Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Originally broadcast on July 24, 2021. In this webinar with the Bright Star Monitor (BSM) Observing Section, AAVSONet Management Team leaders Ken Menzies and George Silvis first discuss: "AAVSONet Proposals – What, Why and How?" You learn how you can take images using the AAVSONet Telescopes, get images in your VPhot account that you can analyze and report to the AAVSO International Database (AID), and more.
Gary Walker (BSM systems engineer) then introduces you to the Bright Spectral Robot: the success of the Bright Star Monitor is impressive, currently operating at 300,000 images annually, with a total of nearly 2 million images since inception. It has recently been updated with Epsilon 180 Astrographs and Paramounts. This project explores the possibility of doing similar work with spectroscopy. The advantages of clear weather, dark skies, and autonomous operation are well proven for photometry, and the author believes that the time is right to do the same for spectroscopy. The author has configured a system consisting of ZWO and SBIG sCMOS cameras, a Shelyak UVEX spectrometer, a PlaneWave CDK 14 optical tube, and a Planewave L350 Mount with Hi Rez Encoders, which gives a platform that can do this task. This is a progress report to date.
The Bright Star Monitors are a subset of AAVSOnet. They offer members an opportunity to do CMOS and/or CCD multi-filter observing of stars from 0 to 16 in Vmag with small, robotically controlled telescopes located in multiple geographic locations.
Interested in spectroscopy? Attend our Spectroscopy Workshop in Massachusetts in November 2021: aavso.org/110-annual-meeting-asw
Check out AAVSO and how YOU can make a valuable contribution to science by visiting us at aavso.org (our Bright Star Monitor/AAVSOnet Observing Section is at aavso.org/bright-star-monitor-section. Our Spectroscopy Observing Section is at aavso.org/spectroscopy-observing-section)
Originally broadcast on July 24, 2021. In this webinar with the Bright Star Monitor (BSM) Observing Section, AAVSONet Management Team leaders Ken Menzies and George Silvis first discuss: "AAVSONet Proposals – What, Why and How?" You learn how you can take images using the AAVSONet Telescopes, get images in your VPhot account that you can analyze and report to the AAVSO International Database (AID), and more.
Gary Walker (BSM systems engineer) then introduces you to the Bright Spectral Robot: the success of the Bright Star Monitor is impressive, currently operating at 300,000 images annually, with a total of nearly 2 million images since inception. It has recently been updated with Epsilon 180 Astrographs and Paramounts. This project explores the possibility of doing similar work with spectroscopy. The advantages of clear weather, dark skies, and autonomous operation are well proven for photometry, and the author believes that the time is right to do the same for spectroscopy. The author has configured a system consisting of ZWO and SBIG sCMOS cameras, a Shelyak UVEX spectrometer, a PlaneWave CDK 14 optical tube, and a Planewave L350 Mount with Hi Rez Encoders, which gives a platform that can do this task. This is a progress report to date.
The Bright Star Monitors are a subset of AAVSOnet. They offer members an opportunity to do CMOS and/or CCD multi-filter observing of stars from 0 to 16 in Vmag with small, robotically controlled telescopes located in multiple geographic locations.
Interested in spectroscopy? Attend our Spectroscopy Workshop in Massachusetts in November 2021: aavso.org/110-annual-meeting-asw
Check out AAVSO and how YOU can make a valuable contribution to science by visiting us at aavso.org (our Bright Star Monitor/AAVSOnet Observing Section is at aavso.org/bright-star-monitor-section. Our Spectroscopy Observing Section is at aavso.org/spectroscopy-observing-section)
![AAVSO How to [compare DSLR, CCD, and CMOS cameras for photometry]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CRsoWsDH5vA/mqdefault.jpg "AAVSO How to [compare DSLR, CCD, and CMOS cameras for photometry]
Originally broadcast Feb. 4, 2023.
Webinar description: The discussion is catered to an audience who is familiar with acquiring images and the basics of image calibration using bias, dark and flat frames. MaximDL is used for analysis of the images that are used in this session, and VPHOT for the photometry.
In this webinar, Mark compares the basic characteristics of DSLR, CCD and CMOS cameras for stellar photometry by analyzing a set of images of T Cep taken with each type of camera on the same telescope. The emphasis is on the practical consequences of the different characteristics: noise, resolution, sensitivity, etc.
The T Cep images were taken over several years, as Mark moved from one camera to the next. He also mentions some quirks and challenges he has encountered over the years while learning to use these cameras.
Meet your instructor: Mark de Jong (AAVSO observer DJX) took his first, and only, astronomy course at university more than 50 years ago. However, he did not start actively observing until 2006, with variable stars as his main interest. After contributing over 1,000 visual observations on Long-period variables (LPVs), he moved on to DSLR, CCD, and then CMOS cameras for photometry, while continuing to primarily observe LPVs. Recently, he has served as an AAVSO Mentor for new DSLR and CMOS observers. He has a background in the physics of particle accelerators and has worked in government laboratories, universities, and the private industry.
- Want to attend a How-to live on Zoom with us? https://www.aavso.org/2023-how-to-webinars
- Visit us at aavso.org")
