10,721 research outputs found
ST/STIS Spectroscopy of the White Dwarfs in the Short-Period Dwarf Novae LL And and EF Peg
We present new HST/STIS observations of the short-period dwarf novae LL And
and EF Peg during deep quiescence. We fit stellar models to the UV spectra and
use optical and IR observations to determine the physical parameters of the
whitedwarfs in the systems, the distances to the binaries, and the properties
of thesecondary stars. Both white dwarfs are relatively cool, having T_{eff}
near 15000K, and consistent with a mass of 0.6 M-sun. The white dwarf in LL And
appears to be of solar abundance or slightly lower while that in EF Peg is near
0.1-0.3 solar. LL And is found to be 760 pc away while EF Peg is closer at 380
pc. EF Peg appears to have an ~M5V secondary star, consistent with that
expected for its orbital period, while the secondary object in LL And remains a
mystery.Comment: Accepted in Ap
Fluid thrust control system
A pure fluid thrust control system is described for a pump-fed, regeneratively cooled liquid propellant rocket engine. A proportional fluid amplifier and a bistable fluid amplifier control overshoot in the starting of the engine and take it to a predetermined thrust. An ejector type pump is provided in the line between the liquid hydrogen rocket nozzle heat exchanger and the turbine driving the fuel pump to aid in bringing the fluid at this point back into the regular system when it is not bypassed. The thrust control system is intended to function in environments too severe for mechanical controls
A Search for Variable Stars and Planetary Occultations in NGC2301 I: Techniques
We observed the young open cluster NGC 2301 for 14 nights in Feb. 2004 using
the orthogonal transfer CCD camera (OPTIC). We used PSF shaping techniques
("square stars") during the observations allowing a larger dynamic range (4.5
magnitudes) of high photometric precision results (2 mmag) to be obtained.
These results are better than similar observing campaigns using standard CCD
imagers. This paper discusses our observational techniques and presents initial
results for the variability statistics found in NGC 2301. Details of the
variability statistics as functions of color, variability type, stellar type,
and cluster location will appear in paper II
Wide-angle flat field telescope
Described is an unobscured three mirror wide angle telescopic imaging system comprised of an input baffle which provides a 20 deg (Y axis) x 30 deg (X axis) field of view, a primary mirror having a convex spherical surface, a secondary mirror having a concave ellipsoidal reflecting surface, a tertiary mirror having a concave spherical reflecting surface. The mirrors comprise mirror elements which are offset segments of parent mirrors whose axes and vertices commonly lie on the system's optical axis. An iris diaphragm forming an aperture stop is located between the secondary and tertiary mirror with its center also being coincident with the optical axis and being further located at the beam waist of input light beams reflected from the primary and secondary mirror surfaces. At the system focus following the tertiary mirror is located a flat detector which may be, for example, a TV imaging tube or a photographic film. When desirable, a spectral transmission filter is placed in front of the detector in close proximity thereto
HST Spectra of GW Librae: A Hot Pulsating White Dwarf in a Cataclysmic Variable
We have obtained Hubble Space Telescope UV spectra of the white dwarf in GW
Lib, the only known non-radially pulsating white dwarf in a cataclysmic
variable, and the first known DAZQ variable. The UV light curve reveals large
amplitude (10%) pulsationsin the UV with the same periods (646, 376 and 237 s)
as those seen at optical wavelengths, but the mean spectrum fits with an
average white dwarf temperature (14,700K for a 0.6M_{odot} white dwarf) that is
too hot to be in the normal instability strip for ZZ Ceti stars. A better fit
is achieved with a dual temperature model (with 63% of the white dwarf surface
at a temperature of 13300K and 37% at 17100K), and a higher mass (0.8M_{odot})
white dwarf with 0.1 solar metal abundance. Since the blue edge of the
instability strip moves to higher temperature with increasing mass, the lower
temperature of this model is within the instability strip. However, the
presence of accretion likely causes abundance and atmospheric temperature
differences in GW Lib compared to all known single white dwarf pulsators, and
the current models that have been capable of explaining ZZ Ceti stars may not
apply.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
Agricultural Landowners\u27 Lack of Preference for Internet Extension
