In a Nutshell

EB observing generally involves the following:

  • identify a star to observe based on predictions of when eclipses are going to occur
  • obtain a series of images, using your camera and telescope, from several hours before, until several hours after the eclipse
  • process the images in the usual manner (dark subtraction, flatfielding)
  • perform aperture photometry on all the images, yielding a time series of brightness versus time.  Differential photometry through a single (usually V) filter is commonly used.
  • determine the time of minimum (ToM) of the time series, i.e. the center-point of the dip in brightness, which is the time of the eclipse
  • apply "heliocentric correction" to the ToM
  • optionally analyze the ToM in the context of previous observations ("O-C Diagram")
  • publish and archive the ToM and time series data, for use by researchers and future observers.

The other "How-to" pages provide somewhat more detail about these steps.

 

Next:  how to observe EBs.