Physics and Astronomy

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Observing Ultra-Low Surface Brightness Objects In A Bright Sky Environment
(2025-04-10) Skrinnik, Anna; MCCall, Marshall
An array of $\mathrm{n}$ identical lenses operating simultaneously acts as an optical system that has an effective focal ratio that is faster than that of an individual lens by a factor of $\mathrm{\sqrt{n}}$, which enables imaging ultra-low surface brightness objects. Such optical system, when coupled to narrow-band line filters, offers the opportunity to isolate emission from targets while suppressing light from other sources, such as the sky. In this work, we report on the development of a fast focal ratio system consisting of two 400 mm f/2.8 lenses coupled with CCD cameras to observe ultra-low surface brightness objects in the light of H$\mathrm{\alpha}$ and [OI]. The system was used to search for missing gas around a dwarf spheroidal satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy M31 and to locate the transition zones of nebulae. This system was successfully used to observe ultra-low surface brightness objects in the severely light polluted environment of Toronto.