Another look at Nancy's "Object"

The image taken Jan 5, 2002 was downloaded from the CCD camera as a FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) image. This is the standard format for professional grade imaging systems. I have been trying to find a way of showing what the original FITS image looked like ... a web browser cannot directly display a FITS image and the JPG files I have posted have been distorted by processing resulting in something that does not match the original. I have finally come up with the following: Below I show the Jan 5, 2002 FITS image as displayed in an image processing program that can work with FITS images. I inverted the black/white and adjusted the levels to emphasize the patch of pixels Nancy identifies as her object.

The stretch has been carefully adjusted so that every pixel in the area of Nancy's selected object is clearly represented. Several things should be evident to an honest observer. This patch of pixels is not significantly different in size and shape from other objects of similar brightness. Looking at the three stars in the lower right corner of the frame, the object is clearly intermediate in brightness between the two fainter objects there. Secondly, there is only one object here, not the two that Nancy keeps talking about. To reiterate: this is the original image, enlarged with contrast and brightness adjusted so every individual pixel is visible.

I then accessed the Palomar PSS1E (taken in December, 1955) and PSS2R (taken in October, 1990) images of the same area and processed them inverted as well. I have surrounded the Jan 5 image with the two PSS images. The object Nancy has claimed as her planet is marked by the blue lines. Red lines have been used to align two stars on each of the images. The Nancy selected object appears on the PSS2R image (taken about 12 years ago) and on the PSS1E image taken nearly 50 years ago. The object appears in the same right ascension on all three images and only a few seconds of arc different in declination on the three images and it should be obvious that the same object appears on all three images. This object has been in this part of the sky for the entire 46 year period represented by these images. It is not a recent arrival.

The PSS1E and PSS2R images are from the Digital Sky Survey and were scanned in from the glass original plates. The scanning process can easily introduce a small shift in something at the very limit of the original image. In addition, it is not unlikely that the star in question may have moved slightly over the 5 decade interval. See below for a plot of the approximate pixel location in declination of the object Nancy claims as a function of image date.

Plot of pixel location of object claimed by Nancy as function of image date:

The total image shift here is only about 3 arc-seconds or about 65 mas (milli arc-seconds; 0.065 arc-seconds) per year. This is not a surprising differential shift for a star.

Investigate on your own

The Jan 5, 2002 FITS image can be downloaded for your examination by shift-Left-clicking on this link and saving the file with a .fit extension (I have to do this because my web server does not allow Fit files or FTP). You will need a program that allows viewing of FITS files to work with it. You will have to get your own download of the PSS-1 or PSS-2 (get the red image) from the Digital Sky Survey. Get the GIF image, it will be easier to work with. Since both FITS and GIFimages at DSS are created "on the fly" from their digital database, there is no need to get the FITS version. [Good coordinates to use would be 04 27 19 +12 08 30 (2000); ask for 5x5 arcminutes] The images involved will be: