• 천문학회보
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.62.1-62.1
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• 2019

Current large observational projects perform both static and dynamic sky surveys. The Thirty-Minute Target of Opportunity (TMT) is the project focusing on the dynamic sky survey using Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) that is the best observing system to investigate the dynamic sky. TMT aims to perform and experiment on following components : 1) to select transient or variable sources having hour to day scale cadences for future science cases, 2) to optimize the observation strategy for these objects, 3) to provide automated photometric pipelines for the time series data, and 4) to test the data release environment for all astronomers. In the near future, it is expected that a huge number of events will be alerted through large area surveys such as LSST. Therefore, the TMT project will provide opportunities to prepare the future large survey era as well as to understand the nature of interesting astronomical events.

• 천문학회보
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• 제44권2호
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• pp.71.2-71.2
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• 2019

In order to gather clues to surface mineralogy of asteroids, we classify their taxonomy based on their reflected spectra. It is remarkable that a large number of asteroids plotted in the proper orbital element space with distinct colors according to their taxonomic types reveal the dynamical evolution and the structure in the near-Earth space, the main-belt and beyond. Although we have ~1×10⁶ known objects, no more than ~3×10³ of them are properly classified taxonomically as visible-near infrared spectroscopy is costly. On the other hand, multi-wavelength broadband photometry in the visible region provides a rather inexpensive alternative tool for approximate taxonomy. Thus we have conducted multi-band observations systematically using Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) with BVRI and griz filters since back in 2015. We then applied aperture photometry with elliptical apertures to fit the trails of objects during the exposures, and classified them with the principle component indices of Ivezic et al. (2001). We will make use of our new, three dimensional asteroid classification scheme for the next step.

• 천문학회보
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.55.4-55
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• 2015

Korea Microlensing Telescope Network(이하 KMTNet) 망원경이 남반구의 세 관측소(칠레, 남아프리카 공화국, 그리고 호주)에 각각 설치되었다. 이 망원경은 주로 우리은하 팽대부 방향에 있는 무수히 많은 별을 관측하여 지구와 비슷한 성질을 가진 외계행성을 찾아낼 것이다. 우리은하 팽대부를 관측할 수 없는 기간(10월부터 다음해 2월까지)에는 CCD 카메라의 넓은 시야각($2^{\circ}{\times}2^{\circ}$)을 활용하여 여러 가지 과학연구를 수행할 계획이며, 일부 연구과제는 이미 진행 중이다. 관측을 통해 신뢰할 수 있는 측광결과를 얻기 위해서는 KMTNet 망원경의 필터와 CCD로 구성된 측광계의 특성을 이해하여야 한다. 본 연구에서는 많은 수의 표준별 영역을 관측하여 KMTNet 측광계의 특성을 파악하고, 정밀한 Johnson-Cousins 표준계 변환관계를 얻기 위한 표준화 관측 계획 및 초기 관측 결과를 제시하고자 한다.

• 천문학회보
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.44.2-44.2
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• 2017

Multiple stellar systems composed of triple, double+double or double+triple, etc. are very rare and interesting objects for understanding the star formation and dynamical evolution. However, only six systems have been found to be a doubly eclipsing quadruple, which consists of two eclipsing binaries, and four systems to be a triply eclipsing hierarchical triple. Recently, the 15 doubly eclipsing multiple candidates located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) have been reported by the OGLE project. In order to examine whether these candidates are real multiple systems with eclipsing features, we performed a high-cadence time-series photometry for the LMC using the KMTNet (Korea Microlensing Telescope Network) 1.6 m telescopes in three site (CTIO, SAAO, and SSO) during 2016-2017. The KMTNet data will help reveal the photometric properties of the multiple-star candidates. In this paper, we present the VI light curves and their preliminarily analyses for 12 of the 15 eclipsing systems in the LMC, based on our KMTNet observations and the OGLE-III survey data from 2001-2009.

• 천문학회보
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.64-64
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• 2011

We present a new quasi-stellar object (QSO) selection algorithm using a Support Vector Machine, a supervised classification method, on a set of extracted time series features including period, amplitude, color, and autocorrelation value. We train a model that separates QSOs from variable stars, non-variable stars, and microlensing events using 58 known QSOs, 1629 variable stars, and 4288 non-variables in the MAssive Compact Halo Object (MACHO) database as a training set. To estimate the efficiency and the accuracy of the model, we perform a cross-validation test using the training set. The test shows that the model correctly identifies ~80% of known QSOs with a 25% false-positive rate. The majority of the false positives are Be stars. We applied the trained model to the MACHO Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) data set, which consists of 40 million lightcurves, and found 1620 QSO candidates. During the selection, none of the 33,242 known MACHO variables were misclassified as QSO candidates. In order to estimate the true false-positive rate, we crossmatched the candidates with astronomical catalogs including the Spitzer Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution (SAGE) LMC catalog and a few X-ray catalogs. The results further suggest that the majority of the candidates, more than 70%, are QSOs.

