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Session 26 - Stars in the Visible & IR.
Display session, Tuesday, June 10
South Main Hall,
We report BVRI photometry from Mt. Laguna Observatory on RT Andromedae during either January or February of 1995, 1996, and 1997. Using the Information Limit Optimization Technique, we modeled the data to find the size and location of the starspots for each year. After removing the effects of the starspots, we performed clean fits for binary star parameters for the 1997 light curves, which were the most complete. For all three years, the data are best modeled with one mid latitude spot. We find a spot at a longitude of 117 degrees in 1995, 216 degrees in 1996, and 240 degrees in 1997. We find a spot radius of 12 degrees in 1995 and 1996 and 11 degrees in 1997. All the spot latitudes are either assumed to be 45 degrees or at 45 degrees to within the model errors. These results are consistent with previous work that finds data on RT And can be fit with a single spot in one of two Active Longitude Belts. The results of the clean fits are consistent with previous work. Ron Angione scheduled generous amounts of telescope time at Mt. Laguna Observatory. Financial support was provided by a Cottrell College Science Award of the Research Corporation, the AAS Small Grants Program, and the Western Carolina University Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics Program.
