4:00 pm
Observations of Exoplanets at the MMO
powerpoint | pdf
Jed Williams
20 minutes
Coauthors: Gary Walker, & Vladimir Strelnitski
Abstract: A program of exoplanet transit photometry was started at the MMO in the Spring of 2008. Our approaches to the reduction of systematic errors, crucial for this type of observations, will be discussed and examples of reduced light curves will be demonstrated. This project was supported by the NSF/REU grant AST-0354056 and the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association.
4:20 pm
News on the Optical and Radio Variability of MWC349
powerpoint | pdf
Gary Walker
20 minutes
Coauthors: Elissa Sperling, & Vladimir Strelnitski
Abstract: The results of the long-term (11 years) monitoring of MWC349 at optical and radio wavelengths, as well as a recent (summer 2008) experiment of simultaneous optical and radio observations to detect short-term variability, will be summarized. In particular, we will compare the results obtained with the 24-inch CCD telescope of the MMO with those submitted to the AAVSO database by various observers. The revealed amplitudes of MWC349 variations are small – a few tenths of a magnitude for a long-term variations (years) and, typically, less than one tenth for the short-term variations (months to days). This requires a relatively high accuracy photometry, not always achieved in amateur observations. The data obtained so far can be summarized as follows: (1) No obvious periodicity; (2) The amplitude of variations monotonically decreases with the decreasing time scale and towards longer wavelengths; (3) There is correlation of optical (R) and radio (hydrogen recombination line maser) radiation on both a long and short time scales, but the amplitude of the radio variations is greater. Possible interpretation of these results will be discussed. This project was supported by the NSF/REU grant AST-0354056 and the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association.
4:40 pm
Spectral Monitoring of UXORs with Interference Filters
powerpoint | pdf
Vladimir Strelnitski
20 minutes
Coauthors: Lauren Weiss & Gary Walker
Abstract: UXORs are a small group of pre-main sequence Herbig AeBe stars exhibiting deep irregular drops of continuum brightness, probably due to small circumstellar dust cloudlets occulting the star. Scarce available data from parallel spectroscopy and photometry indicate a lack of correlation between the variations of emission lines and continuum. This important result confirms the dust obscuration model but it needs corroboration. We at MMO started a program of UXORs monitoring with two interference filters, which is an inexpensive substitute for spectroscopic monitoring. The theoretical background for the separation of the temporal behavior of an emission line and the adjacent continuum by this method, as well as the first results of the application of the method to a candidate UXOR star, V3798 Sgr will be summarized. This project was supported by the NSF/REU grant AST-0354056 and the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association.