Overview
This project
is worth a maximum of 15 points towards your final grade in the class.
However, 1-2 points extra credit is possible for exceptional effort and
comprehensive reports. You must do either this observing project or the
web project, but not both. By mid-October you should decide which project
you really plan to do, then go for it! (you will be asked on one of the problem sets after mid-term)
Realistically,
the observing project is weather dependent, and takes a different type of
effort compared to the web project, but then a good effort and a good report
has a greater likelihood of getting the full 15 points and even 1-2 points
extra credit. The observing project is also the prof’s preferred project,
since it gives students actual experience in seeing astronomical objects and
looking through telescopes.
The
observing project is divided into three 5-point activities; at least two of
which must be done fully. Before undertaking an activity, read what is
expected in the report and bring a notebook to take detailed notes of your
experiences.
Project Activities
1. Attend the “Stargazer’s Guide”
show at Burke Baker Planetarium (up to 5 points)
Attend the
“Starry Night Express” (2 and 4:30 PM everyday – usually!) planetarium show at
the Burke Baker Planetarium in the Houston Museum of Natural Science located in
Herman Park a few blocks from Rice. This show introduces you to the
planets, stars, and constellations currently viewable in the Houston area at
night. Check out http://www.hmns.org
for the detailed schedule. Note that the other
planetarium shows are not suitable for this
project. Write a detailed summary of four paragraphs on the
show, giving: (a) the specific show, date and time attended, (b) a summary of
the show organization with some specifics about the celestial objects talked
about, (c) the most positive aspect of the show from the point of view of what
you saw and learned, and (d) a critique of any aspect of the show that you
found lacking. Note that the show costs ~$5.
2. Field Trip to George Observatory,
Get
together with friends or classmates and drive to Brazos Bend State Park, about
an hour from Rice (maps are available from the prof –
email him at rjd@rice.edu ) during a Saturday
night public open house in October or early November (makes for an interesting
and unique date!). Compared to campus, this site has nearly dark skies
such that you can see faint stars and entire constellations, along three large
domed telescopes that you can see astronomical objects much clearer and better
than from campus. Write a five paragraph discussion of your trip:
(a) give the date of your trip and the sky conditions, (b) describe the three
main telescopes at the observatory (in the domes), (c) describe what you saw
through each of the telescopes (make sure you ask the telescope operators to
give you detailed information on the specific objects), (d) describe what major
constellations (see the attached starmap)
were visible and how faint stars can you see from the site (give a magnitude
limit), and (e) describe what exhibits you saw inside
the observatory hall and your general impressions on the facility. Note
that a small entrance fee is charged (per car).
Beginning
in early October we will have several observing sessions at the campus
observatory. Initially, these are scheduled every Monday thru Thursday
nights when the weather is good.
Observing starts about an hour after sunset (~
the moon – if the moon is up, observe
it through one of the smaller telescopes and draw a picture of what you see.
Saturn (available only early AM in
November)– carefully note rings, surface features, and
satellites; draw a sketch of what you see.
Jupiter (available dusk in early
October) – carefully note surface features (belts) and alignment of satellites
(sketch).
The Orion Nebula – our star-forming
region surrounded by a luminous nebula (sketch).
Star Cluster – a young group of
stars recently formed; note it’s name and appearance.
Double Star – a physically
associated pair of two (or more) stars; note it’s name
and colors of the stars.
Bright Star and atmospheric
turbulence – a bright star (give name) will be observed at high magnification
in focus and out of focus to illustrate stellar colors and the effects of the
atmosphere on blurring images; note what star it is and what you learned from
the observations.
Planetary Nebula – if the weather is
good we might observe a planetary nebula; note what you see and what a planetary
nebula is.
Galaxy – galaxies thru telescopes
are usually poor but ask to look at M32 – the Andromeda Galaxy (our nearest big
one).
Five of the
above objects must be observed –-with good notes/drawings/discussion— for the
nominal 5 points credit. If you end up observing more than five, write them
up to and you might get 1 point extra credit. Make sure you note (a) the
date of your observing, (b) the sky conditions, and (c) the telescope and
magnification used in each observation. And make sure you ask the prof or the TA questions about each object so you know what
you are looking at and are supposed to see!
Due Date and
Report.
The due
date for your report is Thursday, November 29th (hand to prof in class!).
I strongly
urge you to turn in the report typed with the essential information asked for
in the above sections. You can append to your report any drawings and
script notes that you took during the activities. Don’t shortchange
yourself for the full 15+ points with a sloppy and/or incomplete report.
Ask the Prof at the end of a class to clear up any questions you might have
about the objects viewed or matters related to the report format.
RJD
