Research

Research Contributions

ASTRONOMICAL

Lightcurve of TESS Exoplanet Candidate TOI-3997.01, Tai, D. (post-Camp research; Adult Camp, Oct 2025), 2026, Exoplanet Follow-up Observing Program (ExoFOP).
Refining the Ephemeris of TOI-3726: Ground-based Observations Boost Period Precision, Gao, S. (post-Camp research; Advanced Teen Camp 2024), National High School Journal of Science (Oct 11, 2025).
- results also published at the Exoplanet Follow-up Observing Program (ExoFOP).
Confirming TESS Exoplanet Candidates and Searching for Multi-Planetary Systems Using Transit Photometry and Timing Variations, Valji, A. (post-Camp research; Advanced Teen Camp 2023), 2025, National High School Journal of Science, in press.
- results presented via iPoster at the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (June 2025).
Determining the Light Curve and Radius of TIC-199, Allard, M., Schlingman, W., Boyden, R., and McCarthy, D., 2024, American Astronomical Society, Bull. AAS, 56, No. 2 e-id 2024n2i105p27; iPoster; results from the 2023 Advanced Teen Astronomy Camp.
From 2011-2016, Astronomy Campers were the first to classify 20 new supernovae: Spectroscopic Classifications of 20 Supernovae.
Discovery of a Near-Earth Object: NEO asteroid 2010 KC, at the Advanced Adult Astronomy Camp, May 14-18, 2010. The 60” Prime Focus Camera was used to discover this object.
Discovery of a Near-Earth Object: NEO asteroid 2010 JH110, at the Advanced Adult Astronomy Camp, May 14-18, 2010. The 60” Prime Focus Camera was used to discover this object.
Benecchi, S., Noll, K., Grundy, W., and Levison, H., 2010, (47171) 1999 TC36, A TransNeptunian Triple, Icarus, 207, 978-991.
Koch, I., 2008, Observation, Speed, and Light Curve Estimation of the Asteroid 5992 Nittler, American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #28.17; results from the 2008 Advanced Astronomy Camp.
Discovery of a Near-Earth Object: Apollo asteroid 2005 MG5, at the Advanced Teen Astronomy Camp, June 24 — July 1, 2005. The 60” Prime Focus Camera was used to discover this object.
Discovery of a Near-Earth Object: Apollo asteroid 2005 MA, at the Astronomy Camp for Educators, June 13-17, 2005. The 60” Prime Focus Camera was used to discover this object which approached Earth within 2-3 lunar distances.
Spahr, T., Marsden, B., Bialozynski, J., Dietrich, D., Greenberg, C., Hooper, E., McBee, D., McCarthy, D., Pici, J., Rudnick, G., Vedeler, C., and Hergenrother, C., 1999, Comet C/1999 F1 (Catalina), IAU Circular 7148, (Confirmation of a comet with the CCD camera at the 61-inch telescope during Astronomy Camp April 1999).
Pickering, T., Impey, C., van Gorkom, J., and Bothun, G. 1997, Neutral Hydrogen Distribution and Kinematics of Giant Low Surface Brightness Disk Galaxies, Astronomical Journal, 114, 1858-1882. (image of Malin 1 in the V-band obtained with the 2048×2048 pixel CCD at the 61-inch telescope during Astronomy Camp May 1996).

EDUCATIONAL

- McCarthy, D., and Lockwood, J., 2013, Authentic Research in Science Education and Outreach, Astronomy Beat, #113, July 17, 2013.
- Fields, D. A., 2009, What do Students Gain from a Week at Science Camp? Youth Perceptions and the Design of an Immersive Research-oriented Astronomy Camp, International Journal of Science Education, 31(2), 151-171.
- Fields, D. A., 2007, Identities and Astronomy Camp: How Individual Campers Make Meaning of Science Experiences, Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference of the Learning Sciences. Mahweh: NJ, pp. 920-921.
- Fields, D. A., 2006, What do Students Gain from a Week at Science camp? Youth Perceptions and the Design of an Immersive Research-oriented Astronomy Camp, Proceedings of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching Conference, CD-ROM.
- McCarthy, Deborah, 2002, An Exploratory Study of Advanced Astronomy Camp, Master’s thesis, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin- Madison, 96 pages.

