stars for deep eyes

From: Joe Patterson <*jop_at_astro.columbia.edu*> Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 16:41:21 -0500 (EST) · jop_at_astro.columbia.edu

In response to the rising tumult from the rabble gathering in the
street, here's the faint-star menu...

         CBA DEEP-EYES LIST FOR DECEMBER 1998 - FEBRUARY 1999

Star          Coords    V         What do we want?

V1028 Cyg     2001+57  18         Porb from time series; UBVRI snaps
AO Oct        2105-75  20         UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
V630 Cyg      2135+41  17.2       Porb from time series; UBVRI snaps
V1251 Cyg     2141+49  >20        Porb from time series; UBVRI snaps
VZ Scl        2350-26  20         Time series in U or I
RXJ2353-3851  2353-39  16.5       tweak the ephemeris (from W time series)
BE Oct        0000-77  19         Porb from time series; UBVRI snaps
WX Cet        0117-18  17.5       UBVRI snaps; time series in I
RXJ0153+74    0153+74  17         pulse timings from time series
V Per         0202+57  18         Psh from time series; UBVRI snaps
KV And        0217+41  22         UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
PQ And        0229+40  19         UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
KW And        0235+41  22         UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
PU Per        0242+35  >20        UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
CP Eri        0310-10  16.5-19.5  superb target if it erupts
For 3(VX For) 0326-34  21.7       UBVRI snaps; Porb from W time series 
V701 Tau      0344+22  21         UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
HV Aur        0453+38  22         UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
CI Gem        0630+22  18.5       Porb from time series; UBVRI snaps
AQ CMi        0714+09  19         Porb from time series; UBVRI snaps
RX Vol        0839-66  >20        UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
AK Cnc        0855+11  19         Porb from time series; UBVRI snaps
CU Vel        0858-42  18.2       UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
DV UMa        0946+45  18-20      one 3-hr time series, tweak the ephemeris
BC UMa        1152+49  18.3       UBVRI snaps; Porb from time series
YY Dra        1150+72  15-16      pulse timings from U time series

For such faint stars, white light is almost always best for time series.

To actually determine Porb, it's necessary to obtain very long runs, very
densely spaced.  For example, 7-hour runs four nights in a row will
generally do it!  We usually don't get such luck, of course, so
collaboration with others can often atone for our misfortune.  There's
seldom much advantage in getting a *long* baseline (weeks) - strive for
density rather than length.  (If you don't have much time, UBVRI snapshots
are the way to go.)

By the way, please don't assume that because you have a fairly large
telescope, this is the right list to work with!  The above is sort of a 
5-year wish list. Most of the targets will suffer from sparse observation, 
and all will have some problems with signal-to-noise too.  The previous 
list, sent a day or two ago, is generally the better hunting ground for 
virtually all scopes in the CBA arsenal.  Maybe you don't "need" 24 inches 
for V=16, but you'll get much better data, and quality means a lot to us 
(as well as global coverage).

But if I get abducted by a UFO and am returned after 5 years, I do
expect you to have the list finished.  I'll trade my stories of the
breeding experiments for your list of orbital periods.

          joe