• 천문학논총
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2013

Real-time data reduction pipeline for the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) was developed by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). The main goal of the data reduction pipeline is to find variable objects and to record their light variation from the large amount of observation data of about 200 GB per night per site. To achieve the goal we adopt three strategic implementations: precision pointing of telescope using the cross correlation correction for target fields, realtime data transferring using kernel-level file handling and high speed network, and segment data processing architecture using the Sun-Grid engine. We tested performance of the pipeline using simulated data which represent the similar circumstance to CTIO (Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory), and we have found that it takes about eight hours for whole processing of one-night data. Therefore we conclude that the pipeline works without problem in real-time if the network speed is high enough, e.g., as high as in CTIO.

• 천문학회보
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.203.1-203.1
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• 2012

한국천문연구원에서는 2009년부터 외계행성 탐색시스템(KMTNet; Korea Microlensing Telescope Network) 개발 사업을 수행하고 있다. 이 사업에서는 중력렌즈 방법이나 별표면 통과(Transit) 방법으로 외계행성을 탐색하기 위하여, 1.6m 광학 망원경과 3.4억 화소의 모자이크 CCD 카메라로 구성된 2도x2도의 광시야 관측시스템을 제작하고 있다. 이 시스템은 2014년까지 남반구의 칠레 CTIO(1호기), 남아공화국 SAAO(2호기), 호주 SSO(3호기)에 설치될 예정이다. 우리은하 벌지 영역을 24시간 연속 모니터링 관측하여 외계행성과 변광천체를 탐색하는 것이 핵심연구주제이다. 광시야 망원경 1호기는 미국 Tucson에 건설된 관측시설 Prototype에 설치하여 공장시험을 수행하고 있다. 망원경의 지향(pointing) 정밀도와 Lucky Imaging 방법을 이용하여 얻은 광시야 광학계 성능 등 공장시험 결과를 보고할 것이다. 또한 핵심연구주제 이외의 관측시간을 활용할 2차 연구주제를 공모하여 심사한 결과를 제시할 것이다. 아울러 모자이크 CCD 카메라 제작, 남반구 관측소 설치 준비, 대용량 자료처리 시스템 개발, 남반구 관측소 운영 계획 등 전반적인 사업 현황과 계획을 발표할 것이다.

• 천문학회보
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.63.2-63.2
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• 2019

Eight hundred thousand asteroids in the solar system have been identified so far under extensive sky surveys. Kilometer to sub-km sized asteroids, however, are still waiting for discovery, and their size and orbital distribution will provide a better understanding of the collisional and dynamical evolution of the solar system. In order to study the number of asteroids which is detectable with 1.6 m telescope and their orbital distribution, we conducted a small observation campaign as a part of Deep Ecliptic Patrol of the Southern Sky (DEEP-South) project, which is an asteroid survey in the southern hemisphere with Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet). We observed the ecliptic plane near opposition ($2^{\circ}{\times}2^{\circ}$ field of view centering on ${\alpha}=22h40m31s$, ${\delta}=-08^{\circ}22^{\prime}58^{{\prime}{\prime}}$) in August 2018, and identified 464 moving objects by visual inspection. As a result, 266 of 464 moving objects turn out to be previously unknown asteroids, and their signal to noise ratio is below two on numerous occasions. Most of the newly detected objects are main belt asteroids (MBAs), while three Hildas, one Jupiter trojan, and two Hungarias are also identified. In this meeting, we report the differences in the orbital distributions between the previously known asteroids and newly discovered ones using statistical methods. We also talk about the observational bias of this survey and suggest future works.

• 천문학회보
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.63.1-63.1
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• 2019

Solar system small bodies are unusual objects in astronomical survey data in that they are moving on the celestial sphere. In addition, even in a normal status, their magnitudes are changing over time, firstly because their relative positions with respect to the Sun and Earth are continually changing, secondly because they are rotating bodies with non-spherical shapes. Furthermore, some of them might exhibit unexpected activities, which could be caused by mass ejection or disintegration. Detections and observations of such activities are challenging due to their abrupt nature. Therefore, continuous monitoring observations of large number of Solar system small bodies are required to systematically obtain detailed/transient information about them. Since 2018/2019 winter, we have launched a new project using Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) for detecting such transient phenomena of Solar system objects. Our main goal is to monitor the magnitudes and detect sudden brightness changes. We also plan to discover interesting new objects, and monitor rotational brightness oscillations of asteroids. We intend to monitor the magnitudes of ~ 20,000 known Solar system small bodies per night, and acquire lightcurves of ~ 1,000 asteroids.

• 천문학회보
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.83.4-83.4
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• 2019

We present multi-color, high-cadence photometric study of a distant SU UMa-type dwarf nova KSP-OT-201611a discovered by the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) Supernova Program (KSP). From October 2016 to May 2017, two outbursts with an interval of approximately 90 days were detected in the BV I-bands. The shapes and amplitudes of the outbursts reveal the nature of KSP-OT-201611a to be a SU UMa-type dwarf nova of outside-in origin with a superhump and an inferred orbital period of 1.69 h. The two observed bursts show a distinctively different color evolutions during the bursts due most likely to the viscosity different in accretion disk between them. The observed quiescent magnitudes and properties of the source during the outbursts indicate that it is at a large distance (~7.3 kpc) and height (~1.7 kpc) from the Galactic disk, possibly belonging to the group of poorly-studied Population II dwarf novae. The continuous monitoring of this source may offer a rare opportunity to study a PopII dwarf nova.