Astr211

Assignment 4

Jacob Darby 36443458

13/ 08/ 2015

Using Astronomical program ds9 to identify the asteroid:

Ds9 is used instead of AIP4WinV2 as ds9 contains a function which allows you to
blink multiple images unlike AIP4WinV2 which only allows for two. After
opening the ds9 program each image was opened in different frames. The nine
images opened where taken over a 20 minute interval by Pam Kilmarten and
Alan Gilmore using the 1.0-m telescope at our observatory at Mt John, in which
the telescope changed position slightly for the last four images. Thus after
uploading all the images on separate frames these frames where then match up
using the tool Frame > Match Frames > WCS which eliminated this position
change and progression of time over the images. Following this the image
black/white scale was set 92.5% for the first 5 images and 99% in order to
achieve a clearer set of images in which there brightest objects are illuminated.
With a set of nine clear images the blink tool was used Frame > Blink Frames to
iterate through the images and thus the fast moving asteroid could be clearly
identified moving across the screen. As seen in juxtaposing the following first
five images the asteroid is traveling through the star field as time passes.

Making plots of the

in the asteroid:

position change

For tracking the position

of the asteroid the
astronomical program
AIP4WinV2 was
used. A report and
Figure one: Images 1-5 showing the Asteroid travel across
the first star field.
calibration of each
image must be completed in order to track the overall movement of the asteroid
across the two star fields. To begin all images where loaded onto AIP4WinV2
and the astronomic calibration process was begun changing the pixel dimensions
under the imager in the image display control which were redefined as 15 by 15
micrometres. Note that all images Black/White setting was altered to obtain a
much clear view of the star fields the white was changed from over 2000 to
680 for all images to achieve this. Following this the Astrometry tool was
where the reference data was loaded overlay1.gsc for the first five images and
overlay2.gsc for the final four as we are referencing two different star fields in
which the asteroid has travelled through. Once this was loaded and after the
search radius was set to five pixels six references stars where selected R1 to R6
whom were the brightest and largest stars ranging the entire star field making
them easily identifiable. Then finally the target T1 was selected and a report on
that image was generated. This process was repeated for all nine images across
the two star fields and thus nine reports where generated. Images of the process
can be seen below in figure two and Figure three.

Figure two: Astronomic calibration shown for images 4

and 5 in star field one

Figure
two: Astronomic
shown
for images
6 where
For Every image during this
process
the focalcalibration
length and
position
angle
and 7 in star field two
recorded as seen in Table one.

Image Number
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine

Focal Length(mm)
2399.27
2398.62
2397.49
2400.17
2398.20
2403.78
2401.30
2400.30
2401.16

Position Angle(degrees)
-0.7654
-0.7915
-0.7639
-0.8087
-0.7760
-0.8472
-0.8314
-0.8874
-0.8773

Table one: Table showing the focal length on the telescope in mm and its position angle in degrees
to match up to the reference data.

Calculation of the Proper motion of the fast moving Asteroid:

Following the calibration and report generation process the right ascension and
declaration values from the reports were analysed as these will aid in the
calculation of the proper motion of the asteroid. These two values represent the
two coordinates that astronomers use to describe the position of celestial
objects. Where declaration is a measure in degrees north or south of the
celestial equator an equator which runs through the same plane as the earths
equator and whose poles are the same as the earths. Furthermore the right
ascension which is measured in hours, starting at a point where the ecliptic the
apparent path of the sun round the earth crosses the celestial equator each
March.

The following relevant information was taken from the generated reports in
Table two.
Image
Report
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine

RA(hrs:mins:s
ecs)
09:06:55.68
09:07:10.44
09:07:25.32
09:07:39.96
09:07:57.84
09:19:26.81
09:19:46.58
09:20:03.08
09:20:19.59

DEC(degrees:arcmins:a
rcsecs)
-52:58:17.8
-52:58:07.3
-52:57:56.4
-52:57:45.6
-52:57:32.1
-52:46:31.9
-52:46:08.2
-52:45:48.2
-52:45:28.1

Time of
obs(hrs:mins:secs)
09:11:30.350
09:11:55.250
09:12:20.350
09:12:45.350
09:13:15.350
09:31:35.250
09:32:05.250
09:32:30.250
09:32:55.250

Table two: Table showing relevant data extracting from the generated reports which can be used to
calculate the proper time of the asteroid

Following this to calculate the proper motion of the star over its entire motion
across two star fields (nine images) we must find the proper motion vector
between each image. From this we can see how the direction and magnitude of
the proper motion changes over its entire imaged path and make a conclusion
on whether is path linear or has a curved trajectory. For this to be completed we
must convert both our change in right ascension and declination into units of
arc-seconds and the find the rate of change of the two between images through
the following calculation:
Image one and two will be used as an exemplar for all other images as the same
method can be implemented between all images.
First must calculate the change in right ascension and declination.

RA =RA2RA 1
(Where

RA1 is the right ascension in image one)

DEC=DEC 2DEC 1

(Where

DEC 1 is the declination in image one)

RA= 09hrs 07mins 10.44secs 09hrs 06mins 55.68secs = 0hrs 0mins

14.76secs

RA= 14.76secs

 DEC=

-52 degrees 58arcmins 07.3arcsecs (-52 degrees 58arcmins

17.8arcsecs)

DEC=

-10.4arcsecs

Then in using table three these values can be converted into degrees and then
arc-seconds.
Unit
Hour

Value

1
24 circle

Minute

1
60 hour,

Secon
d

1
60 minute,

Sexagesimal system
15

Symbol
(H)

(1/4) , 15

(m)

(1/240) ,(1/4), 15

(s)

1
1440 circle
1
3600 hour,

1
86400 circle
Table three: Table showing the astronomical conversions between relevant units.

