Study notes and resources for MPO Canopus and PhotoRed

fisherka@csolutions.net Original 11/10/2006 Rev. 12/01/2006

The following are some tips sheets and outlines developed during an initial learning curve phase using Brian D. Warner's MPO Canopus and PhotoRed image measurement and reduction software. The tip sheets focus on the basic "rigorous" reduction method and plotting a lightcurve. Tips for Binzel or QuickMags reductions are not included. This is amateur work product by a beginner level student of photometry. (Unless otherwise indicated, all file downloads are less than 500kb in size.)

Study notes

• Overview of the Reduction Process - as an Abstract Process and a Software Package pdf MS-PowerPoint

A workflow chart in a slideshow format that the tracks major functional steps in photometry reduction after Chapter 5 of Warner's A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis (2ed) (2006). The abstract process is tied to reduction steps in the two software packages.

• Overview of the Reduction Process - as a System of Equations pdf MS-PowerPoint

Using the major functional steps described in the first slideshow and photometry reduction equations in Chapter 5 of Warner's Lightcurves, the photometry reduction equations are paired with the software option tabs on the PhotoRed Reductions dialogue.

• Reduction Steps - Tip Sheets for the MPO Canopus/PhotoRed Menus and Dialogues pdf (7.1M) MS-Word (4.7M)

A more detailed version of the first workflow slideshow that includes screen shots and tips for key MPO Canopus and PhotoRed menu options and dialogues. Each step is cross-referenced back to Warner's Lightcurves, the MPO Canopus/PhotoRed v9.2 Reference Manual, and the v9.2 User Guide.

This tip sheet will be most useful to persons who have worked through Warner's User Guide lessons for MPO Canopus and PhotoRed.

• Reduction Steps - Outline pdf MS-Word

A rough workflow outline that is is cross-referenced back to Warner's Lightcurves, the MPO Canopus/PhotoRed v9.2 Reference Manual, and the v9.2 User Guide.

This tip sheet will be most useful to persons who have worked through Warner's User Guide lessons for MPO Canopus and PhotoRed.

• Table of 369 Henden and 25 Landolt Reference Field Centers html MS-Excel zip - Cartes du Ciel external db

A table of the RA and declination of the centers of 369 out of 697 Henden reference fields and for 25 Landolt field is provided. When planning for asteroid imaging, it is helpful to be able to determine what nearby Henden and Landolt reference fields exist. A Cartes du Ciel compatible external database was prepared. This external database can used to quickly locate closet Henden or Landolt reference field to your target, as illustrated in the following figures for the asteroid 7 Iris in November 2006.

Figure 1 - Finding reference fields for 7 Iris - Transit

Figure 2 - Finding reference fields for 7 Iris - Rising

Resources

MPO Canopus PhotoRed

• MPO Canopus PhotoRed website http://www.minorplanetobserver.com/MPOSoftware/MPOCanopus.htm (11/2006)
• Yahoo MPO Canopus PhotoRed newsgroup http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/MPOSoftware/ (11/2006)

Lists of potential targets to image

• MPO Bulletin http://www.minorplanetobserver.com/mpb/ (11/2006)

Finding known lightcurve periods

• Harvard MPC Lightcurve List http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/LightcurveDat.html (11/2006)
• Index to MPO Bulletin Lightcurves http://www.minorplanetobserver.com/mpb/MPB_LightcurveIndex.pdf (11/2006)
• NASA/ADS journal literature http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html (11/2006)

Plotting asteroid positions

• Lowell Observatory Asteroid Plotting http://asteroid.lowell.edu/cgi-bin/koehn/astplot (11/2006)
• Harvard CFA Asteriod Ephemeris Generator http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html (11/2006)
• Harvard CFA asteroid elements data file 1 (for use with planetarium programs) http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/ http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Bright/2006/Soft06Bright.txt (11/2006)

Photometry data

• Henden VAR Photometry ftp - ftp://ftp.aavso.org/public/calib/ (11/2006) html - http://www.aavso.org/observing/charts/phot/?C=M;O=D (11/2006)

Henden sequences are included in the MPO Canopus-PhotoRed catalogue. Charts of Henden sequences are on the MPO distribution disk.

• AAVSO Sumner sequences ftp://ftp.aavso.org/public/calib/sumner/ (11/2006)
• AAVSO Charts with sequences http://www.aavso.org/ (11/2006) ftp://ftp.aavso.org/charts/ (11/2006)

Pro-am collaboration

• Collaborative Asteriod Lightcurve Link (CALL) http://www.minorplanetobserver.com/astlc/default.htm (11/2006)
• Center for Backyard Astrophysics http://cba.phys.columbia.edu/ (11/2006)

Major Near-Earth Object Studies

• NASA/JPL. 2006. Near-Earth Object Search Programs (Website). http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/programs/ (11/2006)
• MIT. 2006. Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) Project (Website). http://www.ll.mit.edu/LINEAR/ (11/2006)
• Lowell Observatory. 2006. Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search (LONEOS) (Website). http://asteroid.lowell.edu/asteroid/loneos/loneos.html (11/2006)
• NASA/JPL. 2006. Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) Projecct (Website). http://neat.jpl.nasa.gov/ (11/2006)

References:

Warner, Brian D. 2006 (2ed). A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis. Springer.

Copyright:

None of the materials on this website are endorsed by Dr. Warner. Screenshot images of MPO Canopus and PhotoRed used in the tips sheets are used with the permission of Dr. Warner but are subject to copyright of Brian D. Warner, BDW Publishing, Inc.

As to original materials generated by this author, that content is released to the public domain and no copyright is asserted.

Last revised: 12/01/2006