Author Topic: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion  (Read 295804 times)

Offline Alpha_Centauri

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« Last Edit: 05/19/2017 02:50 pm by Alpha_Centauri »

Offline Star One

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Offline Star One

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #202 on: 05/19/2017 04:15 pm »
New Tweet by Jason Wright

Quote
Jason Wright @Astro_Wright

Replying to @paulsanderson and @tsboyajian
We are down about 3% in r

https://mobile.twitter.com/Astro_Wright/status/865585360356515840

Online jebbo

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #203 on: 05/19/2017 04:45 pm »
Aww Tony, you're famous  ;D;

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/05/tabbys-star-is-dimming-again-and-astronomers-are-excited/

LOL, only slightly. My twitter feed has exploded this afternoon :-)

--- Tony

Offline Alpha_Centauri

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #204 on: 05/19/2017 05:10 pm »
The great thing is if it weren't for the kickstarter we wouldn't have this opportunity.
« Last Edit: 05/19/2017 05:13 pm by Alpha_Centauri »

Offline Alpha_Centauri

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #205 on: 05/19/2017 05:20 pm »
Re: SOFIA
https://twitter.com/wtreach/status/865617413215105024
Quote
With a justified proposal, we could observe #tabbysstar on 5/24/17 with the FPI+ camera. The infrared instrument is EXES on that flight.

Also,
https://twitter.com/brettmor/status/865617742048645120
Quote
I'll be getting a spectrum with the echelle on the APO ARC 3.5 m tonight near sunrise
« Last Edit: 05/19/2017 05:23 pm by Alpha_Centauri »

Online jebbo

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #206 on: 05/19/2017 05:30 pm »
There are others in the pipeline, I think, but not confirmed yet

Offline Star One

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #207 on: 05/19/2017 05:38 pm »
There are others in the pipeline, I think, but not confirmed yet

Can they get time on Hubble, there is DDT after all?

Offline Star One

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #208 on: 05/19/2017 05:46 pm »
Quote
UC Berkeley SETI @BerkeleySETI

Join us in 45 minutes (11am PDT) for a live chat with @Astro_Wright on the latest @tsboyajian Star observations

https://mobile.twitter.com/BerkeleySETI/status/865617660763029504
« Last Edit: 05/19/2017 05:47 pm by Star One »

Online LouScheffer

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #209 on: 05/19/2017 07:08 pm »
Kepler simply suffered a malfunction. There's no possible physical explanation between the star and the telescope. The error is between the telescope and us.
This is precisely what Arthur C. Clark called a "failure of imagination", as in " *I* can't imagine a physical explanation, so there cannot be one".   And it also goes against a suggestion from Bertrand Russell:
Quote
When the experts are agreed, the opposite opinion cannot be held to be certain.

Offline Star One

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #210 on: 05/19/2017 07:16 pm »
This has just been posted on the relevant Reddit.

Quote
Jason Wright and Breakthrough Listen astronomer Andrew Siemion were on the video. There is some credible talk that this does help establish a periodicity to the dips, which would rule out anything in the ISM. Jason also said that he's not optimistic about getting ALMA on the star because of its very low elevation angle. We should get spectra from several telescopes, including Keck, but Spitzer wil not be on it. Swift can give us UV measurements, but the error bars are relatively large. No mention of Hubble, or did I miss it?

Longer summary here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/KIC8462852/comments/6c546t/live_chat_soon_with_jason_wright_about_the/dhs0mwo/?context=3
« Last Edit: 05/19/2017 07:34 pm by Star One »

Offline Star One

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #211 on: 05/19/2017 09:00 pm »
Quote
Jason Wright @Astro_Wright

Yes please!  Most useful photometry is probably widest coverage (to constrain reddening) combined with good night-to-night precision.
Zachary Vanderbosch @ZachVanderbosch
Replying to @tsboyajian and 9 others
I'm observing with McDonald 2.1m tonight, simultaneous multi-color photometry is possible.  What are the most useful Sloan filters?
9:34 pm · 19 May 2017

https://mobile.twitter.com/Astro_Wright/status/865667061850062848

Offline sghill

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #212 on: 05/19/2017 10:17 pm »
This has just been posted on the relevant Reddit.

Quote
Jason Wright and Breakthrough Listen astronomer Andrew Siemion were on the video. There is some credible talk that this does help establish a periodicity to the dips, which would rule out anything in the ISM. Jason also said that he's not optimistic about getting ALMA on the star because of its very low elevation angle. We should get spectra from several telescopes, including Keck, but Spitzer wil not be on it. Swift can give us UV measurements, but the error bars are relatively large. No mention of Hubble, or did I miss it?