Therefor from this table we get can convert right ascension to the following

RA=14.76 seconds=14.76 15=221.4 ' '

RA=221.4 ' '

DEC=10.4 ' '

From these values in order to calculate the proper motion of the asteroid
between images one and two we must find both the rate of change in both right
ascension and declination and the us simple Pythagoras to find the proper
motion of the asteroid between the two images.

t 12=t 2 t 1

(Where

t 12 is the time between when image 1 and 2 were taken this can be
found from table two)

t 12= 09hrs 11mins 55.250secs 09hrs 11mins 30.350secs = 25.0 seconds

t 12=25.0 seco nds

Therefor now the rate of change of both declination and right ascension can be
found

RA 221.4 ' '

=
=
=8.856' ' / second
t 12 t 12 25 secs
''

=8.856 /second

DEC 10.4 ' '

=
=
=0.416' ' / second
t 12
t 12 25 secs
=0.416' ' /second

From this and finally finding the average declination angle between the two
images proper motion can be found.

DEC Av=

Where

DEC 1+ DEC 2
2

DEC 1 and DEC 2 are in units of degrees thus

DEC 1=52degrees 58' 17.8' '

( 601 )degrees

1' =

1' ' =

1
( 3600
) degrees

Therefor from the follow conversions

( 5860 )=0.967 degrees

58' =

17.8
( 3600
)=4.94 10

17.8' ' =

degrees

DEC 1=520.9674.94 103=52.962degrees

DEC 1=52.962degrees
Same calculation was made for

DEC 2 as well and obtained a value of

DEC 2=52.969degrees

DEC Av=

52.96252.969
=52.966 degrees
2
DEC Av=52.966 degrees

Now we have all the relevant data to find the proper motion vector of the
asteroid between images one and two using the following right hand triangle.

(Where is the proper motion value and is

DEC Av )

2=2 + 2 cos2 ()
Therefor the magnitude for the proper motion of the asteroid between images
one and two is

2=(0.416)2 +(8.856)2 cos 2 (52.966)

proper motion==28.623
Thus the direction angle is the top left hand angle in the triangle above.

tan =

0.416
=
=0.0470
cos ( ) 5.334
=2.689 degrees

This process is repeated for all images and the proper motion of the asteroid is
found for each set of images as seen in the table below.
Image
sets

RA
()

0.05' '

DEC
()

t (
secs)

0.05' '

0.05

0.05

( DEC Av )( ) (p
0.1' '

( )

roper
motion
)

0.3
1-2

221.4

25.0

8.856

0.416

-52.966

28.623

4.460

25.1

8.892

0.434

-52.967

28.869

4.633

10.4
2-3

223.2

-10.9

3-4

219.6

-10.8

25.0

8.784

4-5

268.2

-13.5

30.0

8.940

5-6

-660.2
-23.7

1099.
9
30.0

9.396

6-7

10334.
55
296.55

7-8

258.3

-20.0

25.0

8-9

247.65

-20.1

25.0

10.33
2
9.906

9.885

0.432
0.450
0.600
0.790
0.800
0.801

-52.964

28.179

-52.961

29.202

-52.867

32.532

-52.772

36.388

-52.766

39.723

-52.761

36.576

4.668
4.777
6.038
7.525
7.282
7.611

Table Four: Table showing relevant data to calculate the proper motion vector for each set of
images.

From this data the following graph was able to be plotted

Graph showing the path of a asteroid traveling through a star feild

0
-1

0 1000 2000

-2
-3
Anglular direction of the Asteroid (degrees) -4
-5
-6
-7
-8
Time (seconds)

As seen from the graph above we can conclude that the asteroid takes a linear
path through the star field as time passes by. The magnitude of the proper
motion vector is seen to linearly increase also with a change in time from
8.856 to a value of 10.332.
Comment on uncertainty values in calculation:
There was a initial uncertainty in the measurement of the right ascension and
the declination of the asteroid in the images. This uncertainty arose from the
fact that a manual click was required to mark the location of the asteroid from
image to image this marker may not have always been located at the centre of
the asteroid and thus its actual positioning wouldnt have been consistent from
image to image. From this the uncertainty of the right ascension and declination
values were chosen as half the smallest value for both of these to account for

0.05 ''

this possible error. Thus the uncertainty was

Therefor when working out the

0.1' '

for both.

(DEC Av ) value the uncertainty value was now

due to the additive uncertainty rule

(A A) + (B B) = (A + B) (A + B)
Following this the uncertainty in the magnitude of the proper motion was found
in the squaring and the adding of three different uncertainties as seen bellow

uncertaintythe proper motion=unc( )

unc ( )=unc ( 2 ) +unc ( 2 ) unc (DEC Av )

Thus to calculate this uncertainty we must establish two more rules of
uncertainties the power and multiplication rules
Where the multiplication rule works as follows
The Absolute Uncertainty = m
The Relative Uncertainty =
(A

A ) x (B B ) = (A x B) ( A +
And the power rule as follows

( A A )n

= (An n

A )

B )

There for in implementing both of these rules the following uncertainty for the
magnitude of the proper motion was found as

unc ( )=0.3
Finally the uncertainty of the proper motions direction was found which is also
shown on the graph

unc ( )= 0.6