Si Astronomy

RASNZ Summer Comp

simonlowther — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:35:10 +0000

The following pic was entered in the hard section of the RASNZ summer astrophotography competition , and won!

The pic is of NGC 1744, a 11th mag galaxy.

Paper in A&A

simonlowther — Wed, 11 May 2011 23:43:11 +0000

The observing campaign on RX1654-19 has resulted in a paper being published in A&A (Astronomy and Astrophysics), authored by S Scaringi et. al.

The paper has appeared in the online version on April 27, and will be published in the June 2011 edition.

This is a great result for the campaign and observatory!

T Pyx

simonlowther — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:20:38 +0000

T Pyx, a recurrent nova has erupted, increasing in brightness by many factors. An international observing campaign has begun, and astronomers are calling for more observers. Feel free to contact me should you wish to be part of and have the equipment for the campaign; (and ill point you to the right organization; the CBA).

Quasar 3c273

simonlowther — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 23:36:29 +0000

For something a little different I took a picture last night of a Quasar. A quasar (quasi-stellar-object) is a very active nucleas and supermassive black hole in very early galaxies.

This is about the fartherest ill get to see at 2.18 Giga-lightyears distance (redshift 0.158), dispite its distance, it is very bright. You can see the Quasar in my pic as the brighter star in the center of the frame, with a small tail on it.

The tail is a jet of very energetic materail being ejected from the supermassive black hole. It is very faint and normally only seen in photos like this. Click on the image for a larger version so to spot the tail.

Current Targets

simonlowther — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 22:35:43 +0000

Currently involved with a couple of projects; as well as the observing for the CBA (looking at XMML 0541-62 when it finally clears), I am doing a project with a world wide group on YZ Cnc. This is a bright period gap CV, with known superoutburst period. Looks to be promising despite the low observation angle (meaning high airmass).

Another wee project is looking for asteriod 2009SA1, discovered by J McCormick at Farm Cove Observatory several years back. Its currently too faint for observation, but brightening slowly.

Stardate Review

simonlowther — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:49:33 +0000

I have written an article for the AAS reviewing the recent stardate star party.

This is an excellent weekend event, read the article in the READ PUBLISHED ARTICLES area of the site, then mark the date on your calander to attend.

New Email

simonlowther — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 04:58:31 +0000

I can now be contacted through a new email address, as the old hotmail address is going to be retired, mainly due to Microsfts unwillingness to bring hotmail into the 21st century.

New address is simon@jlobservatory.com

Note that the address is also the new URL for the website. JLObservatory stands for Jim Lowther Observatory. Over the next few weeks a few tweaks will be made to the site to reflect better the observatory and work being carried out.

AD Men

simonlowther — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 04:55:32 +0000

Current target for photometry is AD Men, which shows typical CV light curve. While examining the field I thought i had stumbled on a new variable, but had been pipped at the post by a few months. The star turns out to be a Delta Scuti, catalouged by Polanski et al (2010).

New Camera (SBIG St-2k)

simonlowther — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:44:57 +0000

The observatory is now using a new camera, an SBIG ST-2000 with a KAI2001 chip. Also with this camera is a CFW8 colour filter wheel. This means as wll as still contributing to the Centre for Backyard Astrophysics, the observatory can produce colour images of the sky. To see an example go to the targets page for a look at the Tarantula Nebula (also reproduced below).

This camera has nearly comparable QE to the older ST-7, but a much larger 2Mp chip. While the KAI 2001 ccd is quite noisey, the light polluted skies of Pukekohe will remain the limiting factor.

With this new equipment the observatory can continue to produce high quality science, an exciting chapter starts.

BG Cmi

simonlowther — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 02:16:40 +0000

This star is a little North for observation, however i appear to be getting some good data considering. Here is last nights light curve.