TLDR: If my code fails to detect a rare astrophysical event, we
will have to wait ~1-2 years for another chance, and Dr. Hervet
misses out on a $98,000 grant.
Why did I do it?
Blazars flare only once every year or two. By constantly monitoring
the energy output, we can anticipate one of these rare events. By
catching a flare early, Dr. Hervet can trigger a Target of
Opportunity request to several telescopes to set aside all other
observations and immediately focus on Mrk421. This focus
would gather in depth data on Blazar behavior during a flare,
which currently doesn't exist.
What did I accomplish?
I wrote a python script that gathers data from 3 different
telescopes:
VERITAS,
SWIFT-XRT, and
MAXI-RIKEN.
Then, it analyzes the data to detect if a flare is about
to occur, and if a flare is detected, it composes and sends an alert
email.
What did I learn?
The biggest challenge I am currently facing is that my code is
actually important. If it fails for some reason and we miss a
flare, we might have to wait years for another oppurtunity. I dealt
with this in several ways. Throughout the project, I sought to keep
my code and simple as possible, to minimize errors. In all stages of
the program, I focused on error handling, and in the event of a
fatal error I send an emergency email. I also have been personally
monitoring the output every day, even if a flare isn't detected,
but thats mostly because its kinda neat to see what Mrk421 is doing.
It also takes barely any time because I get an email summary every
day.