Extension providers need to improve the communication of watershed conservation practices. In order to determine landowners\u27 communication preference a survey was mailed to a random sample of landowners from four selected watersheds in Michigan. Four hundred three landowners from four agricultural watersheds completed the survey. A majority (77%) expressed support for written communication media, while a minority (19%) supported the Internet. Younger, more educated, more affluent landowners with home Internet access expressed more support for using the Internet. Results suggest that Extension staff need to provide more Internet training and experiences if the Internet is to contribute to watershed conservation
CCD photometry of 2060 Chiron, 1991 January
Observations of 2060 Chiron was performed on 7 to 8 Jan. 1991 with the Mt. Palomar 1.52 m telescope in the Gunn-R passband. On-chip field stars were used to perform differential reductions. The repeatability of the 5.9 hour light curve was excellent, both within a night and from night to night. No evidence for short-term secular variations similar to those seen last year by both Luu and Jewitt (1990) and Buratti and Dunbar (1991) is seen in the new light curve. Chiron's rotational light curve appears strikingly similar to that obtained a year earlier by Luu and Jewitt (1990), both in amplitude and shape. Both light curves show strongly correlated changes over a timescale of perhaps 15 minutes. These same features were marginally visible in the 1986 light curve. Such behavior is believed to be evidence that Chiron may be more aspherical than the 4 percent intensity variation might otherwise indicate, and favors a viewing geometry where the subearth latitude is rather low. Chiron was much fainter in 1985, when a partial light curve was obtained by Marcialis. Due to the lower sampling rate of these early data, no conclusions can be made regarding the high-frequency light curve structure back then. All three of these light curves differ significantly from that obtained by Buratti and Dunbar (1991), one week before the observations of Luu and Jewitt. The Chiron field was calibrated using Landolt standards on Ut 15 Mar. 1991. A mean R-magnitude of 15.6 + or - 0.1 was found. Variability of 2060 Chiron was demonstrated over timescales of minutes, hours, and years. An intense campaign was urged to monitor the photometric behavior of Chiron throughout the 1990s
Multi-spectral window radiance observations of Cirrus from satellite and aircraft, November 2, 1986 Project FIRE
High resolution infrared radiance spectra achieved from the NASA ER2 airborne HIS experiment are used to analyze the spectral emissivity properties of cirrus clouds within the 8 to 12 micron atmospheric window region. Observations show that the cirrus emissivity generally decreases with increasing wavenumber (i.e., decreasing wavelength) within this band. A very abrupt decrease in emissivity (increase in brightness temperature) exists between 930/cm (10.8 microns) and 1000/cm (10.0 microns), the magnitude of the change being associated with the cirrus optical thickness as observed by lidar. The HIS observations are consistent with theoretical calculations of the spectral absorption coefficient for ice. The HIS observations imply that cirrus clouds can be detected unambiguously from the difference in brightness temperatures observed within the 8.2 and 11.0 micron window regions of the HIRS sounding radiometer flying on the operational NOAA satellites. This ability is demonstrated using simultaneous 25 km resolution HIRS observations and 1 km resolution AVHRR imagery achieved from the NOAA-9 satellite. Finally, the cirrus cloud location estimates combined with the 6.7 micron channel moisture imagery portray the boundaries of the ice/vapor phase of the upper troposphere moisture. This phase distinction is crucial for infrared radiative transfer considerations for weather and climate models, since upper tropospheric water vapor has little effect on the Earth's outgoing radiation whereas cirrus clouds have a very large attenuating effect
Discovery of Non-radial pulsations in PQ Andromedae
We have detected pulsations in time-series photometry of the WZ Sge dwarf
nova PQ And. The strongest peak in the power spectrum occurs at a period of
10.5 minutes. Similar periods have been observed in other WZ Sge systems and
are attributed to ZZ Ceti type non-radial pulsations. There is no indication in
the photometry of an approximately 1.7 hour orbital period as reported in
previous spectroscopic observations.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
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