How much Is enough? Using the NPOI archive to characterize stellar diameter measurements

Ellyn K. Baines; Henrique R. Schmitt; J. Thomas Armstrong; Gerard van Belle

doi:10.1117/12.2630163

26 August 2022 How much Is enough? Using the NPOI archive to characterize stellar diameter measurements

Ellyn K. Baines, Henrique R. Schmitt, J. Thomas Armstrong, Gerard van Belle

Proceedings Volume 12183, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging VIII; 121832B (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630163
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2022, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Conference Poster

Abstract

The Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI) has been in operation since 1996, building a substantial data archive. This provided the opportunity to determine how many data points are needed for a single star’s angular diameter fit to become stable as more data points were included. In an iterative process, we calculated the diameters for an ever-increasing number of data points for 31 stars. We found that at approximately 1,000 data points, the scatter in the diameter fits fell below 2%. Assuming a 3-telescope triangle and using 15 channels across a range of wavelengths, 1,000 data points equates to 22 to 25 bracketed observations, which can usually be accomplished in 2 to 4 nights. This will be a useful rule-of-thumb when planning observations and gathering data on single, symmetrical stars.

Citation Download Citation

Ellyn K. Baines, Henrique R. Schmitt, J. Thomas Armstrong, and Gerard van Belle "How much Is enough? Using the NPOI archive to characterize stellar diameter measurements", Proc. SPIE 12183, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging VIII, 121832B (26 August 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630163

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