The Minor Planet Observer
and
Palmer Divide Observatory

2007 Shoemaker Grant Recipient

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	What's New In Version 9

	New Features in V9 - Canopus/PhotoRed

	Julian Date Calculator Quickly convert local time to Universal Date/Time and Julian Date or convert Julian Date to Universal Date/Time and Local Date Time.

	H/G Calculator Now you compute the absolute magnitude and phase slope parameter (H and G) for an asteroid using a few data points obtained over a range of phase angles. The calculator is based on Alan Harris' FAZ program and allows you to compute H using an assumed value for G (when data are not available over a sufficient range of phase angles) New in 9.3.0.0 The calculator can now plot the error envelope and two sets of parameters simultaneously. The second set is usually for plotting the slope and error envelope when using the default value for G (0.15 for most asteroids).

	AAVSO Batch Differential Photometry (New version in 9.4) The AAVSO's adoption of a new reporting format for CCD observations prompted a significant rewrite to the previous instances of the Batch Differential Photometry routines in PhotoRed. These new routines allow you to automatically measure images, not just one filter or even target at a time, but hundreds of images covering different targets with different filters. The routines take advantage of the new ensemble method outlined in the AAVSO format, allowing you to use more than one comparison to find the "absolute" magnitude of the target and a "check", which now takes on the role of a control standard that checks the accuracy of the ensemble reduction. You can include transforms as well, i.e., correct for color differences between comparisons and check/target, which can greatly improve the quality of your work.


	Dual Period Search (New version in 9.4) With the discovery of binary asteroids came the need to analyze lightcurves with more than one period in mind. There is not only the rotation of the primary but maybe the satellite itself as the possibility of occultation and eclipse events. The new Dual Period Search in MPO Canopus allows you to work with these complex lightcurves and find the individual periods in most cases. Fair Warning! Dual period searching is not straightforward nor highly intuitive. The Users Guide contains a tutorial that quickly shows that this process will require patience and good judgment.