Bret Little

We have measured Johnson BV and Cousins RI magnitudes for comparison stars near five TeV blazars. We compare our values with published values, spanning 25 years in some cases, to identify those stars that are most likely proven stable. To avoid zero-point offsets mimicking long-term variability, we based our analysis on the standard deviation between measurements after a mean offset between data sets was removed. We found most stars to be stable at the 0.04 magnitude level. We confirm two stars… Show more

We have measured Johnson BV and Cousins RI magnitudes for comparison stars near five TeV blazars. We compare our values with published values, spanning 25 years in some cases, to identify those stars that are most likely proven stable. To avoid zero-point offsets mimicking long-term variability, we based our analysis on the standard deviation between measurements after a mean offset between data sets was removed. We found most stars to be stable at the 0.04 magnitude level. We confirm two stars as variable and identify two others as possibly being variable. In each of the five fields there are at least two stars, and typically many more, that show no evidence of variability. Show less

Observatories constructed solely for photometric monitoring make it possible to understand the temporal nature of objects over time scales that historically have been difficult to achieve. We report on one such observatory, the Remote Observatory for Variable Object Research (ROVOR), which was constructed to enable both long-term and rapid cadence observations of brighter objects. ROVOR is an 0.4 m optical telescope located in central Utah and commissioned for scientific observations in 2008… Show more

Observatories constructed solely for photometric monitoring make it possible to understand the temporal nature of objects over time scales that historically have been difficult to achieve. We report on one such observatory, the Remote Observatory for Variable Object Research (ROVOR), which was constructed to enable both long-term and rapid cadence observations of brighter objects. ROVOR is an 0.4 m optical telescope located in central Utah and commissioned for scientific observations in 2008. Principle research has been monitoring blazars, x-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and an occasional gamma-ray burst afterglow. We describe the observatory, its control system, and unique roof. Show less

CelestialGrid is an all-inclusive observatory system which automates the capture, retrieval, reduction, and long-term archival of astronomical data. In addition to providing a graphical interface
for all observatory operations, CelestialGrid simplifies nightly observation planning by automating
the capture of star standardization frames. This paper discusses the development, installation, and
operation of CelestialGrid.