• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.47-49
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• 2012

Massive binary stars lose mass by two mechanisms: jet-driven mass loss during periods of active mass transfer and by wind-driven mass loss. Beta Lyrae is an eclipsing, semi-detached binary whose state of active mass transfer provides a unique opportunity to study how the evolution of binary systems is affected by jet-driven mass loss. Roche lobe overflow from the primary star feeds the thick accretion disk which almost completely obscures the mass-gaining star. A hot spot predicted to be on the edge of the accretion disk may be the source of beta Lyrae's bipolar outflows. I present results from spectropolarimetric data taken with the University of Wisconsin's Half-Wave Spectropolarimeter and the Flower and Cook Observatory's photoelastic modulating polarimeter instrument which have implications for our current understanding of the system's disk geometry. Using broadband polarimetric analysis, I derive new information about the structure of the disk and the presence and location of a hot spot. These results place constraints on the geometrical distribution of material in beta Lyrae and can help quantify the amount of mass lost from massive interacting binary systems during phases of mass transfer and jet-driven mass loss.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.101-110
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• 1994

We have investigated intensively an optical telescope with 76cm diameter and CCD camera system in astronomical observatory of Kyung Hee university, in order to maximize instrumental functions of our observational equipments and to construct a more reliable photometric system. And computer softwares AUTO DOME, KH CCD and KH PHO for astronomical image observations and their automatic photometries with high accuracy have been made for observers w use our observational system conveniently and efficiently. Throughout careful examinations of these programs, it has been proved that the observing time by our program is shorter than that by manual operations, so that, fast and accurate observations can be executed with ease. For open cluster NGC 7063 observed with S/N value of 350 or more by KH PHO, we have found the magnitude measurements of 11 object stars would show 0.007 magnitude difference, comparing with magnitude data from IRAF/APPHOT. From automatic photometry of eclipsing binary, AB And observed by our software, total 220 data points with good quality have been acquired during 8 hours and so we could make a better light curve than that obtained from any observational results by domestic photoelectric photometry system.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.70.1-70.1
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• 2018

The DEEP-South photometric census of small Solar System bodies is producing massive time-series data of variable, transient or moving objects as a by-product. To fully investigate unexplored variable phenomena, we present an application of multi-aperture photometry and FastBit indexing techniques to a portion of the DEEP-South year-one data. Our new pipeline is designed to do automated point source detection, robust high-precision photometry and calibration of non-crowded fields overlapped with area previously surveyed. We also adopt an efficient data indexing algorithm for faster access to the DEEP-South database. In this paper, we show some application examples of catalog-based variability searches to find new variable stars and to recover targeted asteroids. We discovered 21 new periodic variables including two eclipsing binary systems and one white dwarf/M dwarf pair candidate. We also successfully recovered astrometry and photometry of two near-earth asteroids, 2006 DZ169 and 1996 SK, along with the updated properties of their rotational signals (e.g., period and amplitude).

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.65.2-65.2
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• 2010

We present four new transits of the planetary system TrES-3 observed between 2009 May and 2010 June. Among those, the third transit by itself indicates possible evidence for brightness disturbance, which could originate from a starspot or an overlapping double transit. A total of 107 transit times, including our measurements, were used to determine the improved ephemeris with a transit epoch of $2454185.910950\pm0.000073$ HJED (Heliocentric Julian Ephemeris Date) and an orbital period of $1.30618698\pm0.00000016$ d. We analyzed the transit light curves using the JKTEBOP code and adopting the quadratic limb-darkening law. In order to derive the physical properties of the TrES-3 system, the transit parameters are combined with the empirical relations from eclipsing binary stars and stellar evolutionary models, respectively. The stellar mass and radius obtained from a calibration using $T_{eff}$, log $\rho$ and [Fe/H] are in good agreement with those from the isochrone analysis within the uncertainties. We found that the exoplanet TrES-3b has a mass of $1.93\pm0.07\;M_{Jup}$, a radius of $1.30\pm0.04\;R_{Jup}$, a surface gravity of $28.2\pm1.1\;m\;s^{-1}$, a density of $0.82\pm0.06\;\rho_{Jup}$, and an equilibrium temperature of $1641\pm23K$.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.41.3-42
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• 2016

