|
Laurel Farris
Missouri State University
Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science
Advisor: Dr. Robert Patterson
Abstract
A search for variability of yellow supergiant stars was carried out from early June to December of 2010. Nine stars were studied during the summer and ten more were chosen for study through the fall and early winter. Regular observing sessions were conducted at Baker Observatory (about one or two nights a week), where several images were taken of each star for each night. Later these images were calibrated and aperture photometry was applied to obtain the average change in magnitude of each star over time, then light curves were constructed for each star. We looked for periodicity using the "pdm" application in Image Reduction and Analysis Facility (IRAF) and the AVE program in Windows. All data were compared and contrasted to the Hipparcos (HIP) catalogue (though not all stars had HIP data available) to check for consistency. Most stars did not show any significant variability, so we can confirm that they are reasonably constant. There were a few that did appear to be slightly variable, and one confirmed variable that showed almost 2 magnitudes amplitude.
Laurel Farris is a junior at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. |
