Obtaining variable star light curves with a view to characterising equipment feasibility for future time series photometric studies

Abstract

In the field of observational astronomy, photometry is a technique which involves measuring the flux of an astronomical object for the purpose of analysis. In this project, several time series photometric measurements of a class of stars known as variable stars were made using a ten inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and a basic coupled charged device (CCD) camera. These are stars whose overall output of light, varies measurably in time due to physical processes inside, on, or around the star. The result of this study is a set of lightcurves derived from raw astronomical data for the purpose of characterising the astronomical equipment used in this study and serves as a stepping stone for future photometric studies.