Observing guide for spring quarter projects

• Moon phases and good (DARK) viewing times
• General guidelines for student observation projects
• Candidate projects for spring 1998
• Resources
• Your project pages

Moon phases during spring 1997-98

good (DARK) viewing times are in bold print
 

STUDENT OBSERVATION PROJECTS: GENERAL GUIDELINES

Students should select one observational projects such as the following to complete this quarter. You will also do serious library research on the project you choose. Exceptionally ambitious, mathematical, and careful projects may earn upper division science credit (to be determined based on your end-of-quarter presentations and reports).

Consider choosing a project which does not require a telescope. There are only three telescopes available for our use, so time at the eyepiece will be at a premium. In addition, there is no substitute for careful naked-eye and binocular observation to help you develop an intimate, first-hand understanding of sky phenomena. We will attempt to facilitate class observations on viewing nights (Tuesdays, or Thursdays as a backup) but time and weather may be restrictive. Methods of observing and recording data will be explained or demonstrated in the Astronomy Workshops.

You are encouraged to work in teams on non-class nights in order to share telescope time, thermos drinks and blankets. Observing solo can be cold, lonely business. Bring a reclining chair, and a sleeping bag if it's cool out, especially for long sessions such as meteor showers.

Students are expected to do independent research. Record your observations with field notes, sketches, diagrams and charts. Make sense of your observations with the help of appropriate library research. Use your observations to support your conclusions, and turn in completed material week 9. In addition to submitting a carefully polished written report (either a paper or a Web page), you will also make a short presentation to classmates in week 9.

Based on years of observing experience, Miles recommends the projects below as particularly feasible and potentially rewarding for beginners. Choose one of these projects, or consult with faculty this week to design projects of your own.

CANDIDATE PROJECTS:

All projects should include complementary library research, using journals, not just web pages, as resources. Any of these projects can be supplemented by observing over the Web, using Berkeley's Leuschner Observatory - see the "Hands-On Universe" tutorials by winter students. You submit an observation request to HOU, and they aim their 1-m telescope at it, then you can download the digitized images from their Web site, using Evergreen's HOU password. You should also do some your own observations of your star, in any case. Hands-On Universe can also be used for other observing projects of your own design.

HOU update 3.April.98: Andrea found out that there is a long backlog of image requests via HOU to the Berkeley telescope. Blame it on El Nino and unusually cloudy California weather (we forget that not everywhere is as clear and sunny as Olympia...) So don't rely on HOU for new images this quarter. You can still use HOU tutorials (with images on disk) to learn more about many topics, including image processing, techniques of supernova and asteroid searches, Jupiter's moons, and more.

• Asteroid Search
• Supernova Search
• Plotting the course of planets
• Plotting the course of Venus
• Telescope or binocular observations of Venus
• Telescope or binocular observations of Jupiter and the Galilean Satellites
• Telescopic observations of the Sun
• Observing Meteor Showers
• Investigating peculiar A stars
• Variable star observations
• Double star observations
• Lunar observations - path and phase
• Telescopic lunar observations
• Observation of open star clusters

You can search for known asteroids such as Kalliope (see the April issue of Astronomy p.70 for details) with your binoculars. Or you can search for new asteroids with the Hands-On Universe curriculum, analyzing digitized images that you acquire from Berkeley over the Web. (But see the HOU update above...) Asteroids are probably the easiest new things to discover. Your library research should include a careful discussion of the chances a big one will hit Earth anytime soon.

You can search for new supernovae with the Hands-On Universe curriculum, analyzing digitized images that Berkeley sends to you over the Web. If you are lucky enough to find one, astrophysicists worldwide will be notified and will train their big scopes on your discovery, temporarily abandoning their scheduled investigations in the excitement. You and Evergreen would become famous (if not rich). That happened to Heather and Melody, students in Pennsylvania, a few years ago, but to be honest, the chances are very slim. (Also see the HOU update above...)Your library research should include a careful discussion of what's currently understood about different kinds of supernovae, and what questions are still open.

You can track Venus or Jupiter with naked eyes before dawn; unfortunately Saturn, Mars, and Mercury are too near the sun. The more distant planets are harder to see: you need binoculars for Uranus and Neptune, and an 8" telescope or better for Pluto.

Students selecting this project will be expected to plot the position of their planet relative to the primary background stars based on (at least) weekly observations and proportional measurements. You should produce a chart showing the observed path as a continuous line against the background stars from your observations. Don't be surprised if your planet's path seems rather irregular the first few nights, as you sharpen your observing and recording skills. Don't throw any data/observations out, but do your best to explain any surprises.

Proportional measurements can be made with a pocket ruler and/or dividers and plotted on graph paper. No optical instruments are required for Venus or Jupiter.

Venus will be visible in the early morning hours. The planet's apparent path may be represented in an illustration showing the horizon as a base line in graph form. Keep track of Venus' position with respect to the stars and/or a horizon landmark (if you can always observe from the same place). Your observations can enable us to better understand the famous Mayan codices on Venus. Compare your observations with those reported in Aveni's book.

You should make proportional measurements (for example, with a pocket ruler and/or dividers) and plot your results on graph paper. No optical instruments are required for this project.

Observations made with a small telescope should reveal Venus' phases. If possible, you should make multiple observations over a period of time and produce a new drawing each time. Planetary details (if observed) should be included in the field notes and identified in a "formal" schematic drawing based on the observational sketches. Try the CLEA exercise which bounces radio waves off the planet.

