• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.381-405
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• 2017

We give a detailed description of the installation and operation of a double-station meteor detection system which formed part of a research & education project between Korea Astronomy Space Science Institute (KASI) and Daejeon Science Highschool. A similar system is currently not existing in South Korea. A total of six light-sensitive CCD cameras were installed with three cameras at SOAO and three cameras at BOAO observatory. A double-station observation of a meteor event enables the determination of the three-dimensional heliocentric orbit in space. This project was initiated in response to the Jinju fireball event in March 2014. The cameras were installed in October/November 2014. The two stations are identical in hardware as well as software. Each station employes sensitive "Watec-902H2" cameras in combination with relatively fast f/1.2 lenses. Various fields of views were used for measuring differences in detection rates of meteor events. We employed the SonotaCo UFO software suite for meteor detection and their subsequent analysis. The system setup as well as installation/operation experience is described and first results are presented. We also give a brief overview of historic as well as recent meteor (fall) detections in South Korea. For more information please consult http://meteor.kasi.re.kr.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.139-149
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• 2017

The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute plans to develop a coronagraph in collaboration with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and to install it on the International Space Station (ISS). The coronagraph is an externally occulted one-stage coronagraph with a field of view from 3 to 15 solar radii. The observation wavelength is approximately 400 nm, where strong Fraunhofer absorption lines from the photosphere experience thermal broadening and Doppler shift through scattering by coronal electrons. Photometric filter observations around this band enable the estimation of 2D electron temperature and electron velocity distribution in the corona. Together with a high time cadence (<12 min) of corona images used to determine the geometric and kinematic parameters of coronal mass ejections, the coronagraph will yield the spatial distribution of electron density by measuring the polarized brightness. For the purpose of technical demonstration, we intend to observe the total solar eclipse in August 2017 with the filter system and to perform a stratospheric balloon experiment in 2019 with the engineering model of the coronagraph. The coronagraph is planned to be installed on the ISS in 2021 for addressing a number of questions (e.g., coronal heating and solar wind acceleration) that are both fundamental and practically important in the physics of the solar corona and of the heliosphere.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.313-323
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• 2014

We secured the high dispersion spectra of the symbiotic star CI Cyg. The HI, HeI, and HeII line profiles were analyzed using the relatively long exposure data including 1800 sec (Sep. 12, 1998, phase=0.90), 3600 sec (Aug. 12, 2002, ${\phi}=0.47$), and 1800 sec (Oct. 21, 2009, ${\phi}=0.54$). Although a minor outburst was reported in 2008, our three observation periods were generally known to be quiescent in earlier photometric studies. With the help of hydrodynamic simulations, we identified the two emission zones responsible for the blue- and red-shifted line components: (a) an accretion disk around a hot white dwarf star which consists of the outer cool HeI emission zone and the inner hot HeII emission part, and (b) a high density zone near the inner Lagrangian point responsible for the HeI line flux variation and the broadening of its line profile. The HeII line fluxes indicate that the HeII emission zone of the accretion disk is relatively stable, implying a constant gas inflow from the giant star throughout the quiescent period. The 2002 HeI data showed that the notable mass flow activity through the inner Lagrangian point occurred during this period and its flux intensity became strongest, whereas the HeII line width in the same period indicates that its flow activity forced the accretion disk to expand. The [OIII] lines were observed in 1998 but not detected in 2002 and 2009, implying the disappearance of the low density zone. Based on our kinematical studies upon the line profiles, we conclude that CI Cyg was stable in 1998 among the three observation periods selected in this research.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.115-123
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• 2011

To perform imaging observations of optically red objects such as high redshift quasars and brown dwarfs, the Center for the Exploration of the Origin of the Universe (CEOU) recently developed an optical CCD camera, Camera for QUasars in EArly uNiverse (CQUEAN), which is sensitive at 0.7-1.1 ${\mu}m$. To enable observations with long exposures, we develop an auto-guiding system for CQUEAN. This system consists of an off-axis mirror, a baffle, a CCD camera, a motor and a differential decelerator. To increase the number of available guiding stars, we design a rotating mechanism for the off-axis guiding camera. The guiding field can be scanned along the 10 arcmin ring offset from the optical axis of the telescope. Combined with the auto-guiding software of the McDonald Observatory, we confirm that a stable image can be obtained with an exposure time as long as 1200 seconds.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.343-355
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• 2015

There is much observational evidence that active star formation is taking place in the Hii regions Sh 2-255 – 257. We present a photometric study of this star forming region (SFR) using imaging data obtained in passbands from the optical to the mid-infrared, in order to study the star formation process. A total of 218 members were identified using various selection criteria based on their observational properties. The SFR is reddened by at least E(B −V ) = 0.8 mag, and the reddening law toward the region is normal (R_V = 3.1). From the zero-age main sequence fitting method it is confirmed that the SFR is 2.1 ± 0.3 kpc from the Sun. The median age of the identified members is estimated to be about 1.3 Myr from a comparison of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD) with stellar evolutionary models. The initial mass function (IMF) is derived from the HRD and the near-infrared (J, J −H) color-magnitude diagram. The slope of the IMF is about Γ = −1.6 ± 0.1, which is slightly steeper than that of the Salpeter/Kroupa IMF. It implies that low-mass star formation is dominant in the SFR. The sum of the masses of all the identified members provides the lower limit of the cluster mass (169M_⊙). We also analyzed the spectral energy distribution (SED) of pre-main sequence stars using the SED fitting tool of Robitaille et al., and confirm that there is a significant discrepancy between stellar mass and age obtained from two different methods based on the SED fitting tool and the HRD.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.68.2-68.2
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• 2016

