Identifying Variable Stars in Star Clusters Using Photometric

Observations
Shawna McCracken
2012-2013
2013-2014


Background Essay
In astronomy, photometry is the measure of light given off by stars and other
objects in space. Photometry has been used for multiple purposes in the past. Some of
these purposes are finding a stars distance, surface color, or what the star is made up
of. The most current use of photometry is finding planets around distant stars. Scientists
use photometry by observing stars for an extended period of time and finding a flux or
change in the amount of light that is observed. In order to determine the amount of light
the star or object being observed is giving off one must observe it through several
different filters.
Possibly the most well-known use of photometry is NASAs Kepler mission.
Kepler was launched successfully in 2009, but was not approved until after 20 years of
testing and revisions when it was finally approved as a Discovery mission in 2001. The
goal of the Kepler mission was to find planets orbiting around distant stars. This was
done by observing certain stars for an extended period of time as to observe a planets
transit (its passage in front of the star). The planets transit causes a dip in the stars
light. The Kepler mission determined a planet's size by measuring that dip in light. The
Kepler mission was the first time it was suggested to use photometry on several stars at
the same time and not doing it by hand; at this time, no one believed that high-precision
photometry could be used on thousands of stars. (Ellis, 2012).
There have been several other uses of photometry in astronomical
observations. An example of this is a study that looked at four different objects in the
Kuiper Belt (just outside the earths solar system). Spectrophotometric observations of
four Kuiper Belt objects were obtained using the Hubble Space Telescopes Near
Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). Aperture photometry was
performed on all images to determine the flux in each filtered observation (Noll et al.,
1999). Photometry with NICMOS can be affected by persistent images from cosmic
rays, particularly after passage through the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) where the
number of charged particle hits on the detector is greatly increased (Noll et al., 1999).
Three out of four of these objects that were observed fall in the same general category.
However the fourth had a completely different optical-infrared reflectivity.
Precise photometric observations of transiting planets outside of the earths
solar system can provide information on the nature of the planets. Scientists are hoping
that very high quality transit data can be obtained. Several things can be found by
observing the transit. When the transit data is combined with high quality radial velocity
data scientists can find the mass and density of the planets. There will be several
chances for more work to be done (Dunham et al., n.d.).
There was also a study where thirty-three objects with possible origins beyond
edge of the Kuiper Belt were observed to determine their surface colors. The
observations show very red material may be a more general feature for objects kept far
from the Sun (Sheppard, 2010). A possible trend was found in that objects with smaller
abnormalities are redder. As well as objects that are farther away (Sheppard, 2010).
Objects located in the Kuiper belt are extremely hard to study in detail. In the
past decade alone, there has been an enormous increase in peoples understanding of
these distant objects and how they are studied. The author of this document reviews the
large quantity of data that is now available and attempts to build a comprehensive
framework to help people understand Kuiper Belt objects and the different ways they
are studied, including the use of photometry.
Variable stars are stars that change in magnitude. This change can be a result
of an orbiting planet, large explosions on the surface of the star (such as a nova or
supernova), binary star systems, or changes deep within the stars core causing it to
change in size and therefore change in magnitude. In this project the type of variables
that are being most looked for is this fourth type, which tend to be periodic or pulsating
variables. Among these main categories are several more specific types of variables
that are grouped on the reason for variability, the amount of variability, and the length of
the periods (among several other things). ("Types of variables," 2012)
Variables can tell a tremendous amount about the universe and researchers
learn a lot about stars by studying stellar variability. In a recent study astronomers
announced that they have identified a new group of variable stars that shouldnt exist
according to stellar evolution models. The team of researchers from Geneva
Observatory in Switzerland studied star cluster NGC 3766. They observed NGC 3766
and 26 other open clusters several times each year from 2002-2009 for 10-15 nights at
a time. They separated out 5 groups of variable stars 1 of which was a new
classification. The new group has 36 members, all in the main sequence phase of
stellar evolution. They have pulsation periods between 0.1 and 1.1 days. This new
classification is proposed to be named low amplitude periodic (or pulsating) A and late-
B variables. ("New type of," 2013)
This project is a continuation of the previous year. Last years project was
inconclusive due to the fact that not a lot of valuable data was collected because of poor
weather conditions during observation. The hope and reason for continuing this project
is to be able to collect more data and be able to form a conclusion.



Question/Hypothesis
Question: Are there measurable variable stars in the star clusters that are being
observed during this experiment?
Hypothesis: There are measurable variable stars in the clusters being observed during
this experiment.



Materials
1. Meade 200 14 in telescope
2. CCD camera
3. Set of UVBRI filters
4. Notebook
5. Pen
6. Computer with proper program for analysis



Methods
Observing will be done on clear nights. Observing will consist of frequently
observing standard stars (stars that have been already observed several times and
have previously recorded data known and verified) and checking that the data collected
matches the previously known data about the star to be sure that there are no errors in
data collection for this experiment. Star clusters will then be observed and data will be
collected and moved amongst the pixels on the CCD camera to be sure to exclude data
from any pixels that are giving false information. The images taken will be calibrated
and magnitudes will be recorded for each star in the image. The stars will then be
graphed on an HR diagram and the ones most likely to be variable stars (and possibly
others if time allows) will be graphed over a period of time to look for variability.



References
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http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-earth-042711-105352
Dunham, E. W., Brown, T. M., Charbonneau, D., Elliot, J. L., & McLean, I. (n.d.).
Precise photometry of extrasolar planet transits. Retrieved from
http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/science_cases/dunham_v3.1.pdf
Ellis, K. (2012, August 13). Kepler: The long road to other worlds. Retrieved from
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/appel/ask/issues/47/47s_kepler.html
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objects with nicmos. Retrieved from http://iopscience.iop.org/1538-
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Redman, R. O. (1961, February 10). Photometry in astronomy. Retrieved from
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1961QJRAS..2..96R
Sheppard, S. (2010, January 20). The colors of extreme outer solar system objects.
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http://www.researchgate.net/publication/45896542_The_Colors_of_Extreme_Out
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Types of variables. (2012, June 18). Retrieved from http://www.aavso.org/types-
variables