Compare your observations of Venus' phases with Galileo's observations - see Crowe p.168

Jupiter is visible in the early morning hours. A small telescope will show Jupiter as an oblate disk with atmospheric bands of grey and white. Jupiter's four large moons (the "Galilean satellites:" Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede) are readily visible and will change positions from night to night (even from hour to hour!) You should include notes and drawings showing the positions of the satellites, atmospheric details (if observed) and any noted changes from previous observations. The satellites should be identified in a final schematic drawing, by figuring out their periods from your observations and Kepler's law. CLEA software is available for tutorials on this topic, and we will probably do a workshop on the method as well, in class.

Compare your observations of Jupiter's moons with Galileo's observations - see Crowe p.165+

Observe the sun, making notes and sketches of any observed solar phenomena. Make a schematic diagram of your observations. Solar activity is increasing: can you track any sunspots? Compare the speed of spots near the equator with spots at higher latitudes. Two of the college telescopes have solar filters. Get instruction in their safe use from faculty or experienced lab stores staff before you use them.

Compare your observations with those of 17th century observers - see Crowe p.171 and Planet Vulcan.

Observing meteor showers is a good group project for two to six observers. This quarter we have two meteor showers: the Lyrids on April 20-22, which fall at an estimated rate of 8-15 per hour; and the Eta Aquarids on May 2-7, with an average falling rate of 10-30 per hour. The Lyrids may be difficult to spot, but the Eta Aquarids fall twice as frequently. Students selecting this project should plan to observe both showers, and plan to spend about four hours each event night (from midnight on).

No optical instruments should be used for meteor watching. They limit your field of vision and meteors look no better through them.

You can help lay the groundwork for testing Zita's theory that dynamic magnetic fields cause sound waves in "rapidly oscillating peculiar A" (roAp) stars. These stars were discovered about 10 years ago by a South African astronomer. Their sound waves are a mystery and more Northern Hemisphere stars need to be studied.

Students selecting this project would use standard catalogs to find peculiar A stars in the N. hem. and summarize what's known about them. Indicate the ones you observe, on star charts. Using new data published from the Hipparcos sattelite, you can find out the distance to these stars. Combining distance with spectroscopic data lets you find their size.

If you'd like to continue work begun by students in winter quarter (described in the "Project TED" tutorial), you can also use an easy computer model to calculate quantities inside the stars. For example, how does the gas pressure increase toward the stellar core? That data, together with Zita's model, lets you predict the frequency of sound waves in the star.

This work could lead to a summer collaboration with astronomers at UW, CWU, and/or Pacific Northwest National Lab. We hope to use new equipment on the 1-m telescopes at Manastash Ridge (Ellensburg, WA) or Rattlesnake Mountain (Richland, WA) to observe behavior of the stars you study this spring. Observations could also be done over the Web, using Berkeley's Leuschner Observatory - see the "Hands-On Universe" tutorials by winter students. (But see the HOU update above...)

Observing variables directly takes some extra effort and skill. There are only three short period variables available for observation this quarter with small instruments. All three are visible only in the early morning hours (midnight to 5 am) and will require at least two observations per week for the entire quarter. The three candidates are Delta Cephei, Eta Aquilae and Beta Lyrae.

If you want to observe variables but can't get up that early that often, this would be another good project for observing over the Web, using Berkeley's Leuschner Observatory - see the "Hands-On Universe" tutorials by winter students. (But also see the HOU update above...) You should also do at least a few of your own observations of your star, too.

Variable stars are visually compared to nearby stars of known visual magnitude and multiple observations are needed to detect any measurable change. We have detailed observing guides from the Amateur Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) that make this project easier. Observations from amateurs is important and can be of very high reliability, especially since AAVSO compiles data from many observers. Amateur data submitted to AAVSO has been used, for example, to calibrate Hubble in situ.

Finding and observing double stars is uniquely reward. Doubles of differing size and/or color are quite beautiful when seen through a telescope, and many fine examples may be observed through binoculars or spotting scopes. See OP.20 on p.247 of Kaufmann.

This project should include research and observations of several examples. Illustratethe results of your observations in a report which also includes background information of the pairs observed. Are they true binaries or only apparently close?

Observing the moon without instruments is a project anyone can do. This will require the same type of work as the planet course plotting project above. Note and illustrate the position of the moon and its estimated phase (percentage of full) against a full sky star field chart.

Use a star finder or the setting circles of a telescope, to include the nightly estimated right ascension and declination in your data. See Kaufmann's OP.48 on p.35. Compare your observations of the moon to Galileo's (Crowe p.163).

This project would include a series of detailed sketches of the lunar surface as observed through its various phases. The student may choose to observe and record the entire lunar disk with a low powered instrument (spotting scope or binoculars) or a specific area of topographical feature at higher magnification (through a small telescope). A progressive study of the changing shadows and visual forms of the lunar surface can be used to produce a fairly accurate illustrated model of the observed structures. HOU tutorials on moon measurements will also complement your observations. Compare your observations of the moon to Galileo's (Crowe p.163).

This project is as intrinsically rewarding as the Double star observing project. Star clusters are beautiful when observed through any telescope, including binoculars or spotting scopes.

Observe and research multiple examples; then illustrate each, both in star fields and through eyepiece drawings. Don't be surprised if they look quite different from the textbook illustrations!

Library research should include a discussion of the age, evolution, and star types in each cluster.

Maintained by E.J. Zita

Last modified: 3.April.98