Workshop 2022

Workshop on Observational Techniques

29 August – 9 September 2022 at Ondřejov observatory

Overview

The Stellar Physics Department at ASU in collaboration with the Stellar Astrophysics Group at Potsdam University in Germany is going to organize second international Observational Techniques Workshop 2022 from Monday August 29 to Friday September 9, 2022 at the observatory in Ondřejov.

The workshop consists of lectures and practical exercises, and aims at teaching the students how to prepare and conduct an observing run, how to select targets using data-mining techniques, and how to process and analyze photometric and spectroscopic data. The students will have an opportunity to learn how to observe with the echelle spectrograph OES at the Perek telescope and how to perform photometric observation at the Perek 2-m and Mayer 65-cm telescopes in Ondřejov. Besides gaining unique expertise in observational astrophysics, students will also have the opportunity to significantly contribute to ongoing science projects which this year will be related to Blue horizontal-branch (BHB) stars. Students will learn about the astrophysical background of the BHB stars, contribute to observation, try to confirm the BHB nature, and search for RV variations for 31 BHB candidates. Another project will be about the search, observation and analysis of eclipsing binaries consisting of hot subdwarf stars and cool, low mass companions. 

The workshop is open to interested students from the Stellar Astrophysics Group at Potsdam University in Germany, from the Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics at Masaryk University in Brno (course F9146 Observational techniques), and from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University in Prague (course NAST018 Special practicum II).

Registration

Registration to the workshop should be done by sending an e-mail to workshop2022@sunstel.asu.cas.cz with following information:

  • First, Middle, & Last Name
  • Gender
  • University and Department
  • Career status (bachelor, MSc, or PhD student)
  • Level of Linux and IRAF usage knowledge.

Due to the accommodation capacity and the format of the workshop, the number of participants will be limited.

There is no registration fee.

Registration is open until June 30, 2022.

Organization

Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC)

  • Prof. Stephan Geier
  • Dr. Veronika Schaffenroth

Local Organizing Committee (LOC)

  • Dr. Brankica Kubátová (chair)
  • Doc. Jiří Kubát
  • Dr. Olga Maryeva
  • M.Sc. Mauricio Cabezas

Lecturers

  • Prof. Stephan Geier (Potsdam University)
  • Dr. Veronika Schaffenroth (Potsdam University)
  • Dr. Tiina Liimets (Astronomical Institute AS CR)
  • Dr. Olga Maryeva (Astronomical Institute AS CR)
  • Dr. Petr Škoda (Astronomical Institute AS CR)
  • M.Sc. Mauricio Cabezas (PhD student, Astronomical Institute AS CR)
  • M.Sc. Harry Dawson (PhD student, Potsdam University)
  • M.Sc. Matti Dorsch (PhD student, Potsdam University)
  • M.Sc. Max Pritzkuleit (PhD student, Potsdam University)
  • M.Sc. Rick Culpan (PhD student, Potsdam University)

Observer Support at the Telescopes

  • Dr. Miroslav Šlechta (Astronomical Institute AS CR)
  • Dr. Martin Jelínek (Astronomical Institute AS CR)
  • Dr. Olga Maryeva (Astronomical Institute AS CR)
  • Mgr. Jan Kára (PhD student, Charles University in Prague)
  • Jiří Srba (Astronomical Institute AS CR)

Technical support and software installation

  • Roman Vesely (Astronomical Institute AS CR)
  • Jiří Srba (Astronomical Institute AS CR)

Programme

Monday (August 29, 2022)

  • 10:30 – 11:30
    • The Perek 2m telescope tour (Miroslav Šlechta)
  • 11:30 – 12:00
    • Welcome by the ASU director Dr. Michal Bursa, prof. Stephan Geier, and the chair of the LOC Dr. Brankica Kubátová
  • 12:00-14:00
    • Lunch break
  • 14:00 – 19:00

Tuesday (August 30, 2022)

  • 9:00-12:00
    • Evolved stars, spectral classification, and spectroscopy projects (Stephan Geier & Rick Culpan) – Presentation1, Presentation2
    • Photometric variability of binaries , light curve analysis, and photometry projects (Veronika Schaffenroth) – Presentation
  • 12:00-14:00
    • Lunch break
  • 14:00 – 19:00
    • Data mining with Topcat (Harry Dawson) – Presentation
    • Hands-on session: preparing a target list (Harry Dawson)
  • 19:00 – …
    • Guided tour talk: the Mayer 65-cm telescope in Ondřejov (Jan Kára)
    • Spectroscopy observation with the Perek 2m telescope and photometric observation with the Mayer 65cm telescope (if the weather forecast allows)

Wednesday (August 31, 2022)

  • 9:00 – 12:00
    • Hands-on session: preparing a target list (Harry Dawson)
  • 12:00-14:00
    • Lunch break
  • 14:00 – 19:00
    • Introduction to IRAF (Veronika Schaffenroth) – Presentation
    • Data reduction of the echelle spectra using IRAF (Mauricio Cabezas) – Presentation
    • Hands-on session: reducing spectra (Mauricio Cabezas)
  • 19:00 – …
    • Spectroscopy observation with the Perek 2m telescope and photometric observation with the Mayer 65cm telescope (if the weather forecast allows)

Thursday (September 1, 2022)

