Advances in stellar imaging with occultations from the CASSINI spacecraft

Paul N. Stewart; Peter G. Tuthill; Phillip D. Nicholson; Matthew M. Hedman; James P. Lloyd

doi:10.1117/12.2055631

2 August 2014 Advances in stellar imaging with occultations from the CASSINI spacecraft

Paul N. Stewart, Peter G. Tuthill, Phillip D. Nicholson, Matthew M. Hedman, James P. Lloyd

Proceedings Volume 9143, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 91431G (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2055631
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

We demonstrate the use of existing observations from the CASSINI spacecraft to be used for studies of stellar targets. The stellar lightcurve produced as hard edges within the rings pass across the field of view produces a stellar occultation not unlike lunar occultations. These events are observed with an on-board spectrograph, providing coverage of the near infrared from 1 to 5 microns. Here we demonstrate how the technique can be used to make spatially resolved measurements of stellar structure and test these measurements against independently published angular sizes. We also show how this technique can be extended into mapping of complex circum stellar structure and identify molecular layers in the atmosphere of Omicron Ceti, an evolved star. Finally we demonstrate how several events can be combined tomographically to reconstruct high resolution images of stellar targets.

Citation Download Citation

Paul N. Stewart, Peter G. Tuthill, Phillip D. Nicholson, Matthew M. Hedman, and James P. Lloyd "Advances in stellar imaging with occultations from the CASSINI spacecraft", Proc. SPIE 9143, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 91431G (2 August 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2055631

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