An Intergrated System for Stellar Photometry

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The great sensitivity of Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) detectors makes it possible to acquire large numbers of images at the telescope, and if care is taken, the quality of the photometry far exceeds what can be done photographically. On the other hand, the development of high-speed digitizing equipment has also dramatically increased the quantity, if not the quality, of digital data which can be generated from photographic plates. For many types of work, CCD's have become the detector of choice, but there are still projects for which photography is well-suited. This dramatic change in the scale and precision of stellar photometry has opened up new avenues for astronomical research: detailed comparisons of cluster color-magnitude diagrams with stellar evolution theory, determination of luminosity functions, and truly large-scale surveys e.g., for problems in galactic structure, searches for variable stars, and new analyses of archival plates. At Boston University, much of the needed software exists for doing digital stellar photometry, but the combination of general growth of the Astronomy Department and new projects in stellar photometry is about to overwhelm the existing computing facilities. This award will help complete the development of an integrated system for CCD photometric reductions and digital photographic photometry.