Monitoring Variability of the Sky

Abstract

Abstract. Variability in the sky has been known for centuries, even millennia, but our knowledge of it is very incomplete even at the bright end. Current technology makes it possible to built small, robotic optical instruments, to record images and to process data in real time, and to archive them on-line, all at a low cost. In addition to obtaining complete catalogs of all kinds of variable objects, spectacular discoveries can be made, like the optical flash associated with GRB 990123 and a planetary transit in front of HD 209458. While prototypes of parts of such robotic instruments have been in operation for several years, it is not possible to purchase a complete system at this time. I expect (hope) that complete systems will become available 'off the shelf in the near future, as monitoring bright sky for variability has a great scientific, educational and public outreach potential.

<title>The RAPTOR experiment: a system for monitoring the optical sky in real time</title>

“…New RS CVn binaries, contact binaries, Algols, and pulsating stars will be discovered. 22 This two-color variability study will re-invigorate a broad range of inquiry in traditional stellar and galactic astronomy.…”

Bohdan's Impact on Our Understanding of Gamma-ray Bursts

“…In recent years Bohdan was fascinated with the transient Universe (Paczyński, 2001). This was not surprising.…”

“…Until this cloud is cleared away only lower energy photons will be seen. Bohdan suggested, therefore, that an optical flash will appear in such a case and that this flash will precede the gamma-rays (Paczyński, 2001). He was worried, however, that such flashes might be missed, as they appear before the GRB trigger, and he searched for method to detect them.…”

Some Pattern Recognition Challenges in Data-Intensive Astronomy

“…A number of astronomical surveys and time-domain experiments are already operating [see, e.g., 26,27,28,29,30,35,36], and much more ambitious enterprises are being planned [31,32], with multi-TB data streams, which will be yielding hundreds or thousands of transient events per night, implying a need for automated, robust processing and follow-up. There is a growing number of autonomous robotic telescopes geared to discovery and follow-up of transient events.…”