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Paper: Comparing Surface Brightness Fluctuation Measurements Using Elliptical and Circular Masks
Volume: 525, Compendium of Undergraduate Research in Astronomy and Space Science
Page: 45
Authors: Phan, A.; Jensen, J. B.
Abstract: We have compared the Surface Brightness Fluctuation (SBF) measurements for 14 galaxies using elliptical and circular masks. SBF is usually used to measure distances to giant elliptical galaxies that have uniform ages and compositions. On the other hand, since galaxies potentially have a range of ages, they may have an SBF and color gradient. Elliptical masks that match the shapes of the galaxies may give a more accurate SBF and color gradient than circular masks. The purpose of this study is to measure the discrepancies between the SBF measurements using the two types of masks, as well as to observe any trend in fluctuation magnitudes between annuli. Overall, the SBF measurements using both methods give similar results and the differences are consistent with the statistical uncertainties of the SBF measurements themselves.
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