Photometry reduction software? - posted in Scientific Amateur Astronomy: The reason I posted this question in here and not in the Computers and Software forum is because of the connection between photometry and Variable Star observing. I have recently become interested in photometry and am just starting to learn about it. I already have a UVBRI filter set and now have been doing research on. Aperture Photometry Tool (APT) is a computer program designed to perform scientific calculations related to aperture photometry 1, a common data-reduction method used in astronomy. The impetus for the advent of this software was efforts by some scientists at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) on behalf of the National. Feb 07, 2020 Canopus Platform. A universal fintech software platform, which is capable of delivering highest level of IT functionality for fintech businesses and providers of financial and payment services. A solution focused on fully integrated automation of fintech business processes, compliant with regulatory technical standards (RTS) of Payment Services. May 19, 2020 MPO Canopus is pretty full featured and was designed to do asteroid photometry and light curves. AstroimageJ requires a fair amount of manual reduction and doesn't have it's own photometric catalog to give you an ensemble, you have to manually go find the AAVSO comparison stars on the image (by using their coordinates) and then make a little.

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Table ofcontents

Differential photometry using Canopus

1.0Introduction

This document summarises the process forobtaining a light curve from a set of images using differential photometry. Insuch a case it is not necessary to determine the magnitude – intensityrelationship. The lessons referred to are those included in the CanopusAstrometry and Photometry User Guide. Refer to the Canopus and PhotoRed Installation guide and Reference Manual for further in-depth information.

When results from several observing runs(or sessions) are to be added together to create a composite light curve workthrough paragraphs 3 through 6 for the first session and then repeat theseactions for the further sessions.

In order to simplify reference to thevarious lessons, etc. you might like to print them down and keep them in afolder with this document.

Please note that there is much more to Canopus thanthis particular process – the package includes facilities for both astrometryand photometry (differential and all-sky).

2.0Settingthe configuration (Lesson 1)

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Open Canopus, click onFile/Configuration and check that the configuration is correct for yourcircumstances. As we are dealing with differential photometry selectInstrumental in the PhotometryMagnitude/Method box under the Photometry tab.

To import the data in to Excel it wouldalso appear to be necessary to set Plot Method to Range. For asteroidlightcurves uncheck ‘Heliocentric times’ this facility being more relevant forvariable stars.

New configurations can be set up byentering a new name in the Profile box, entering the relevant data and clickingon OK.

3.0Createa session

3.1Definitionof a session

A session (as defined on P156 of the Canopus and PhotoRed Installation Guide and Reference Manual) is a set of observations that used the same set of comparison starsfor differential photometry.

3.2Creatinga Session (Lesson 11)

Follow the instructions as given in Lesson11 but entering the data relevant to your observations (ie; object, startdate/time, telescope, focal length, CCD camera, temperature, exposure). Para 14 refers to the secondCalc button but this is actually the lower of the two.

The values inserted automatically in theE(stimated) Mag, E(arth) Dist, S(un) Dist, RA and Dec boxes can be comparedwith your own data (eg; by plotting the asteroid’s track in Megastar) as acheck.

When you click on the Calc button anAsteroid Look-up window is opened to enable the relevant asteroid to beselected from the Lowell, MPC or User databases. It is therefore important that thesedatabases are kept current by downloading the latest orbital elements. This canbe done from the Pages/Conversions window. Instructions can be found in Help/DatabaseConversions and Internet Links and inthe Canopus and PhotoRed Installation Guide and Reference Manual),PP 281 – 286.

3.3Exporting data (for import in to aspreadsheet such as Excel)

In the Photometry Sessions Data window(Sessions Data tab) click on ‘To file’ andsave data as a text file. This saves telescope, camera, etc details as enteredin the Session Data window and instrumental magnitudes for comparison stars andasteroid.An average value for theinstrumental magnitude of the comparison stars is calculated and listedtogether with associated Julian dates. For this average value to be calculatedit is necessary to select Instrumental and to set Plot Method to Range underthe Photometry tab in the Configuration window.

4.0Settingapertures

The three combo boxes in the centre of thetoolbar are used to set the measuring or star aperture, dead zone (differencebetween star aperture and inner sky annulus) and sky annulus (outer minus innerradii) respectively.

