Comparison of Image Scale Calibration Techniques: Known Pairs, Drift Scans and Aperture Grating

TL;DR

This study compares various techniques for calibrating angular separation in astronomical imaging, finding that reference pair calibration using known orbital parameters is most accurate and straightforward.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of calibration methods, highlighting the effectiveness of using known reference pairs over diffraction grating techniques.

Findings

Alpha Cen AB and video drift methods agree well.

Diffraction grating with broad filters is unsatisfactory.

Calibration bias of about 0.1% in diffraction grating method.

Abstract

We compared several techniques for calibrating angular separation between wide (>1 arcsec) pairs. These techniques are (i) reference pair calibration using {\alpha} Cen AB orbital parameters, (ii) the video drift method, and (iii) the utilisation of an aperture diffraction grating with red filters of different passbands. Separations of 62 pairs were determined using these 3 calibration techniques and compared. It was found that {\alpha} Cen AB and video drift methods are in good agreement. The use of the grating and filter (by measuring fringe spacing) proved unsatisfactory for the broad-band filters, and the use of a narrow band H{\alpha} filter with the grating, resulted in image scales that differed from those obtained using {\alpha} Cen AB reference pair calibration and the video drift method by 0.024 and 0.031 pixel/arcsec (px/arcsec) respectively. A more complete modelling of Fraunhofer diffraction of the H{\alpha} filter and grating produced a difference in image scale of 0.009 px/arcsec. A bias in the diffraction grating method of ~0.1% in the separation of pairs also revealed itself and could not be accounted for. We conclude that calibration against a known pair for which the separation and PA is known with high precision is probably the simplest and best way to undertake image scale calibration.