This book brings together experts in the field of astronomical photometry to discuss how their subfields provide the precision and accuracy in astronomical energy flux measurements that are needed to permit tests of astrophysical theories. Differential photometers and photometry, improvements in infrared precision, the improvements in precision and accuracy of CCD photometry, the absolute calibration of flux, the development of the Johnson UBVRI photometric system and other passband systems to measure and precisely classify specific types of stars and astrophysical quantities, and the current capabilities of spectrophotometry and polarimetry to provide precise and accurate data, are all discussed in this volume. The discussion of `differential’ or `two-star’ photometers ranges from early experiments in visual photometry through the Harvard and Princeton polarizing photometers to the pioneering work of Walraven and differential photometers designed to minimize effects of atmospheric extinction and to counter the effects of aurorae at high latitude sites; two of these are the Pierce-Blitzstein photometer of the University of Pennsylvania, in use for several decades, and the Rapid Alternate Detection System (RADS) developed at the University of Calgary in the 1980s.
Astrophysics and Space Science Library
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Astrophysics and Space Science Library EDITORIAL BOARD Chairman W. B. BURTON, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.A. (
[email protected]); University of Leiden, The Netherlands (
[email protected]) F. BERTOLA, University of Padua, Italy J. P. CASSINELLI, University of Wisconsin, Madison, U.S.A. C. J. CESARSKY, European Southern Observatory, Garching bei M¨unchen, Germany P. EHRENFREUND, Leiden University, The Netherlands O. ENGVOLD, University of Oslo, Norway A. HECK, Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory, France E. P. J. VAN DEN HEUVEL, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands V. M. KASPI, McGill University, Montreal, Canada J. M. E. KUIJPERS, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands H. VAN DER LAAN, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands P. G. MURDIN, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK F. PACINI, Istituto Astronomia Arcetri, Firenze, Italy V. RADHAKRISHNAN, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, India B. V. SOMOV, Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, Russia R. A. SUNYAEV, Space Research Institute, Moscow, Russia
E.F. Milone
•
C. Sterken
Editors
Astronomical Photometry Past, Present, and Future
ABC
Editors E.F. Milone Department of Physics and Astronomy University of Calgary Calgary, AB, T3A 2J5, Canada
[email protected]
C. Sterken Vrije Universiteit Brussel Pleinlaan 2, Brussels, Belgium
[email protected]
ISSN 0067-0057 ISBN 978-1-4419-8049-6 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-8050-2 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-8050-2 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London Library of Congress Control Number: 2011921729 c Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with review