Specifications

100 AUTOSTAR CCD PHOTOMETRY
Lists of the brighter lunar occultations occurring during the year
are published in SKY and TELESCOPE magazine and the RASC
Observers Handbook. The International Occultation Timing
Association (IOTA) is another good source of information about
upcoming events and techniques. (See the References section of
this book for more information.)
Solar Photometry
Solar photometry offers some unique challenges. Certainly only a
small telescope is needed. The problem with solar photometry is
just the reverse of other photometry – It's TOO bright! Because
the Sun is the nearest star and we are totally dependent on it, its
study is of great importance. Areas that can be investigated include
the sunspots and the quiet (no sunspot activity) Sun's limb
darkening.
CAUTION: Special filters and other precautions are needed, due
to the overwhelming intensity of the Sun!
Planetary Photometry
There has been a growing interest in planetary photometry. By
observing the light changes as a function of the solar phase angle,
information about the object’s surface composition can be
obtained. There has also been recent interest in photometry of the
Galilean satellites of Jupiter and work is being done on Saturn's
satellites.
Planetary Satellite Photometry
Photometry of planetary occultations and satellite transits is
another project suitable for the smaller observatory. Doing
photometry of Pluto and Charon as they occult each other has been
a recently organized project. Recent data published that used UBV
photometry was able to reveal the different colors of Pluto and
Charon as they occulted each other.