We present the variability and time lag measurements of PG 0934+013 based on the photometric and spectroscopic monitoring campaign over two years. We obtained 46 epochs of data from the spectroscopic campaign, which was carried out using the South African Large Telescope with 1 week cadence over two sets of 4 month-long observing period, while we obtained 80 epochs of B band data from the campaign. Due to the six month gap between two campaigns, we separately measured the time lag of the $H{\beta}$ emission line by comparing the emission line light curve with the B band continuum light curve using the cross-correlation function techniques. We determined the time lags and black hole mass.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.55.2-56
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• 2016

The spin states of asteroids is regarded as an important clue to understand not only the physical property of an individual object but also the dynamical evolution of the of the population as a whole. Single asteroids can be broadly classified into two separate groups according to their rotational states; Principal Axis (PA) and Non-Principal Axis (NPA) rotators. To date, lightcurve observations have been carried out mostly for PA asteroids. However, discovery of NPA objects has recently been increased due to new observing techniques, and this is the reason why rotational properties of NPA rotators became an issue. As a DEEP-South pilot study for NPA, we selected two targets, 5247 Krolv (1982 UP6) and 14764 Kilauea (7072 P-L) considering their Principal Axis Rotation (PAR) code and visibility. Observations were made between Jan. and Feb. 2016 for 17 nights employing Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) 1.6 m telescopes installed at SSO and SAAO using DEEP-South TO (Target of Opportunity) mode. To obtain lightcurves, we conducted time-series photometry using Johnson-Cousins R-filter. Multi-band photometry was also made with BVRI filters at the same time, for taxonomy. Their preliminary lightcurves and approximate mineralogy will be presented.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.61.2-61.2
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• 2016

우리는 1997년부터 현재까지 보현산천문대 1.8 미터 망원경과 이 망원경에 부착한 1K CCD, 2K CCD와 4K CCD를 이용하여 가까운 북반구 구상성단에 대하여 (U)BVI CCD 측광 관측을 수행해오고 있다. 2K CCD를 통한 관측 자료를 통해서 우리는 북반구 구상성단 M3, M13, M15, M53과 M92의 정밀한 색-등급도를 도출할 수 있었다. 이 색-등급도를 통해서 M3, M13, M15와 M92의 경우는 밝은 계열 별(특히 점근거성가지별)의 특성 및 종족비(R과 R2)와 적색거성가지별의 광도함수를 유도하였고, M53과 M92의 경우는 상대나이를 유도함으로써 구상성단의 제 2 계수 문제를 규명하고자 하였다. 우리는 추가로 북반구 구상성단 M5, M10과 M71의 정밀한 색-등급도를 도출하여 밝은 계열 별의 특성을 규명하고 적색거성가 지별의 광도함수를 유도함으로써 종족 II 항성의 진화 문제를 연구하고자 한다. 현재 운영 중인 4K CCD를 통해서 구상성단 M2, M3, M5, M13, M15, M53, M71과 M92를 관측하고 있으며 2K CCD 경우보다 어두운 주계열성까지의 측광 자료 도출에 주목적이 있다($V{\approx}23$ 등급까지). 도출한 측광 자료를 2K CCD 측광 자료와 결합하여 북반구 구상성단 구성별의 고유운동 자료를 도출하고자 하며 이의 활용 방안에 대하여 논의하고자 한다. 더불어 그 동안 보현산천문대에서의 관측 여건에 대해서도 논의하고자 한다.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.35.1-35.1
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• 2016

Nearby galaxy clusters and their surrounding regions represent the current endpoint of evolution galaxy cluster evolution. We present a new catalog of 1589 galaxies, what we call Extended Virgo Cluster Catalog (EVCC), in wider area of the Virgo cluster based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 7. The EVCC covers an area 5.2 times larger than the footprint of the classical Virgo Cluster Catalog, and reaches out to 3.5 times the virial radius of the Virgo cluster. The EVCC contains fundamental information such as membership, morphology, and photometric parameters of galaxies. The EVCC defines a comprehensive galaxy sample covering a wider range in galaxy density that is significantly different from the inner region of the Virgo cluster. It will be the foundation for forthcoming galaxy evolution studies in the extended Virgo cluster region, complementing ongoing and planned Virgo cluster surveys at various wavelengths. We also present the large scale structures in the field around the Virgo cluster. We identified seven galaxy filaments and one possible sheet in three dimensions of super-galactic coordinates based on the HyperLEDA database. By examining spatial distribution and Hubble diagram of galaxies, we found that six filaments are directly associated with the main body of the Virgo cluster. On the other hand, one filament and one sheet are structures located at background of the main body of Virgo cluster. The EVCC and the filament structures will be the foundation for forthcoming studies of galaxy evolution in various environments as well as buildup of the galaxy cluster at z ~ 0, complementing ongoing and planned Virgo cluster surveys at various wavelengths.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.66.2-66.2
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• 2014

We carried out photometric observations of Maria family asteroids during 134 nights spanning from July 2008 to May 2013, and derived synodic rotational periods for 51 objects including obtained periods of 34 asteroids for the first time. In this study, we found that there is a significant excess of fast and slow rotators. The one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test confirms that the spin rate distribution is not consistent with the Maxwellian at a 92% confidence level. From the correlations between rotational period, amplitude of lightcurve, and size, we conclude that rotational properties of Maria family have been changed considerably by the non-gravitational force such as the Yarkovsky and the YORP effect. Using the lightcurve inversion method, we successfully determined the pole orientation for the 13 Maria members, and found the excess of prograde objects versus retrograde with a ratio ($N_p/N_r$) of 3. This implies that retrograde rotators could have been ejected by the 3:1 resonance to the inner Solar System since the generation of Maria family. We estimate that approximately 37 - 75 kilometer-sized Maria asteroids have entered to near-Earth space every 100 Myr.