Photo(s) of the Week
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Galaxy M81
Student Patrick Khosraw recently imaged M81 in Ursa Major, using our observatory's 20" RCOS telescope and SBIG STL6303E camera. Six - 5 minute exposures were dark subtracted and combined, using CCDStack software. M81 lies 12,000,000 light years away.


      M81 in Ursa Major      -Patrick Khosraw, CSM observatory

Variable star BL Camelopardalis
Special Projects student Ren Campos took 45 images over almost 2 hours, to create this light curve of BL Cam. BL Cam is a pulsating variable star and completes one full cycle in under 1 hour! The period is clearly visible and varies by about .3 mag. each cycle. The comparison (non-variable) stars were located in the same field, and are not seen here. Graph: Excel.



    Light curve of BL Cam.  -Ren Campos, CSM observatory

      

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