User:CorniceBowlSkier/Aperture Photometry Tool

Aperture Photometry Tool is a computer program designed to perform scientific calculations related to aperture photometry, a common data-reduction method used in astronomy. The main features of the software are that it allows the results to be analyzed via a graphical user interface (GUI), and it provides a platform for educating users, students, and astronomy professionals about aperture photometry. It was developed by Dr. Russ Laher of the Californa Institute of Technology's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC). The first version of the software was released in November of 2007, and, since then, many upgrades to the software have been done to augment its capabilities. The software is implemented entirely in Java (programming language) and, therefore, can be installed and used on any computer system that runs a Java Virtual Machine. It can be downloaded from http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/laher/apt free of charge. The impetus for the advent of the software was efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to promote math and science in education around the turn of the twenty-first century.