Exoplanet Observing CHOICE course - 11/4/2019 - 12/6/2019

Affiliation
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Wed, 10/30/2019 - 21:02

I'm surprised there hasn't been a post yet but there is another upcoming CHOICE course in Exoplanet Observing starting Monday November 4th, 2019.

November 4 - December 6
Exoplanet Observing 
Instructor: Dr. Brian Hill

The fee for AAVSO members is $35.00 click here. Non-members pay $60.00 click here. Registrations are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Exoplanet Observing

This course is designed to provide participants with the basics of how to conduct their own exoplanet observations. With the flood of targets coming in from the currently running TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission, this course offering is especially timely.

The first half of the course will cover the fundamentals of high precision photometry, as well as the various phases of an exoplanet observation. The second half will review the use of AstroImageJ (AIJ) for image reduction and exoplanet transit modeling. In addition, the future of exoplanet observing using small telescopes will be discussed, as well as ways in which amateur astronomers can contribute to exoplanet research, including contributions to the TESS mission.

The course will use “A Practical Guide to Exoplanet Observing” as its primary text, as well as a set of sample exoplanet observations, both of which can be found at http://astrodennis.com. Videos created by Dennis Conti are associated with each week's module. Participants will take a quiz after each module that assesses your understanding of that week's videos and written materials, and your practice with the transit-fitting software (AIJ). Participants must successfully pass each quiz to successfully pass the course. A private forum will be available to participants in order to communicate with each other, as well as the instructor.