Earth and Space Science Project Abstract
LIGHT CURVES OF BLAZARS 0509+056 AND MRK 421
Presenters:
Amanda J. Townsend, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 West Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL, 60506; mandat@imsa.edu
Christopher Trigg, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 West Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL, 60506; est1986@imsa.edu
Mentors:
Dr. Lucy Fortson, Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605-2403; 312-322-0338; lfortson@adlernet.org
Dr. Geza Gyuk, Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605-2403; 312-322-0337; ggyuk@adlernet.org
Dr. Mark Hammergren, Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605-2403; 312-322-0319; mhammergren@adlernet.org
Dr. Michael Smutko, Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL,60605-2403; 312-322-0318; msmutko@adlernet.org
Abstract:
Blazars are a type of active galactic nuclei. At short wavelengths (high energy) the brightness of blazars is known to vary on short timescales. However, variance of blazars is not well studied in the visual part of the spectrum. The purpose of this research is to investigate the brightness of the blazars MRK 421 and 0509+056 and show that they vary. Observations were taken over a three-month period from the Kitt Peak 0.9-meter telescope and IDL (Interactive Data Language) was used to remove imperfections from the images and obtain the relative brightness of the blazars. Light curves were obtained for both blazars showing their variability over the three-month period