Proposal #591

This is an exploratory proposal to study the feasibility of detection and evolution of spectral lines in Be stars, using the SA200 grating on BSM_Berry (Australia). Our target is HD 64831, a classical Be star at V ~ 7.80 mag showing strong H-alpha emission. The RA and Dec of the target are such that it is visible almost throughout the night at airmass <1.4 from BSM_Berry these days (Jan-Feb). While most Be stars are close to the Galactic plane, this source is at galactic latitude of -15.9 degrees, so that the field is not extremely crowded (so as to minimize spatial overlap of 0/1/2 orders from other stars). Furthermore, we have ascertained that the source is among the brightest stars in the field-of-view, so that the signal-to-noise in the spectrum is hopefully high. Since the images/spectra will be used for classroom/education/public outreach, I am requesting one short exposure image in V-band, to capture the star-field, and then another image using the grating. I am however not sure what the optimal exposure times might be, and am happy to either discuss this with the observation planners, or simply use their recommended exposures.