At OAC we are involved in various activities which make use of CCD cameras.

CATS Project

One of the CCD research programs is called CATS (Capannori Astronomical Transient Survey).
CATS is a CCD survey of various kinds of astronomical objects; the main part of such objects is made of AGNs (Active Galactic Nuclei).

AGNs
Some examples of the results of CATS project are those published at the following links:
http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=4020
http://m.iopscience.iop.org/0004-637X/764/1/5/

In the first link you can find a paper about our discovery of the last outburst of the blazar
OJ 287. Our claim was confirmed by various research groups in the world as ESO REM telescope, Tuorla Finland, MIRO India, Poland.
In the second link you can find a paper about a binary black hole model for OJ 287. This model was deviced by a cooperative effort made by us and most of the above mentioned research groups. This model for OJ 287 predicts a binary black hole with the main black hole being the most massive black hole currently known. Moreover this model predicts the existence of precursor flares in the light curve of OJ 287; the next precursor flare is predicted around the fall 2020.

GRBs
Other possible targets in the CATS project are the Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs); read for example our paper about GRB150413A published in GCN 17705 at the Internet site of Goddard Space Flight Center of NASA. GRB150413A had a strange piecewise (segmented) light curve, and our CCD R and I band photometry was obtained near one of these breaks.
In the following figure there is an R band light curve of GRB150413A obtained from many sources in the scientific literature. The arrows highlight the data from OAC.

DISCOVERY OF NEW VARIABLE STARS

At OAC we are engaged in a cooperative effort with Osservatorio Astronomico Margherita Hack (OAMH) and Associazione Astrofili Fiorentini(AAF) for the discovery of new variable stars by means of CCD techniques. Currently we are using the 0.35m Schmidt-Cassegrain at OAMH with AAF's staff. Most of CCD frames are shot and processed by AAF's staff; most of statistical analysis and bibliographic searches are performed by OAC's staff.
Until now this cooperation has led to the discovery of the following variable stars:

• USNO B1.0 0851-0471938 ( Montigiani N., Santangelo M.M.M., Mannucci M., 2020, ATel 14063 )
  
  
  
• GSC 5839-905   ( Montigiani N., Mannucci M., Santangelo M.M.M., 2017, ATel 10884 )
  
  

• GSC 66-869       ( Mannucci M., Santangelo M.M.M., Montigiani N., 2018, ATel 11279 )

• UCAC4 511-031703 (Montigiani N., Santangelo M.M.M., Mannucci M., 2019, ATel 12797)

• UCAC4 510-032641 (Montigiani N., Santangelo M.M.M., Mannucci M., 2019, Atel 12797)
  
  
• 2MASS J06535374+1201175 (Montigiani N., Santangelo M.M.M., Mannucci M., 2019, Atel 12458)
  
  
  
  
  
  ________________________________________________

Imagery

Below we show some more (see also the Best Frames page) fine CCD frames.