The Transient Optical Sky Survey Data Pipeline

TL;DR

The TOSS data pipeline automates the processing of ground-based telescope images to detect optical transients, producing accurate light curves from modest equipment, enabling efficient transient identification.

Contribution

This paper introduces a comprehensive automated data pipeline for the Transient Optical Sky Survey, enhancing transient detection and light curve generation with modest hardware.

Findings

Successful detection of optical transients during 2009-2010 campaign

Production of accurate light curves from small telescopes

Effective identification of transient deviations in time-series data

Abstract

The Transient Optical Sky Survey (TOSS) is an automated, ground-based telescope system dedicated to searching for optical transient events. Small telescope tubes are mounted on a tracking, semi-equatorial frame with a single polar axis. Each fixed declination telescope records successive exposures which overlap in right ascension. Nightly observations produce time-series images of fixed fields within each declination band. We describe the TOSS data pipeline, including automated routines used for image calibration, object detection and identification, astrometry, and differential photometry. Time series of nightly observations are accumulated in a database for each declination band. Despite the modest cost of the mechanical system, results from the 2009-2010 observing campaign confirm the system's capability for producing light curves of satisfactory accuracy. Transients can be extracted from the individual time-series by identifying deviations from baseline variability.