Two Physics and Astronomy students presented at AAVSO Annual Meeting

Physics and Astronomy students Brett Schulz and Maxibillion Thompson presented research on variable stars and on observations of planets in other stellar systems at the 113th annual meeting of the American Association of Variable Star Observers in November. Max presented a new observation of the exoplanet KELT-1b and used it to evaluate the accuracy of the measured period for the planet. Brett combined three years of observations of a variable star at MSUM’s Regional Science Center with data from other surveys to report a more precise period for the star. Their participation was supported by the Office of Student Activities, the Judith Strong Endowment in the College of Science, Health and the Environment, and by the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Image: Brett, Max, Dr. Matt Craig (MSUM) and Dr. Stella Kafka, CEO and Executive Director of the AAVSO.