Projeto Observacional para 2008B - OP2008B-014

Autor: Raymundo Baptista
Instituição: UFSC
e-mail: bap@astro.ufsc.br

Co-autores:
Tiago Ribeiro de Souza
Fabio Herpic

Título: Astrotomography of UU Aqr in its unusual bright state

Resumo: We intend to use infrared high-speed photometry of the nova-like UU Aqr to trace the cause of its recent and unusual 1-mag brightness increase. We will use the data to model possible ellipsoidal variations caused by an increase contribution from the mass-donor star, to search for superhumps and to use eclipse mapping techniques to test for their explanation in terms of an elliptical precessing disk. We will also use the secondary eclipse to verify if the occulting accretion disk is optically thin or thick in the infrared. In combination with data collected at other telescopes (0.6m and SOAR) this will allow us to address the question of whether what we see in UU Aqr is consequence of thermal-viscous disk instabilities or sudden changes in mass transfer from the donor star.