New CCD photometric observations of GX Aur have been made between 2004 and 2015. Our light curves are the first ever compiled and display the variable O'Connell effect. The light variations are satisfactorily modeled by including time-varying cool-spots on the component stars. Our light curve synthesis indicates that the eclipsing pair is an A-type contact binary with parameters of i = 81.1 deg, ${\Delta}T=36K$, q = 0.950 and f = 46%. Including our 25 timing measurements, a total of 83 times of minimum light spanning about 66 yr were used for a period study. It was found that the orbital period of GX Aur has varied due to two periodic oscillations superposed on an upward-opening parabolic variation. The long-term period increase rate is deduced as $+9.636{\times}10^{-10}d\;yr^{-1}$, which can be produced as a mass transfer from the secondary star to the primary at a rate of $3.136{\times}10^{-6}M_{\odot}\;yr^{-1}$, among the largest rates for contact systems. The periods and semi-amplitudes of the two periodic variations are about $P_3=8.7yr$ and $P_4=21.2yr$, and $K_3=0.011d$ and $K_4=0.017d$, respectively. The most reasonable explanation for both cycles is a pair of light-travel-time effects driven by the possible existence of an unseen third and fourth components with projected masses of $M_3=0.91M_{\odot}$ and $M_4=1.09M_{\odot}$ in eccentric orbits of $e_3=0.13$ and $e_4=0.73$. Because no third light was detected in the light curve synthesis, each circumbinary object could be a compact star or a binary itself.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.41.2-41.2
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• 2016

The follow-up BVRI photometric observations of NSVS 1461538, which was discovered as an $Algol/{\beta}$ Lyr eclipsing variable by Hoffman, Harrison & McNamara (2009), were performed for three years from 2011 to 2013 by using the 61-cm telescope and CCD cameras of Sobaeksan Optical Astronomy Observatory (SOAO). New light curves have deep depths both of the primary and secondary eclipses, rounded shapes outside eclipses and a strong O'Connell effect, indicating that NSVS 1461538 is a typical W UMa close binary system rather than an $Algol/{\beta}$ Lyr type binary star. A period study with all the timings shows that the orbital period may vary in a sinusoidal way with a period of about 5.6 yr and a small semi-amplitude of about 0.008 d. The cyclical period variation was interpreted as a light-time effect due to a tertiary body with a minimum mass of $0.66M{\odot}$. The first photometric solution with the Wilson-Devinney binary model shows that the system is a W-subtype contact binary with the mass ratio ($q=m_c/m_h$) of 3.46, orbit inclination of 85.6 deg and fill-out factor of 30%. From the existing empirical relationship between parameters, the absolute dimension was estimated. The masses and radii of the component stars are $0.28M{\odot}$ and $0.71R{\odot}$ for the less massive but hotter primary star, respectively, and $0.96M{\odot}$ and $1.21R{\odot}$ for the more massive secondary, respectively. Possible evolution of the system is discussed in the mass-radius and the mass-luminosity planes.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 2010

BVR CCD observations of GW Cep were made on 15 nights in November through December 2008 with a 1-m reflector at the Jincheon station of the Chungbuk National University Observatory. Nineteen new times of minimum lights for GW Cep were determined and added to a collection of all other times of minima available to us. These data were then intensively analyzed, by reference to an O-C diagram, to deduce the general form of period variation for GW Cep. It was found that the O-C diagram could be interpreted as presenting two different forms of period change: an exclusively quasi-sinusoidal change with a period of 32.6 years and an eccentricity of 0.10; and a quasi-sinusoidal change with a period of 46.2 years and an eccentricity of 0.36 superposed on an upward parabola. Although a final conclusion is somewhat premature at present, the latter seems more plausible because late-type contact binaries allow an inter-exchange of both energy and mass between the component stars. The quasi-sinusoidal characteristics were interpreted in terms of a light-time effect due to an unseen tertiary component. The minimum masses of the tertiary component for both cases were calculated to be nearly the same as the $0.23-0.26M\;{\odot}$-ranges which is hardly detectable in a light curve synthesis. The upward parabolic O-C diagram corresponding to a secular period increase of about $4.12{\times}10^{-8}\;d/yr$ was interpreted as mass being transferred from the lesser to more massive component. The transfer rate for a conservative case was calculated to be about $2.66\;{\times}\;10^{-8}\;M_{\odot}/yr$ which is compatible with other W UMa-type contact binaries.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.151-161
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• 2012

