Searching for Long-Period Variables in Globular Clusters: A Demonstration on NGC 1851 Using PROMPT

We demonstrate how a small, robotically controlled telescope can be used to monitor bright, long-period variable stars in dense stellar systems like Galactic globular clusters. Observations of NGC 1851 gathered with the No. 5 PROMPT 0.4 m telescope in BVRI B V R I yielded quality color-magnitude dia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2010-09, Vol.122 (895), p.1000-1007
Main Authors: Layden, Andrew C., Broderick, Andrew J., Pohl, B. L., Reichart, D. E., Ivarsen, K. M., Haislip, J. B., Nysewander, M. C., LaCluyze, A. P., Corwin, T. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomical magnitude
Astronomical photometry
Astronomy
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Giant stars
Globular star clusters
Light curves
Optical filters
Stars
Telescopes
Time series
Variable stars
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Summary:We demonstrate how a small, robotically controlled telescope can be used to monitor bright, long-period variable stars in dense stellar systems like Galactic globular clusters. Observations of NGC 1851 gathered with the No. 5 PROMPT 0.4 m telescope in BVRI B V R I yielded quality color-magnitude diagrams to well below the horizontal branch at V = 16.1 mag V = 16.1     mag . We recovered many of the known RR Lyrae variables, clarified the nature of the three known bright variables in the cluster, detected two new long-period variables, and flagged seven more suspected variables. We describe methods that should yield good results in variable star searches and monitoring using this and other small telescopes.
ISSN:0004-6280
1538-3873
DOI:10.1086/656018