The lightcurve analysis engine appears in four programs in MPO Canopus v12: embedded in the asteroid and variable star multi-image photometry wizards and as stand-alone programs. This tutorial guides you through the steps needed to understand and use the engine in these four programs to find the lightcurve and period for an asteroid or variable star. You'll also get some useful tips on working with noisy data, finding the periods in a dual-period additive lightcurve, and some of the traps that may lead you to the wrong answer.