5.0Calibrating images

Master Dark and Master Flat images arecreated using the Batch process tool which is accessed by clicking onUtilities/Image Processing/Batch process. The details are in Help/Contents/ImageProcessing – Creating a Master Dark and ditto Master Flat respectively andin Help/Contents/ Image Processing/Batch Processing.

To calibrate images;

-access the Batch process form;Utilities/Image Processing/Batch process

-select Action; Merge Dark andFlat

-select Master Dark and MasterFlat in relevant boxes (top left of window)

-select images to be calibrated(left middle and bottom windows)

-select Save to directory (orSave in original directory)

-click on Process and imagenames will be displayed in the lower right hand window as the images areprocessed (if the Process button is greyed out click on the Merge Dark and Flatin the Action window again).

6.0Generatinga light curve

If you are unsure as to the position of theasteroid (or to check for other asteroids on the image – discoveries ?!?) usethe Blinker as described in Lesson 4. Although the lessondescribes opening 2 images it is possible to open several. Check that the‘gunsight’ is in the correct position on all images to be blinked – I havefound that it can move from its original spot as further images are opened.

The relevant session must first beselected. Open the Session window (Photometry/Session) and select the requiredsession by clicking on the session number under the Session Data tab and thenon OK.

Use the following lessons in sequence;

Lesson 12; Using the LightcurveWizard

Those of you with equatorial mounts will be pleasedto know that Canopus copesquite easily with scope reversals. Just check the ‘Measure two sets’ box in theLightcurve Photometry Wizard window before opening the first image of the first(prior to scope reversal) set. Note that the same sequence of comparison starsmust be used in both sets.

Lesson 13; Measuring the Images

Paragraph 12 refers to the PhotometrySessions Data window. Note that all Object and Comparison star magnitudes are99.9 because only instrumental magnitudes are being considered.

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Lesson 14; A Quick Peek

Work through this lesson to obtain a light curve.

7.0Findingthe light curve period

The procedure is described in Lessons16 and 17. It can be used to analyse results from a single observingsession or to combine the results of several. If several sessions are beingcombined then you must have worked through paragraphs 3 through 6 for eachsession.

8.0Saving the data

The light curve, obtained as described in para 6.0,Lesson 14; A Quick Peek, can be saved by clicking on the printer icon at thetop right hand corner of the screen. These charts take up a lot of disk space,approx 2 MB, and people without broadband might not be too happy to send and/orreceive them ! A JPG version of the same chart takes up only approx 95 KB andare thus easier to handle. I convert mine using Graphic WorkshopProfessional.

To save the data go to the ObservingSessions form (Photometry/Session), select the required session and click onFile. Select the Output Options and JD correction required and click on OK.

9.0An example

I imaged 165 Loreley on 4^th and 13^th November 2004. This was in response to a posting on the MPML requesting lightcurves of a number of asteroids to compare with radar (Arecibo, Puerto Rico)and infrared observations (NASA Infrared Telescope Facility,Hawaii).

Shown below are three light curves; one foreach of the two nights and a combined one using the previously determinedperiod of 7.22 hrs (Astronomyand Astrophysics 197, 327-330 (1988), ‘165 Loreley, one of the last large“unknown” asteroids’ by H.J.Schober, M.Di Martino and A,Cellino).

Please note that the charts below show thatthe data has been corrected to heliocentric JD. As mentioned earlier this isnot necessary for asteroid light curves

4^thNovember

13^thNovember

4^thand 13^th November data

The response from Ellen Howell, Research Associate Arecibo Observatorywas ‘it matches nicelywith what I already had (pieces of lightcurves over 9 days)’. The combined data(my 13^th November data only)is shown below – see http://www2.naic.edu/~ehowell/lightcurve/. Note that the chart is inverted compared with those above.

Table of contents

There’s a plorithera of astronomy software out there for everything from the ktichen sink to photometry. I have found it hard to wade through this thick soup of software titles when trying to identify what is needed for research goals such as supernova searching.

On this page I am building up a little bit of a knowledge base of software relating to supernova searching and analysis. It is by no means claiming to be a complete reference but I find that once I start a page such as this it eveolves over the years to become something useful.

For me the decision of what piece of software often comes down to what I alrady have. Not just because of price but the associated learning curve of introducing new software to a workflow also. For this reason I have most actively tried using Astrometrica, CCDSoft and MaximDL. While I have a license for MPO Canopus I haven’t used it much.

