Hostname: page-component-68945f75b7-s56hc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-06T04:50:03.547Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Monitoring Variability of the Sky

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Bohdan Paczyński
Bohdan Paczyński*
Affiliation:
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1001, USA

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Variability in the sky has been known for centuries, even millennia, but our knowledge of it is very incomplete even at the bright end. Current technology makes it possible to built small, robotic optical instruments, to record images and to process data in real time, and to archive them on-line, all at a low cost. In addition to obtaining complete catalogs of all kinds of variable objects, spectacular discoveries can be made, like the optical flash associated with GRB 990123 and a planetary transit in front of HD 209458. While prototypes of parts of such robotic instruments have been in operation for several years, it is not possible to purchase a complete system at this time. I expect (hope) that complete systems will become available ‘off the shelf’ in the near future, as monitoring bright sky for variability has a great scientific, educational and public outreach potential.

Type
II. Monitoring and Surveys
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 183: Small-Telescope Astronomy on Global Scales , 2001 , pp. 45 - 51
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2001

References

Akerlof, C. et al. (ROTSE collaboration) 1999, Nature, 398, 400 Google Scholar
Akerlof, C. et al. (ROTSE collaboration) 2000, AJ, 119, 1901 Google Scholar
Ceplecha, Z. et al. 1999, Space Sci. Rev., 84, 327 Google Scholar
Charbonneau, D. et al. 2000, ApJ, 529, L45 Google Scholar
Filippenko, A. 2001, these proceedingsGoogle Scholar
Frail, D.A. et al. 2001, astro-ph/0102282Google Scholar
Groenewegen, M.A.T. 2000, astro-ph/0010298Google Scholar
Hessman, F.V. 2001, these proceedingsGoogle Scholar
McGruder, C. 2001, these proceedingsGoogle Scholar
Nemiroff, R.J. & Rafert, J.B. 1999, PASP, 111, 886 Google Scholar
Nemiroff, R.J. et al. 2000, AAS Meeting 197, 120.04 Google Scholar
Paczyński, B. (1997) Proc. 12th IAP Colloquium: ‘Variable Stars and the As-trophysical Returns of Microlensing Searches’, Paris (Ed. Ferlet, R.), p. 357 Google Scholar
Paczyński, B. 2000, PASP, 112, 1281 Google Scholar
Paczyński, B. 2001, AcA, 51, 1 Google Scholar
Perez-Ramirez, D. et al. 2000, AAS Meeting 197, 115.08 Google Scholar
Pereira, W.E. et al. 2000, AAS Meeting 197, 115.10 Google Scholar
Pojmański, G. (ASAS) (2000) AcA, 50, 177 Google Scholar
Pojmański, G. (ASAS) (2001) these proceedingsGoogle Scholar
Rubenstein, E.P. 2001, astro-ph/0101573Google Scholar
Schaefer, B.E. 1989, ApJ, 337, 927 Google Scholar
Schaefer, B.E., King, J.R. & Deliyannis, C.P. 2000, ApJ, 529, 1026 Google Scholar
Spahr, T. 1996, IAUC No. 6402Google Scholar
Tyson, J.A., Wittman, D. & Angel, J.R.P. 2000, astro-ph/0005381Google Scholar
Udalski, A., Kubiak, M. & Szymański, M. 1997, AcA, 47, 319 Google Scholar
Udalski, A. et al. 1999a, AcA, 49, 223 Google Scholar
Udalski, A. et al. 1999b, AcA, 49, 437 Google Scholar