  • 14:00 – 19:00
    • Data reduction of photometry (Tiina Liimets) – Presentation1, Presentation2
    • Hands-on session: reducing photometric images (Tiina Liimets)
  • 19:00 – …
    • Spectroscopy observation with the Perek 2m telescope and photometric observation with the Mayer 65cm telescope (if the weather forecast allows)

Friday (September 2, 2022)

  • 14:00 – 19:00
    • Hands-on session: reducing the echelle spectra and photometric images with IRAF (Tiina Liimets & Mauricio Cabezas)
  • 19:00 – …
    • Spectroscopy and photometric observation with the Perek 2m telescope and photometric observation with the Mayer 65cm telescope (if the weather forecast allows)

Saturday and Sunday (September 3-4, 2022)

  • 19:00 – …
    • Spectroscopy observation with the Perek 2m telescope and photometric observation with the Mayer 65cm telescope (if the weather forecast allows)

Monday (September 5, 2022)

  • 9:00 – 12:00
    • Work on projects: preparation of presentations in which students should describe the data acquisition, reduction, and analysis based on what they were taught. Presentations should also have a short introduction outlining the main astrophysical concepts involved and a results/conclusions section.
  • 12:00 – 14:00
    • Lunch break
  • 14:00 – 19:00
    • Work on projects
  • 19:00 – …
    • Spectroscopy observation with the Perek 2m telescope and photometric observation with the Mayer 65cm telescope (if the weather allows)

Tuesday (September 6, 2022)

  • 9:00 – 12:00
    • Work on projects
  • 12:00 – 14:00
    • Lunch break
  • 14:00 – 15:00
    • Reduction of spectral data from public archives (Olga Maryeva) – Presentation
  • 15:00 – 19:00
    • Work on the projects

Wednesday (September 7, 2022)

  • 9:00 – 12:00
    • Work on the projects
  • 12:00-14:00
    • Lunch break
  • 14:00-15:00
    • Observatory tour (Jiří Srba)
  • 15:00-19:00
    • Work on the projects or free day

Thursday (September 8, 2022)

  • 9:00-12:00
    • Work on the projects
  • 12:00-14:00
    • Lunch break
  • 14:00-15:00
    • Stellar Spectroscopy with Virtual Observatory (Petr Škoda) – Presentation
  • 15:00-19:00
    • Work on the projects

Friday (September 9, 2022)

  • 9:00-12:00
    • Presentations of the projects of each group
  • 12:00-14:00
    • Lunch break

Coffee breaks will be introduced as needed after agreement with all participants.

Participants

Name and surnameInstitution
1. Mamgain, ShubhamUniversity of Potsdam
2. Kakade, AjinkyaUniversity of Potsdam
3. Kumar, PremUniversity of Potsdam
4. Sumra, Muhammad SaqibUniversity of Potsdam
5. Vijayasree, SreepriyaUniversity of Potsdam
6. Jhawar, SahilUniversity of Potsdam
7. Charly, AleedaUniversity of Potsdam
8. Vidante, CintaUniversity of Potsdam
9. Samieadel, PouriaUniversity of Potsdam
10. Sameneh ZahmatkeshfilabiUniversity of Potsdam
11. Ravi Shankar ChaurasiaUniversity of Potsdam
12. Pininti Vivek ReddyUniversity of Potsdam
13. Vajihe SabzaliCharles University in Prague
14. Michael VávraCharles University in Prague
15. Vojtěch PartíkCharles University in Prague
16. Semír AldabaghCharles University in Prague
17. Alexander DimoffMax Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg

Students presentations

  1. Vojtěch Partík, Vivek Reddy Pininti, and Michael Vávra – Presentation
  2. Cinta Vidante, Sreepriya Vijayasree, Aleeda Charly, and Samaneh Zahmatkesh Filabi – Presentation
  3. Prem Kumar, Sahil Jhawar, Saqib Sumra, and Ravi Shankar Chaurasia – Presentation
« ‹ of 5 › »

Accommodation

All participants of the workshop will be accommodated at the Ondřejov observatory.

Venue & Travel  information

The Institute is located in village Ondřejov 30 km south-east of Prague city limits near the highway D1. It can be reached by car, by bus or you can take train and walk the rest. Ondřejov and the surrounding countryside is also a popular target for bicycle trips.

Fly to Prague Airport and arrange for someone to pick you up and drive you to the Institute. This is far the best option. A cab would cost you about 80 EUR. If you prefer public transport on your own, be prepared for another two hours of traveling. Take bus 119 outside the airport terminal, go to Nádraží Veleslavín and change for metro line A there. Continue by metro to Háje changing to line C at Muzeum and then use bus route 383 (timetable).

Traveling by car, take exit 21 on D1 highway Praha–Brno (direction Benešov). Right after the highway exit take a turn, enter village Mirošovice and head for Mnichovice. Continue about 4 kilometres and turn right in Mnichovice towards Ondřejov, where at the beginning of the village (by a sawmill) you will see a sign pointing left to the Institute.

Ondřejov is served by two ROPID (Prague local transport authority) bus routes. Route 383 (timetable) goes from Prague and starts at Háje station (metro line C terminus). The ride takes approx. 60 minutes. Alternatively, you can take train to Strančice and change to bus route 490 there (25 min; timetable).

Trains from Prague main railway station stop at Strančice from where you can take bus 490, or get off at Mirošovice or Senohraby and have a pleasant walk (5 km; follow tourist marking).

Contact

For all further information please contact the Local Organizing Committee at the following email address: workshop2022@sunstel.asu.cas.cz.