Longer summary here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/KIC8462852/comments/6c546t/live_chat_soon_with_jason_wright_about_the/dhs0mwo/?context=3

I can't express how cool I think this is. Real time developments in astronomy are amazing events!
Bring the thunder!

Offline jgoldader

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #213 on: 05/19/2017 10:45 pm »
There are others in the pipeline, I think, but not confirmed yet

Can they get time on Hubble, there is DDT after all?

DD time on HST probably takes a while.  The telescope runs a command load autonomously, it's not real-time, and the command loads are sequenced far in advance.  Interrupting them is a pretty major event, or at least it was when I was at STscI many years back.  I don't know that they could do better than several days, my gut tells me a week or two might be the best turnaround.

But it's high S/N spectroscopy you want here, not imaging, and that's ground-based stuff, and getting a TO (target of opportunity) observation is a lot more straightforward on the ground.  A UV spectrum with HST to look for enhanced interstellar absorption lines might be worth doing, but there are enough optical features to tell you if it's a dust cloud.  This is exciting!
Recovering astronomer

Offline Alpha_Centauri

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #214 on: 05/19/2017 10:47 pm »
This is the archived google hangout for those who didn't see it;

Offline hop

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #215 on: 05/20/2017 05:34 am »
But it's high S/N spectroscopy you want here, not imaging, and that's ground-based stuff, and getting a TO (target of opportunity) observation is a lot more straightforward on the ground.  A UV spectrum with HST to look for enhanced interstellar absorption lines might be worth doing, but there are enough optical features to tell you if it's a dust cloud.
FWIW, they did submit an HST proposal for regular time before the dip started: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=41704.msg1673854#msg1673854

Quote
This is exciting!
Isn't it?!

Online jebbo

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #216 on: 05/20/2017 06:24 am »
But it's high S/N spectroscopy you want here, not imaging, and that's ground-based stuff, and getting a TO (target of opportunity) observation is a lot more straightforward on the ground.  A UV spectrum with HST to look for enhanced interstellar absorption lines might be worth doing, but there are enough optical features to tell you if it's a dust cloud.  This is exciting!

As much spectroscopy as possible :-) particularly as the observations that showed the first hints it was misbehaving detected H-alpha (and weaker Ca II H & K) emissions, which haven't been seen before. [ see link ]

https://angelrls.wordpress.com/2017/05/20/mysterious-tabbys-star-dims-again-observations-needed/

Nice that the Kickstarter has paid off.  And yes, very exciting!

I know we were offered Keck LGS last night by the scheduled observer, but not sure more AO will tell us much. Though I suspect this has morphed into different observations (hints about HIRES from Jason).

--- Tony

Offline as58

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #217 on: 05/20/2017 07:11 am »
But it's high S/N spectroscopy you want here, not imaging, and that's ground-based stuff, and getting a TO (target of opportunity) observation is a lot more straightforward on the ground.  A UV spectrum with HST to look for enhanced interstellar absorption lines might be worth doing, but there are enough optical features to tell you if it's a dust cloud.  This is exciting!

As much spectroscopy as possible :-) particularly as the observations that showed the first hints it was misbehaving detected H-alpha (and weaker Ca II H & K) emissions, which haven't been seen before. [ see link ]

https://angelrls.wordpress.com/2017/05/20/mysterious-tabbys-star-dims-again-observations-needed/

Nice that the Kickstarter has paid off.  And yes, very exciting!

I know we were offered Keck LGS last night by the scheduled observer, but not sure more AO will tell us much. Though I suspect this has morphed into different observations (hints about HIRES from Jason).

--- Tony

H-alpha emission would seem to point towards something going on with the star itself, not just interstellar of circumstellar material blocking the light. Hard to think what exactly, though...

edit: well, maybe close enough circumstellar matter could also work, though there'd have to be also IR excess.
« Last Edit: 05/20/2017 07:21 am by as58 »

Offline Alpha_Centauri

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #218 on: 05/20/2017 07:18 am »
And if I've understood correctly the detection was apparently before the major phase of dimming, will be interesting to see if others confirm while the dimming is in progress.

Online jebbo

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Re: Boyajians Star Updates And Discussion
« Reply #219 on: 05/20/2017 07:25 am »
H-alpha emission would seem to point towards something going on with the star itself, not just interstellar of circumstellar material blocking the light. Hard to think what exactly, though...

I was wondering more about intervening warm gas, and assumed the detections at H-alpha, Ca II H & K were spotted in usual stellar activity measurements from HERMES

--- Tony

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