Related papers: Teaching with Code: Globular Cluster Distance Lab
Data from the Kepler satellite were analysed using the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) database. With the participation of 53 students, we determined the parameters of the HAT-P-7b (Kepler-2) exoplanet system (transit duration,…
Astronomical source deblending is the process of separating the contribution of individual stars or galaxies (sources) to an image comprised of multiple, possibly overlapping sources. Astronomical sources display a wide range of sizes and…
When a structure displays dependence on distance and azimuthal angle from a center (for example the spiral arms of galaxies or the diffraction spikes of stars), projecting the pixels to polar coordinates greatly simplifies their study. This…
Using near infrared UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey data, we make extinction measurements to individual stars along the same line of sight as molecular clouds. Using an existing 3D extinction map of the inner Galaxy, that provides line of…
The direct imaging and characterization of Earth-like planets is among the most sought-after prizes in contemporary astrophysics, however current optical instrumentation delivers insufficient dynamic range to overcome the vast contrast…
Nowadays many telescopes around the world are automated and some networks of robotic telescopes are active or planned as shown by the lists we draw up. Such equipment could be used for the training of students and for science in the…
Star clusters provide an excellent opportunity to study the role of environment on determining the frequencies of short period planets. They provide a large sample of stars which can be imaged simultaneously, with a common distance, age and…
We have created a large database of similarity information between sub-regions of Hubble Space Telescope images. These data can be used to assess the accuracy of image search algorithms based on computer vision methods. The images were…
The widespread dissemination of machine learning tools in science, particularly in astronomy, has revealed the limitation of working with simple single-task scenarios in which any task in need of a predictive model is looked in isolation,…
Accurate distances to stars and galaxies allow for significant tests of stellar evolution, galaxy formation and evolution and cosmology. NASA's Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) will obtain precision [1-30 microarcsec] astrometry for…
Current catalogues of open clusters are rather heterogeneous and incomplete lists of clusters than true catalogues. Before there has been no attempts of automatic search for open clusters in huge photometric catalogues using homogeneous…
Telescopes are much more expensive than astronomers, so it is essential to minimize required sample sizes by using the most data-efficient statistical methods possible. However, the most commonly used model-independent techniques for…
We examine the outer structure of 12 Galactic globular clusters using star-count analyses. Deep, two-color, photographic photometry is used to select and count stars with colors and magnitudes consistent with cluster-specific,…
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of wide-field sky surveys to search for a variety of transient objects. Using relatively short focal lengths, the optics of these systems produce undersampled stellar images often marred by a…
Accurate and precise astronomical distance determinations are crucial for derivations of, among others, the masses and luminosities of a large variety of distant objects. Astronomical distance determination has traditionally relied on the…
The calculation of distances is of fundamental importance in extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. However, no practical implementation for the general case has previously been available. We derive a second-order differential equation for…
While software and algorithms have become increasingly important in astronomy, the majority of authors who publish computational astronomy research do not share the source code they develop, making it difficult to replicate and reuse the…
Computational thinking is a key skill for space science graduates, who must apply advanced problem-solving skills to model complex systems, analyse big data sets, and develop control software for mission-critical space systems. We describe…
Research in astronomy education has uncovered that many learners possess limited and fragmented understanding of stars. The corresponding misconceptions manifest in various areas such as star formation, size, the relationship between stars…
Photographic plate archives contain a wealth of information about positions and brightness celestial objects had decades ago. Plate digitization is necessary to make this information accessible, but extracting it is a technical challenge.…