Category: Astronomy

Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial objects, such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies, as well as the universe as a whole. It involves observing and understanding the properties, behaviors, and interactions of these objects, using principles from physics and mathematics. Astronomy seeks to explain phenomena ranging from the formation of stars to the evolution of galaxies and the nature of dark matter and dark energy.

Astronomy, one of the oldest sciences, is the study of celestial objects such as stars, planets, galaxies, and other phenomena beyond Earth. This field not only aids in understanding the universe but also has deep historical roots, dating back to ancient civilizations when humans tried to interpret natural phenomena by observing the sky.

Astronomy, one of the oldest sciences, is the study of celestial objects such as stars, planets, galaxies, and other phenomena beyond Earth. This field not only aids in understanding the universe but also has deep historical roots, dating back to ancient civilizations when humans tried to interpret natural phenomena by observing the sky.

Due Monday by 11:59pm
Background
In scientific circles, professional conferences and seminars are held and research posters are presented. The purpose of this poster is for you to present an aspect of astronomy that you personally find fascinating. You will research the topic, create a poster with graphics and text (usually 700-900 words), and eventually present your findings to the class in a discussion forum.
This particular assignment is only the first step, and often times it’s the beginning of a back and forth conversation with your instructor to narrow a topic that works best for you.
Throughout the semester, you will continue to work on this research covering your chosen topic. You are expected to write thought-provoking ideas and questions, exploring them with sound logic, and develop with evidence, data, and detail. Whenever possible, link your topic to the topics covered in the class. Your “personal take” on an issue or event should not be included. The nature of this writing will be dictated by the topic you’ve chosen. Consider discussing the scope of the research with your instructor before you start writing.
Topic Proposal and First Reference- YOU ARE HERE. Please submit your topic choice AND a first reference (10 points)
Outline and References (20 points)
Research Poster (50 points)
Research Presentation (20 points)
Total: 100 points
Expectations:
Consider the length of your poster, and what can be presented in an academic poster. A topic that is too narrow might be hard to find quality sources, and a topic that is too large cannot fit into the length expectations.
You may change your topic at any time.
Your Assignment:
Submit a document (or text entry) that includes the following two items:
Your topic choice AND a brief explanation of the details/subtopics you plan on covering
A link to your first quality reference(s). Consider the following:Authority- who is writing the article
Currency- how recent is the publication? Is there newer information available?
Scientific Accuracy- Are they citing existing specific research? Providing concise figures and values?
Objectivity/bias – Is there evidence of bias or pseudoscience?
Purpose – What is the purpose of this article?

This is your next assignment of the session. You may type or write manually on it. Please write legibly. If I cannot read it, then I cannot grade it 🙂

This lab is 2 parts. All steps are in the word doc. Kindly start with part 2 as it is due at 11:59.

Attached is the lab with all the instructions to complete it. This one is 2 parts but the same lab.

Assignment:
1. Go outside on a clear night, wait 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark, and look carefully at the brightest stars. Some should look slightly red and others slightly blue. The primary factor that determines the color of a star is its temperature. Which is hotter: a blue star or a red one? Explain
2. Water faucets are often labeled with a red dot for hot water and a blue dot for cold. Given Wien’s law, does this labeling make sense? See figure below

1. If the answer to this (What is 0628-28 spin period in seconds while keeping frequency at 1000.00MHz?) is 1.26. What is the answer to What is 0628-28 spin period in seconds while keeping frequency at 600.00MHz?
2. What is the distance in parsec to pulsar 0628-28 using 400 and 600 MHz frequencies? Use the last equation on page 14 of the Instructions.pdf manual.
Equation on page 14 is attached.

Overview of Paper 1: Representative Bill Flores is meeting with a high school class in Waco to talk about science. He needs a short and sweet descriiption of “The evidence for dark matter.” He has asked his Chief of Staff to help him prepare for his presentation.
The Assignment: You are working in the Chief of Staff’s office as a summer intern. The Representative is going to a hearing from a prominent cosmologist later and wants to know basic information about Dark Matter beforehand. Because you have taken a course that discusses this question, you are tasked with this assignment. Your job is to create a “short and sweet” paper that summarizes and explains the reasons/evidence for dark matter in plain language so that both the Chief of Staff and the representative can understand them. Said differently, based on your report, both need to be able to answer this important question quickly and intelligently.
Big Picture of how your paper should be organized (Note: This portion is identical for all assignments):
• Your document needs to include the important pieces of evidence, follow the above and below instructions about what structure it needs to be in as well as include the things we are explicitly requiring for this paper (see below). You will be graded on your ability to do it all.
• Your introduction must make it clear what it is really about (in this case providing the evidence for dark matter), mention the evidence/talking points to be discussed as well as outline the argument that will be used in the paper.
• The paper must be clear and concise, with a proper essay format. It should be between 400-750 words, although you are allowed to make it longer, more is unlikely to be short and sweet. While it needs to touch on the major “big picture” issues and use plain language, it obviously can’t go into too much detail on any one topic.
• It must have proper paragraph structure including topic sentences for each paragraph.
• Use only language that can be understood by a lay-person who has NOT taken the class (no buzz words!).
• It must be easy to read.
• You may choose the number of pieces of evidence (and number of evidence/talking point paragraphs), but this is NOT an independent research project. You are to use only evidence explained in this chapter( https://he.kendallhunt.com/sites/default/files/heupload/pdfs/Toback_1e_Ch6.pdf). You should not assume you need to have three and only three pieces of evidence nor do you need three and only three evidence paragraphs. While you may choose your number of evidence paragraphs, the typical writer will choose one paragraph per piece of evidence. Additional paragraphs may be used to explain any physics concepts that are required to understand the evidence as long as you stay on-topic.
• It must also have a conclusion paragraph that ties the pieces of evidence/talking points together and wraps up the argument. It should be like the closing argument from a lawyer. If you just restate the evidence, that isn’t a conclusion/summary arugement.
Some additional comments particular to this assignment (including some, but not all, of what you WILL need to do in the paper):
• If you are going to use words or phrases like “dark matter” you need to explain them clearly.
• You need to clearly describe some of the aspects of gravity and how objects orbit around each other due to the attraction of gravity. Note: This is NOT a paper about the difference between Newton and Einstein, or their theories. This is not about a proof of General Relativity. It is about Dark Matter and the evidence for it. You may assume that General Relativity is correct, but you cannot assume that your reader knows anything about it. You do not need to use the phrase General Relativity explicitly.
• Since this is NOT a paper about Einstein’s version of gravity vs. Newton’s, nor the history, neither a descriiption of the people or history are needed. Indeed they should be avoided as they will take away from the “short and sweet” nature of the paper and the main point, which is about evidence for dark matter.
• You need to clearly describe how planets orbit the Sun as evidence for our understanding of gravity.
• You need to clearly describe how stars orbit in the outer reaches of galaxies and how this provides evidence.
• You need to clearly describe how the lensing of galaxies provides evidence.
• While you may choose your number of body paragraphs, the typical writer will choose one paragraph per piece of evidence; you could also include a setup paragraph explaining any physics that will be relevant to later evidence paragraphs.
• Note: The above is not THE evidence, but is part of what you need to help describe the evidence. Said differently, if you do NOT have those things, you have not provided the evidence