Engineering Commons^™

3d Printed Filar Micrometer, Emily Rull

Honors Program Projects

Background

Double stars are celestial objects that allow for calculating the mass of stars by assessing their orbits. Stellar mass affects every current model of stellar evolution, but the most accurate double star orbits can take decades to record. Due to the long-term nature of such observations and lack of groundbreaking research in double star studies, professional astronomers are no longer focused on making these measurements, so amateur astronomers can pick up where professionals have left off. Amateurs can only do this if they can get the equipment that they need at prices they can afford. A personally-manufactured filar micrometer …