An intensive analysis of 148 timings of V700 Cyg was performed, including our new timings and 59 timings calculated from the super wide angle search for planets (SWASP) observations, and the dynamical evidence of the W UMa W subtype binary was examined. It was found that the orbital period of the system has varied over approximately $66^y$ in two complicated cyclical components superposed on a weak upward parabolic path. The orbital period secularly increased at a rate of $+8.7({\pm}3.4){\times}10^{-9}$ day/year, which is one order of magnitude lower than those obtained by previous investigators. The small secular period increase is interpreted as a combination of both angular momentum loss (due to magnetic braking) and mass-transfer from the less massive component to the more massive component. One cyclical component had a $20.^y3$ period with an amplitude of $0.^d0037$, and the other had a $62.^y8$ period with an amplitude of $0.^d0258$. The components had an approximate 1:3 relation between their periods and a 1:7 ratio between their amplitudes. Two plausible mechanisms (i.e., the light-time effects [LTEs] caused by the presence of additional bodies and the Applegate model) were considered as possible explanations for the cyclical components. Based on the LTE interpretation, the minimum masses of 0.29 $M_{\odot}$ for the shorter period and 0.50 $M_{\odot}$ for the longer one were calculated. The total light contributions were within 5%, which was in agreement with the 3% third-light obtained from the light curve synthesis performed by Yang & Dai (2009). The Applegate model parameters show that the root mean square luminosity variations (relative to the luminosities of the eclipsing components) are 3 times smaller than the nominal value (${\Delta}L/L_{p,s}{\approx}0.1$), indicating that the variations are hardly detectable from the light curves. Presently, the LTE interpretation (due to the third and fourth stars) is preferred as the possible cause of the two cycling period changes. A possible evolutionary implication for the V700 Cyg system is discussed.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.101-112
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• 2008

Systematic CCD observations of times of minimum lights for eclipsing binaries has been carried out from 2002 to 2007 at Campus Station of Chungbuk National University Observatory which is located in Cheongju city, Korea. As a by-product of our observations, photometric data for stars in CCD images taken from 2005 to 2007 were used to determine 1st order atmospheric extinction coefficient (hereafter AEC) and seasonal and yearly variations of the AECs were studied. Total nights used for determination of AECs were 57 days in 2005, 51 days in 2006, and 63 days in 2007. As a result the annual mean value of the AECs per air mass is calculated as $0.^m34{\pm}0.^m18$ for 2005, $0.^m38{\pm}0.^m19$ for 2006, and $0.^m45{\pm}0.^m20$ for 2007. These values show that the AECs and their standard deviations are two and four times, respectively, larger than those of normal observatories which are not located near large cities. Annual comparison between concentration of atmospheric fine dust and coefficient of atmospheric extinction show strong correlation between two quantities of which time variations show similar patterns. The AECs for the east sky show larger than those for the west sky. It can be easily understood by the reasonable possibility that air pollutants remain more in the east sky than in the west because the east area of Cheongju city has been more developed than the west one. In conclusion the atmospheric extinction of the night sky of Cheongju city has an annual trend of increase of $0.^m06\;airrnass^{-1}\; year^{-1}$ implying that it may take only about 13 years for Cheongju city to have 2 times brighter night sky than the present one. Our study highlights that variations of AEC can be used as an important indicator of air pollution to monitor night skies.