About this Assignment In this course, you learned about the sizes of the Sun and

About this Assignment
In this course, you learned about the sizes of the Sun and the Moon and angular diameters of objects in outer space. Using the angular diameters of objects in space and their distance, it is possible to estimate the actual size of that object. It is also possible to estimate the angular diameter of the Moon using the methods covered in this course.
Estimating the angular diameter of the Sun is more difficult since looking at the Sun is very dangerous for your eyes. However, one lesson showed how Galileo was able to study sunspots by projecting the Sun’s image. Using a similar method, it is possible to project an image of the Sun, which can be used to estimate the diameter of the Sun.
Note as you do this assignment: NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN WITHOUT PROPER EYE PROTECTION!
Estimating the Diameters of the Sun and Moon
To estimate the diameter of the Moon:
Estimate the angular diameter of the full Moon in degrees using the methods discussed in the course.
With the angular diameter of the Moon, calculate the diameter of the Moon using the equation:
(Angular diameter) / (360°) = (Moon’ s diameter) / (2 x distance to Moon)
To estimate the diameter of the Sun:
Construct a pinhole camera using two pieces of thick white paper and a pin or paper clip.
Using the pin or paper clip, make a small hole in one piece of paper.
Then hold the paper with a hole in it between the Sun and the other piece of paper to project an image of the Sun’s disc on the piece of paper without the hole.
The size of the Sun’s disc projected on the paper depends on the distance between the two sheets of paper. The farther away the pieces of paper are, the larger the image is.
The diameter of the sun can be calculated using the equation:
(Diameter of the image) / (Distance to the image) = (Diameter of the Sun) / (Distance to the Sun)
Make a measurement of the image diameter and the distance to the image.
A distance of 3 feet is a good place to start.
Use pre-drawn image diameters on the piece of paper with the projections and moving piece of paper with the hole to match distances to match. This can make the measurements more accurate and easier to do.
After making the measurements and doing the calculations for the diameters of the Moon and the Sun, write a report giving the estimated angular diameters and calculated diameters for each and showing the calculations.
Also, compare the calculated diameters with the actual diameters.
Include photos or charts to show your work and calculations from your experiment.