Blinking supernova images:

• CCDSoft provides two ways to blink images. You can load a set of pre-aligned images (presumably two in the case of supernova searching) then select Research -> Comparison -> Blink Comparitor to blink that set of images. This is useful for individual subject galaxies you wish to bilnk but painful for larger sets of multiple targets. The second way is to use the Resarch -> Analyze -> Comparative Search (Supernovas) option. This allows you to blink a set of aligned images. The catch here is you need to insert WCS (an astrometric solution via a plate solve) first and while this may be paliness for many it can be problematic for small fields of view and for the purpose of blinking two images is completely unnecessary.
• Sehgal Observatory Supernova Search Tool (plugin for Maxim DL) is a neat little utility, probably the easiest software to use for blinking a set of supernova candiates. You select a directory of reference images, a directory of new images, and a directory to store reshoot images (possible supernova candidates PSN). The settings are remembered between use so you only need to change minimal settings each run. Alignment is automatic as is matching the images in to pairs ready for blinking. All you do is click next to move between pairs of images to blink. This does require your files are named identically (reference image “IC 1615.FIT” in one directory and new image “IC 1615.FIT” in a second directory). The only catch with this tool is you need a Maxim DL license to use it.
  http://www.cyanogen.com/help/maximdl/Supernova_Search_Tool.htm
• Starblinker allows you to easily search for new stars in your astronomical photos. Starblinker asks you to insert two images, your fresh image and an older, reference image. After this step, the program will search how to match the stars in the two images. The program can rotate and mirror the images, and works even if the scale or the field of the images is not the same (but they have to be not much different). Then, after few seconds, you should see the two images blinking, and this should allow you to easily search for new features in your image. You can choose the blink time, and enlarge o decrease the size of the images in the screen. http://starblinker.sourceforge.net/

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Light curve analysis of Supernova:

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• Astrometrica (uses PSF to give you a magnitude estimate for a supernova by way of you clicking on the SN star after having computed the astrometric solution of the image). I like using Astrometrica for individual images. It produces the right information what what I often am after. It’s problem seems to be in plate solving (matching the database to image) and in 99% of cases I need to manually match the image to the database star field using its fidly controls even when the mis-match is only out by a matter of 100 pixels or less and configured tollorances are much more forgiving. That being said, once plate solved, it’s great to be able to click on any point source in the image to determine it’s magnituded.
  http://www.astrometrica.at/
• MPO Canopus (lightcruve generation capabilties). MPO Canopus is highly regarded and used by some institutions such as Lowell Observatory.
  http://www.minorplanetobserver.com/MPOSoftware/MPOCanopus.htm
• Maxim DL (lightcurve generation capabilities via it’s Photometry menu). This seems to be the easiest piece of software I own for graphing the light curve of a supernova in a large number of frames. Having reduced and aligned the frames it is quite easy to select any number of reference images, the supernova (as the “new object”) and click to generate the graph. Customisation of the aperture (MaximDL uses aperture photometry) and annulus is easy via right-clicking on the image. Note that you don’t need the full version of MaximDL to use it’s photometry tools, only the image processing version is required.
  http://www.cyanogen.com/
• CCDSoft (lightcurve generation capabilities via it’s Generate Light Curve’s functionality in the Data Analysis dialog. Remember to configure your Photometry Setup via the toolbar icon). CCDSoft is not very popular for this type of work, I can only presume due to it’s relatively poor documentation and transparency. It will create a CSV of magnitude estimates for an object but exactly how it arrives at those estimates seems to be somewhat of a mystery. It uses SExtraction as the backend engine but presumably aperture photometry is used with this? If it is then how is the aperture configured, is this what the attributes in Photometry Setup do? The documentation isn’t clear and this lack of transparency makes it hard to trust the magnitude estimate results returned by CCDSoft.
• AIP4Win (performs aperture photometry to generate a light curve). While reasonably popular I haven’t yet used this piece of software. MaximDL performs aperture photometry easily so I have been using that. API4Win does the same type of photometry (aperture based).
  http://www.willbell.com/aip4win/aip.htm
• SExtractor (source extration of images, able to be configured for use in generating photometry of light sources in an astronomic image).
  http://www.astromatic.net/software/sextractor
• Aperture Photometry Tool.
  http://www.aperturephotometry.org/