Observational highlights for December 2010

As the year of total eclipse draws to a close, we are beginning to see hints of the end of eclipse, now only a matter of weeks away.  OK, mid-March is 2+ months away, but have you noticed how the time flies by?  So-called third contact is predicted for 19 March, when the light is anticipated to begin rising quickly.  Previous eclipses have seen the time between third contact (end of totality) and fourth contact (end of eclipse) abbreviated to as little as 50-60 days, which would mean mid-May in this cycle.  But these are merely predictions, and your continued observational effort will help tell the tale.

Since mid-eclipse in late July, a steady 60+ day light oscillation emerged, although the most recent observations suggest this has lengthened to ~80 days.  Check out the visual data record to explore this.

December 2010 has been a busy month observationally, with the following large telescope observations obtained:
Dec.6th - SpeX near-IR spectra using the 3 meter NASA IRTF telescope atop Mauna Kea HI;
Dec.9-10 - near-IR interferometric imaging at the CHARA Array, Mt.Wilson CA;
Dec.9 - far UV spectra with the COS instrument on Hubble Space Telescope;
Dec.22 - mid-IR spectra with the MIRAC instrument at the 6 meter MMT, Mt.Hopkins AZ;
Dec.29 - near IR high resolution spectra at Gemini North (Mauna Kea) 8 meter telescope with its new IR Spectrometer (GNIRS).
This probably represents a high point in terms of number and diversity of large telescope data sets in a given month during the present eclipse.  While we have some time still pending in coming winter months, those new observations will not be obtained quite so frequently, sad to say.  Large telescope time is very competitive and we are fortunate to have attracted this level of interest.

Many of the results of these observations and the series preceeding those will be "on display" at the Seattle meeting of the American Astronomical Society scheduled for Jan.9-12, 2011.  Watch this space for discussions of results in coming weeks.  Meanwhile, thank you again for your efforts to help document the optical changes in this most interesting binary system!