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Astronomical Photometry pp 1–32Cite as

Photometric Precision and Accuracy

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Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 373))

Abstract

We describe and discuss developments of precision and accuracy in astronomical photometry from the photovisual and photographic eras to the present CCD age. Finally, we stipulate prescriptions for improved photometry in the optical region of the spectrum.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The fact that we can see colors in the first-magnitude stars shows that photopic vision plays an appreciable part about 4 magnitudes above the visual threshold. Most “visual” measurements made with telescopes are probably photopic rather than scotopic – which is why the effective wavelength for the old visual magnitudes is closer to 550 nm than to 500 nm. This transition between photopic and scotopic vision is the reason why the Purkinje effect (see page 6) is significant in visual observations.

  2. 2.

    More importantly, the isophotal wavelength is about 545 nm for V.

  3. 3.

    The red tail of the Johnson V band is defined by the response of the photomultiplier and not by a filter cutoff.

  4. 4.

    The tendency for the human eye to detect blue objects more readily than red under low light conditions.

  5. 5.

    Failure to achieve the same exposure by varying exposure time or source brightness.

  6. 6.

    Of the Lorentz–Fitzgerald contraction.

  7. 7.

    Interstellar reddening-effects and spectral lines are also deviations from a black-body energy distribution.

  8. 8.

    The order of a photometric system is the dimension of the vector space of significant and non-redundant magnitude and color-index parameters. With n bands, one gets \(\frac{n(n-1)} {2}\) color indices.

  9. 9.

    The system was designed to study mainly unreddened main sequence stars, but has been applied inaptly to objects all over the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.

  10. 10.

    SPACE, http://www.spaceobs.com/.

  11. 11.

    Not for stars with peculiar spectra, such as luminous blue variables (LBVs), as noted on page 5.

  12. 12.

    A copy of which operates at San Pedro Mártir Observatory, Mexico.

  13. 13.

    That obeys the standard reddening law.

  14. 14.

    Technique and Reduction of Measurements in a New (Stellar) Photometric System.

  15. 15.

    One must not forget that a PMT-based photometer is a 1-pixel imager: the Fabry lens concentrates all light in one spot of homogeneous light, whereas the CCD camera can be a multimillion pixel imager.

  16. 16.

    The symbols come from the first letter of the French words for ascending and descending: Montante, Descendante.

  17. 17.

    ESO-MIDAS User’s Guide Volume B, the “PEPSYS general photometry package”, http://www.eso.org/sci/data-processing/software/esomidas//doc/user/98NOV/volb/node248.html.

  18. 18.

    Note that here we represent airmass by X, although M has been used also elsewhere.

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Acknowledgements

It is a pleasure to thank Dr. N. Cramer for providing useful information that allowed us to construct the timeline given in Fig. 14.

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  1. Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Christiaan Sterken

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  1. Dept. Physics & Astronomy, University of Calgary, University Drive NW., 2500, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Alberta, Canada

    Eugene F. Milone

  2. University of Bruxelles, Pleinlaan 2, Bruxelles, 1050, Belgium

    C. Sterken

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Sterken, C., Milone, E.F., Young, A.T. (2011). Photometric Precision and Accuracy. In: Milone, E., Sterken, C. (eds) Astronomical Photometry. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 373. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8050-2_1

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