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2017 Archive
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Author(s): Natasha Dacic , Will Callahan
Presentation: poster
Be stars are rapidly rotating B-type stars showing hydrogen lines in their optical spectrum. The lines are related to the presence of a rotating circumstellar accretion disk, comprised mainly of dust and gas. Disks with a faster rotational velocity typically have wider lines of spectra and disks that are optically thick produce narrow absorption lines. However, the mechanisms of formation for these accretion disks are not well known and merit further study. We present a preliminary analysis of hydrogen (Hα) spectra and other spectral variability for 10 Be-star systems in order to reveal the physical process of Be stars and their associated gases. Data was collected in Mayhill, NM (105.531°W, 32.904°N, Altitude: 2202 m) on a Shelyak Lhires III spectrograph (f/10, 2400 lines/mm grating) using a Celestron 14” diameter Schmidt-Cassegrain focal length telescope (f/11, 3910 mm) in late January 2017. Standard data reduction and processing methods were applied before analysis. Due to their various line profiles and brightness, studying Be stars over a long period of time will lead to further research on their outburst mechanisms.
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