	August 2026
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
					1 ⭐Shaula Evening Culmination ⭐Shaula Evening Culmination 01 Aug 2026 The bright star Shaula crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view this star in the evening sky. Shaula is the second-brightest star system in the constellation of Scorpius, and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. See more details	2
3	4 M72 Midnight Culmination M72 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M72 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details	5	6 Last quarter 2:21am Last quarter 2:21am 06 Aug 2026 See more details M73 Midnight Culmination M73 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M73 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details	7	8	9
10 🌞Sun Enters Constellation Leo 🌞Sun Enters Constellation Leo 10 Aug 2026 See more details	11 ☄Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks ☄Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks 11 Aug 2026 The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere. The Perseids are active from July 17 to August 24. They reach a strong maximum on August 12 or 13, depending on the year. Normal rates seen from rural locations range from 50-75 shower members per hour at maximum.The Perseids are particles released from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle during its numerous returns to the inner solar system. They are called Perseids since the radiant (the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate) is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus the hero when at maximum activity. https://www.amsmeteors.org/ See more details	12 New moon 5:37pm New moon 5:37pm 12 Aug 2026 See more details	13	14 M15 Midnight Culmination M15 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M15 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details M2 Midnight Culmination M2 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M2 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details M39 Midnight Culmination M39 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M39 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details	15 ⭐Constellation Corona Australis Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Corona Australis Evening Culmination 15 Aug 2026 The constellation Corona Australis crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Corona Australis is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. Its Latin name means "southern crown", and it is the southern counterpart of Corona Borealis, the northern crown. See more details ⭐Constellation Lyra Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Lyra Evening Culmination 15 Aug 2026 The constellation Lyra crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Lyra is a small constellation. It is one of the 48 listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the modern 88 constellations. Lyra was often represented on star maps as a vulture or an eagle carrying a lyre, an instrument similar to a harp. It's brightest star, Vega, is one of the brightest stars in the sky. See more details ⭐Constellation Scutum Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Scutum Evening Culmination 15 Aug 2026 The constellation Scutum crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Scutum is a small constellation. Its name is Latin for shield, and it was originally named Scutum Sobiescianum by Johannes Hevelius in 1684. It lies entirely in the southern celestial hemisphere and its four brightest stars form a narrow diamond shape. It is one of the 88 IAU designated constellations defined in 1922. See more details	16 M30 Midnight Culmination M30 Midnight Culmination Messier Object M30 crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) at Midnight Standard Time (1am Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the object. Details
17 ☄kappa-Cygnids Minor Meteor Shower Peaks ☄kappa-Cygnids Minor Meteor Shower Peaks For the latest information on meteor showers visit: https://www.amsmeteors.org/ Details ⭐Vega Evening Culmination ⭐Vega Evening Culmination 17 Aug 2026 The bright star Vega crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view this star in the evening sky. Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. This star is relatively close at only 25 light-years (7.7 parsecs) from the Sun, and, together with Arcturus and Sirius, one of the most luminous stars in the Sun's neighborhood. It is the fifth-brightest star in the night sky, and the second-brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus. See more details	18	19	20 First quarter 2:46am First quarter 2:46am 20 Aug 2026 See more details ⭐Constellation Sagittarius Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Sagittarius Evening Culmination 20 Aug 2026 The constellation Sagittarius crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Sagittarius is one of the constellations of the zodiac and is located in the Southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its old astronomical symbol is. Its name is Latin for "archer". See more details	21	22	23
24 ⭐Constellation Telescopium Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Telescopium Evening Culmination 24 Aug 2026 The constellation Telescopium crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Telescopium is a minor constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere, one of twelve named in the 18th century by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille and one of several depicting scientific instruments. Its name is a Latinized form of the Greek word for telescope. See more details	25 ⭐Constellation Pavo Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Pavo Evening Culmination 25 Aug 2026 The constellation Pavo crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Pavo is a constellation in the southern sky whose name is Latin for "peacock". See more details	26	27	28 Full moon 4:18am Full moon 4:18am 28 Aug 2026 See more details	29	30 ⭐Constellation Aquila Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Aquila Evening Culmination 30 Aug 2026 The constellation Aquila crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Aquila is a constellation on the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it represents the bird that carried Zeus/Jupiter's thunderbolts in Greek-Roman mythology. Its brightest star, Altair, is one vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism. See more details ⭐Constellation Sagitta Evening Culmination ⭐Constellation Sagitta Evening Culmination 30 Aug 2026 The constellation Sagitta crosses the Meridian (reaches its highest point in the sky) this evening at 9pm Standard Time (10pm Daylight Saving Time) making this the best time of year to view the constellation in the evening sky. Sagitta is a dim but distinctive constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'arrow', not to be confused with the significantly larger constellation Sagittarius 'the archer'. See more details
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Research Contributions

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