Title: Variable Stars and Minor planets AStrometry

Abstract: Arne Henden will present on types of variable stars and observation techniques.  Discussion will include the AAVSOnet robotic telescope network, how it works, and some results.  Arne will also present work to refurbish the Boller&Chivens 36 inch telescope (from Princeton) and it's inclusion in the robotic network.

Speaker:  Arne Henden

Arne Henden is a retired American observational astronomer, instrument and software specialist, and co-discoverer of a minor planet. He formerly served as Director of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). The asteroid 33529 Henden is named after him.

Arnie Henden has worked extensively with amateurs interested in variable stars and minor planet astrometry mainly through the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO).

Henden was born in Huron, South Dakota, but as the son of an engineer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he would call several places home as he grew up with his parents and two sisters. His first astronomical brush happened when he had a chance to look at Saturn through the 24" Clarke refractor at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Henden gained his Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics in 1972, and his Masters in Physics in 1975 both from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. In 1978 he continued to gain a Masters of Science in 1978 and a Ph.D. in 1985 in Astronomy, both from the Indiana University Bloomington.

Henden moved to Ohio State University to work on the Large Binocular Telescope after gaining his doctorate. He also built several imagers and spectrographs for the 1.8-meter Perkins telescope.

in 1992, he returned to work at the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station (NOFS) as a Senior Research Scientist, the site where his love for astronomy first started. At NOFS, he specialized in visual and near-IR imaging systems and co-discovered 239046 Judysyd, a faint asteroid of the main-belt, in collaboration with astronomer Stephen Levine on 25 February 2006.[3] Henden was also part of the team that created specifications for the Discovery Channel's 4.2m telescope. He has also worked on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and consulted for the Radio Astronomy Institute in developing a robotic observatory near the Grand Canyon.

In the Spring of 2004, Henden was named Director of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), an organization he had long been a member of.  Henden has authored more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed publications as either primary or co-author. Henden has also positioned himself as a specialist in photometry by writing one of the classic texts in the subject:  Astronomical Photometry (1978: Willman-Bell)

Henden has worked extensively with amateurs interested in variable stars and minor planet astrometry mainly through the AAVSO.  In honor of his service and accomplishments, Arnie was the 2011 recipient of the Leslie C. Peltier Award given by the Astronomical League. (https://www.astroleague.org/content/2011-peltier-award-arne-henden)