Astronomy Assignments
- Instructors
- Term
- 2016-17
- Department
- Science
- Description
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This course will provide the student with an introduction to the concepts of modern astronomy, theories on the history of the Universe and the formation of the Earth and the solar system. Students will compare the Earth's properties with those of the other planets and explore how the heavens have influenced human thought and action. The course gives a description of astronomical phenomena using the laws of physics. The course treats many standard topics including planets, stars, the Milky Way and other galaxies, black holes to more esoteric questions concerning the origin of the universe and its evolution and fate. Although largely descriptive, the course will occasionally require the use of sophomore-high level mathematics.Up coming astronomy events
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Upcoming Assignments
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Past Assignments
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- Ant Nebula
- Barnard’s Loop
- Boomerang Nebula
- Cat’s Eye Nebula
- Crab Nebula
- Eagle Nebula
- Eskimo Nebula
- Eta Carinae Nebula
- Flame Nebula
- Fox Fur Nebula
- Helix Nebula
- Hourglass Nebula
- Horsehead Nebula
- Lagoon Nebula
- Orion Nebula
- Pelican Nebula
- Red Square Nebula
- Ring Nebula
- Rosette Nebula
- Tarantula Nebula
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Chapter 9: The Terrestrial Planets
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Explain the various methods currently being used to detect exoplanets, the information each provides about an exoplanet, and the limitations of these methods.
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Page 222: 1 – 11
Write the question, then answer, and then skip a line before starting the next question.
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Project Assignment
1. Classify the common types of telescope designs.
2. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of reflectors and refractors.
3. Describe what causes refraction and how lenses focus light.
4. Identify the important aspects for determining a telescope's sensitivity.
5. Compare the light gathering power of different telescopes.
6. Describe the factors affecting telescope resolution, and calculate the diffraction limit for a telescope.
7. Describe the idea of interferometry and how astronomers use it to improve resolution.
8. Describe the methods used for detecting visible light and other wavelengths of
electromagnetic radiation.
9. Discuss the problems caused by observing through the Earth's atmosphere, and describe the methods astronomers use to overcome these problems.
10. Identify the wavelength ranges in which telescopes cannot operate from the ground and the reasons for this.
11. Describe the causes and remedies for light pollution.
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Describe how electrons and photons interact to produce emission or absorption line, and explain the resulting emission or absorption lines.
Explain how spectra can be used to determine the chemical composition of an astronomical source.
Classify the physical conditions in objects according to whether they produce a continuum, absorption, or emission spectrum.
Identify the basic properties of light, contrasting its wavelike and particle like properties.
Describe the meaning of the wavelength and frequency of light and how they relate to its color.
How do we describe light? What types of light are there? How are light, energy and radiation related? How does light interact with matter? What are the rules that govern hot objects?
What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
Describe in detail each part of the electromagnetic spectrum and how astronomers use it.
Describe the Doppler Effect and how it is used by astronomers. How does it work? Describe the conditions that produce a Doppler shift.
Describe how and under what conditions the color of an object changes with temperature, and how to use Wien’s law to calculate its temperature.
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Chapter 2: The Rise of Astronomy
Online Quiz
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Instructions
- left click on a star or planet to get object information (magnitude, full name, rise/set times, etc) or, for HTML5 sky map, hover on a sky object to get its info
- zoom to see a higher level of details (the sky map renders dimmer stars for smaller field of views - magnitude level adjusts based on the zoom level)
- drag the sky map for navigation (the center of the map can't be dragged outside the borders of the map)
- use the menu entries to set your location, time, sky map options, etc
- Auto/IP Locate - automatically determines the location based on yourur computer IP address
- Location - manually add a location or pick a city from the combo box; also used to determine the latitude/longitude of a manually specified address
- click Go! after changing any editable fields (text boxes)
- use navigational buttons to zoom and pan or drag sky map
- use Options to change map size, display telrad finder, hide constellation names and constellation lines or draw AltAz grid