About the Triton Watch Project

The Triton Watch project was established under a grant from NASA's Applied Information Systems Research program. The goal is to provide world-wide, comprehensive photometric observations of the Neptune/Triton system, and analysis of the data in near-real time to monitor for any changes in the system. If such changes are seen, focused followup observations will be conducted.

Observations will be performed from roughly May through October. To provide such intensive coverage over this time period, our team consists of professional, student, and amateur astronomers who are able to make multi-filter CCD observations from their local observing sites. Each person may be able to make only a few such observations each month, but the multiplication factor of a large collection of widely-distributed observers will provide us with the high-quality time coverage needed for such a monitoring project with much more robust insensitivity against weather conditions at any one site. The observers are unpaid volunteers, generously providing their time and expertise to this unique monitoring project. We intend to publish our results in a professional, peer-reviewed astronomy journal, and all observers on the team will be included as co-authors.

If you are interested in joining the team, please fill out our sign-up page.

Team Members

Triton Watch Team Members Include:

Project Administrators (Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA)
Observers
- Jason Cook and students (Arizona State Univsersity, Flagstaff, AZ, USA)
- Steve Danford (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA)
- Arne Henden (US Naval Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA)
- Jon Holtzman (Apache Point Observatory, Sunspot, New Mexico, USA)
- Richard Kowalski (Quail Hollow Observatory, Wesley Chapel, Florida, USA)
- Peter Lazar III (Baton Rouge, LA, USA)
- Robyn Levine (Valdosta State University, Georgia, USA [observatory in Tucson, Arizona, USA])
- Arto Oksanen (Nyrola, Jyvaskylan mlk, Finland [experimental high airmass observations])
- Brian Priddy (Grants, New Mexico, USA)
- Kenneth Rumstay (Valdosta State University, Georgia, USA [observatory in Tucson, Arizona, USA])
- John Spencer (Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA)
- John Swatek (Hilo & Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA)
- Karen Vanlandingham and students (Columbia University, Biosphere 2, Tucson, Arizona, USA)

Triton Watch Project (TritonWatch@boulder.swri.edu)