MAOPhot 1.1.0

Welcome to MAOPhot 1.1.0, a PSF Photometry tool using Astropy 6.1.6 and Photutils 2.0.2

• Important Update: Install MAOPhot by downloading MAOPhot_SETUP.exe and executing. There is no longer a need to download Visual C++ libraries. (This has only been tested on Windows 10 and Windows 11.)

• New Feature: "Selected Stars" The list of peaks for generating the effective PSF Model can be examined more closely. The list can be edited.

This program was derived from “MetroPSF” by Maxym Usatov. It has been renamed and extended to produce AAVSO reports exclusively and to facilitate generating an effective PSF for PSF photometry.

MAOPhot uses the PSF (point spread function) Photometry exclusively.

MAOPhot has been redesigned for AAVSO reporting only and includes, but is not limited to the following enhancements:

o uses Astropy 6.1.6 and Photutils 2.0.2

o generation of an Effective PSF model (EPSF model), and the ability to create a ‘rejection list’ of stars that the user can select that will not be part of the EPSF model generated

o option to use a Gaussian PRF (Pixel Response Function) as model

o Uses Iterative PSF Photometry, an iterative version of PSF Photometry where new sources are detected in the residual image after the fit sources are subtracted

o PSF Photometry using an ensemble of comparison stars or a single comp star

o generation of Two-Color Photometry (B, V), (V, R) or (V, I), and Single Image Photometry reports in AAVSO extended format

o use of telescope Transformation Coefficients (needed for Two Color Photometry)

o user can specify check star and list of comp stars

o manually select a star for measurement

o intermediate results are saved as .csv files

o optionally enter an AAVSO Chart ID when retrieving comparison star data

See HelpFile.pdf for more information.