Astronomical Spectroscopy: Detecting A Transiting Exoplanet
Starts October 16, 2012
Due November 6, 2012

Lab 4 Instructions

Important note:
We will be observing on the Leuschner Observatory 1m telescope throughout the first week (one group at a time). This will be done remotely from the Undergraduate Lab. You will have become familiar with the observing procedure during our field trip to Leuschner on October 18.

Equipment:
The CCD camera on the Leuschner Observatory 1m telescope.

Leuschner Observatory webpage  (includes some weather links and a webcam)
Telescope webcam  (requires password)
Telescope Power Controller  (requires password)
Telescope User's Manual (pdf)
Observing Software User's Manual (pdf)

Weather links:
West Coast satellite animation (visible)
West Coast satellite animation (infrared)
West Coast satellite animation (water vapor)
7-day forecast from the National Weather Service

Resources:
Introduction to CCD detectors by James Graham (pdf)
CCD Noise handout by James Graham (pdf)
Maximum Likelihood handout by James Graham (pdf)
Astronomical coordinates by James Graham (pdf)

Useful Links:
NASA's Kepler mission
The California Planet Survey
The Exoplanet Transit Database
The Extrasolar Planet Encyclopaedia
The Eclipsing Binary Ephemeris Generator
A Handy Finding Chart Generator
  

UGAstro      UC Berkeley Astronomy      UC Berkeley