ARCSAT ID NUMBER: AS07

DESCRIPTIVE TITLE: Time Domain Studies of Transients and Variable
Stars

PI: Guy Stringfellow

OBSERVER(S): Guy Stringfellow, 
CU undergrads: Tina Mazur, Maura McKay, Eliot Nelson, Brandon Bell,
1+-TBD

UNCERTIFIED/UNTRAINED OBSERVERS: 1+TBDs CU undergrads.
(all names identified specifically above have been fully checked out
using ARCSAT)

COLLABORATORS: 
 
CONTACT INFORMATION:  Guy.Stringfellow at colorado.edu   303-506-3160
cell

NUMBER OF WEEKS REQUESTED:  3

TIME REQUESTED: 3 equivalent weeks
Requires Dark time and time cadence at least monthly

 *1st half shifts                   Thurs-Sunday             Full week
  (Sunset to ~1AM)                  (Full nights)          (Full
  nights)
    Oct 5-11                         Oct 8-11                Oct 19-25
    Oct 12-18                        Oct 22-25                    
    Nov 16-22                        Nov 12-15               Nov 16-22
    Nov 23-29                        Nov 19-22                   
    Nov 30-Dec 6                     Dec 4-6                 Dec
  28-Jan3
    Dec 7-13                       Dec 31-Jan3        backup: Dec
  14-20 (Finals 14-17)
*Moon ok for 1st half shifts                                            
Moon in target fields week of  Dec 21-27.


INSTRUMENT: SurveyCam

FILTERS:  BVRI Ha

COMMENTS: During the academic year when classes are in session the
students find a full week non-stop observing schedule for full nights
is difficult and potentially disruptive of their class schedules. In
the time request above we provide 3 scenarios for allocating time: 1st
half shifts for full week allocations, Thursday thru Friday full night
blocks, and full-night full week blocks (in order of decreasing
priority). Full week blocks are dictated by needing dark time and
avoids finals week (Dec 12-17).


BRIEF SCIENCE JUSTIFICATION: Several types of eruptive or variable
stars are being studied. These include accretion driven outbursts from
young stellar objects (YSOs), more modest accretion variability of
YSOs, novae, Luminous Blue Variable stars and the related supernovae
impostors. The discovery and light curves of recent novae in M31 have
been followed in previous ARCSAT runs (e.g., see AstroTel #6324 where
we confirm M31 Nova 2014-07a and report pre-discovery photometry
extending over a 5 day period), and M31 remains a priority
target. During the Summer we discovered a new nova in M31 - AstroTel
#8048 (2015-9a). Based on our previous ARCSAT observations, we have an
11-tile grid covering the bulge and extended disk of M31. It takes
about 2-3 nights to cover this grid in 4 filters with 3x300s exposures
in each filter for each tile with an 8 hour observing window each
night. To both follow identified transients as well as discover new
ones, repeated observations of the same fields are required, so select
tiles are revisited as frequently as once a night during the runs. M31
mostly a 1st half of the night target in Q4-2015. Star forming regions
are also being monitored for variable and eruptive stars and
priorities for the Fall include: Pelican/North American region,
Barnard-1, Orion, NGC 2264, and select others. As we are pushing
ARCSAT down to below 18 mag, dark time (or when the Moon is at low
declination away from our targets) is required, and the dates selected
(mostly) reflect this constraint. This science program is being used
to introduce select CU undergrads to observational research methods
and practices, including observing, data reduction, and aspects of
analysis. It is supported by the CU Undergraduate Research
Opportunities Program.