AutoCal: A software application for calibrating photometric data
We present a software application for the calibration of stellar magnitudes in the absence of standard stars. It uses an existing algorithm to match stars in the target’s field of view to catalogue entries and computes the average offset between the two sets of magnitudes using a weighted least-squa...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Academy of Science of South Africa
2016-03-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/4061 |
| _version_ | 1831570482135040000 |
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| author | Daniël J. Wium Brian van Soelen |
| author_facet | Daniël J. Wium Brian van Soelen |
| author_sort | Daniël J. Wium |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present a software application for the calibration of stellar magnitudes in the absence of standard stars. It uses an existing algorithm to match stars in the target’s field of view to catalogue entries and computes the average offset between the two sets of magnitudes using a weighted least-squares approach. This offset is used to calibrate the target’s instrumental magnitude. The software application was used to calibrate magnitudes for six Be/X-ray binary sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud and the results were compared with published results for these sources. Where comparisons were possible, our results agreed with those results within the uncertainties specified. Infrared variability was found for all six of the sources tested. The interactive outlier removal that was made possible by our software allowed for smaller uncertainties to be reported for our results.
The AutoCal software is openly available here: http://hdl.handle.net/11660/2382 |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T12:52:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-230b92082b634670bafcdbffbbfc023f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-7489 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T12:52:03Z |
| publishDate | 2016-03-01 |
| publisher | Academy of Science of South Africa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Journal of Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-230b92082b634670bafcdbffbbfc023f2022-12-21T21:47:34ZengAcademy of Science of South AfricaSouth African Journal of Science1996-74892016-03-011123/48810.17159/sajs.2016/201500344061AutoCal: A software application for calibrating photometric dataDaniël J. Wium0Brian van Soelen1Department of Computer Science and Informatics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaDepartment of Physics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaWe present a software application for the calibration of stellar magnitudes in the absence of standard stars. It uses an existing algorithm to match stars in the target’s field of view to catalogue entries and computes the average offset between the two sets of magnitudes using a weighted least-squares approach. This offset is used to calibrate the target’s instrumental magnitude. The software application was used to calibrate magnitudes for six Be/X-ray binary sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud and the results were compared with published results for these sources. Where comparisons were possible, our results agreed with those results within the uncertainties specified. Infrared variability was found for all six of the sources tested. The interactive outlier removal that was made possible by our software allowed for smaller uncertainties to be reported for our results. The AutoCal software is openly available here: http://hdl.handle.net/11660/2382https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/4061astrophysicssoftwarephotometryBe/X-ray binariescalibration |
| spellingShingle | Daniël J. Wium Brian van Soelen AutoCal: A software application for calibrating photometric data South African Journal of Science astrophysics software photometry Be/X-ray binaries calibration |
| title | AutoCal: A software application for calibrating photometric data |
| title_full | AutoCal: A software application for calibrating photometric data |
| title_fullStr | AutoCal: A software application for calibrating photometric data |
| title_full_unstemmed | AutoCal: A software application for calibrating photometric data |
| title_short | AutoCal: A software application for calibrating photometric data |
| title_sort | autocal a software application for calibrating photometric data |
| topic | astrophysics software photometry Be/X-ray binaries calibration |
| url | https://www.sajs.co.za/article/view/4061 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danieljwium autocalasoftwareapplicationforcalibratingphotometricdata AT brianvansoelen autocalasoftwareapplicationforcalibratingphotometricdata |