This is both my info and an invitation to the right person. I think I am posting to a group already suited to having the equipment and skills needed to do well calibrated, guided exposures of a given star and enjoy science work.
For three years now I have been involved in a pro-am collaboration, doing extra solar planet searching, using gravitational microlensing. We managed one discovery each season that I have been involved. Since only about 400 planets have been discovered to date (using any methods) and I have been part of four of those. As an "amateur" I have had input, to part of a collaboration, for one percent of all know extra solar planets!
We have a large number of us involved in New Zealand (Auckland here) but very few in Australia. The issue is this. We need light curves from one star, with as much 24hr worldwide saturation coverage as possible, over about a five day period. However when it’s cloudy here in New Zealand or Tasmania or Perth where we have a few observers already we have large gaps in the light curve. This makes it much harder or impossible for the Pro’s to decipher the information to figure out if there is a planet or to be able to constrain the mass, distances etc of the planet.
To contribute you would need to be able to do a all of the following;
Have a commitment to several overnights of imaging in a row as an event unfolds. Two nights are a minimum for data to be useful.
Have a 10” or larger telescope that can be used at a moments notice
Be able to take a series of five minute guided exposures
Be competent at image calibration (flats, darks)
Have a B&W preferably cooled CCD camera.
Have enough internet bandwidth to upload about 30Mb zip file at the end of the night
Be able to find a given RA Dec using pinpoint or other plate solving method
If you’re interested in more information because you think you could honestly contribute to this exciting research please get in touch with me.
David Moorhouse
acrux@orcon.net.nz
0064 274 819 089 (mobile)
Oh yeah my other details for this list
Name: David Moorhouse
Location: Auckland New Zealand
Type of Program: Extra Solar Planet hunting
Number of observations per year: about 130 hours of five minute exposures
Observations submitted to (eg CBAT): Ohio State University, uFun collaboration
How many years interested in astronomy: 10
Achievements: Discovered four planets, built 16” binoculars
Scope Used: Celestron C14
Mount Used: Celestron C14 with Byers upgrade
Camera (if applicable) used: SBIG ST7