Instrumentation for Astronomical Photoelectric Photometry

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Valpariso University will purchase a 16-inch telescope made by DFM Engineering, along with a photoelectric photometer, spectrograph, and microcomputer for data acquisition and reduction. A dome and pier are presently available. The telescope will be used by undergraduate students for viewing and for research projects. Particularly, they will undertake a program of photoelectric photometry of short-period eclipsing binary stars. The students would plan an observing program, obtain measurements of the light variation of the two stars in their orbital cycle, reduce the data to a standard form, and analyze the light curve to obtain orbital and physical properties of the stars. This program would give the students excellent experience in all of the phases of a research project. The results could be presented in scientific meetings and published.