Harvard UniversityAstronomy Lab and Clay Telescope |
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Ay16
The Measurement of the Astronomical Unit - Measure the distance from the Sun to the Earth, the AU!
Eclipsing Binary - Take data to make a light curve and learn about properties of eclipsing binary stars!
SPU-21
Pinhole Experiment - Measure the diameter of the Sun using a pinhole
Timing the Motion of the Sun Experiment - Measuring the size of the Sun by timing its motion
The Changing Declination of the Sun - Make sundial measurements to determine the Sun's daily change in elevation and the obliquity of the Earth
Sun's Rotational Period - Use sunspots to measure the Sun's rotational period
Luminosity and Temperature of the Sun - Measure how much energy the Sun puts out with a very simple photometer made of paraffin
The Solar Spectrum (visual) - Visually explore the Solar Spectrum using the heliostat
The Solar Spectrum (spectra) - Take a solar spectrum using the Clay Telescope
Rotational Velocity of the Sun - Use the NaD lines to measure the Sun's rotational velocity
The Measurement of the Astronomical Unit - Measure the distance from the Sun to the Earth, the AU!
SPU-22
Angular Diameter of the Sun - Measure the angular diameter of the Sun two different ways
The Solar Spectrum - Using the telescope, take an image of the blue (or cloudy) sky
SPU-21
How and Why do Stars "Move"? - Observe how stars appear to move from hour to hour and week to week
Measure Elevation and Azimuth of Jupiter vs. Aldebaran - Using a sextant measure El/Az angles
Measure Elevation and Azimuth of the Summer Triangle - Using a sextant measure El/Az angles
Measure Elevation and Azimuth of the Altair and Mizar - Using small telescopes to measure El/Az angles
Visual Observations of Albireo - Determine the color of the double star Albireo
Visual Observations of Double-Double - Determine the separation of the inner and outer pairs of the Double-Double star system (using a reticle)
Visual Observations of the Ring Nebula - Determine the angular diameter of the Ring Nebula using the reticle eyepiece
Jupiter and the Galilean Moons - Track the orbit of Jupiter's moon, Io, to determine the orbit period of the moon
CCD Field of View - Using the known separation of the double star, Albireo, determine the CCD field of view
CCD Photometry of Albireo - Do simple aperture photometry on the double star, Albireo, using Vega as a standard star
CCD Photometry of Betelgeuse and Rigel - Do simple aperture photometry on the Betelgeuse and Rigel, using Alcyone as a standard star
CCD Observations of the Central Bulge of the Andromeda Galaxy - Measure the color (B-V) of the Bulge and estimate the total mass
Realm of Nebulae - M57 vs M31
Spectra of Betelgeuse and Rigel - Determine what spectral type these stars are and what prominent lines you see in your spectra
Spectra of Albireo- Determine what spectral type these stars are and what prominent lines you see in your spectra
H-R Diagram of M39 - Create an H-R Diagram of M39 and use it to determine the distance to the cluster, the age of the cluster and the cluster density
H-R Diagram of Pleiades - Create an H-R Diagram of M45 and use it to determine the distance to the cluster, the age of the cluster and the cluster density
Final Evelab Report - M31, M57 and M39
SPU-21
Why is the sky blue? Why are sunsets (and dusty stars) red? - Use a fish tank and some milk to learn about the color of the sky and sunsets
Exploring Kirchoff's Laws - Learn about absorption and emission lines, while determining the temperature of an alcohol lamp flame
CLEA Star Clusters - Supplementary observations to add to your data for the HR Diagram of the cluster
Taking CCD Images - Instructions on how to take single images and set up a sequence of images using MaximDL
Taking Spectra - Instructions on how to align an object on the spectrograph slit and take spectra using CCDOps
Taking Calibration Spectra - Instructions on how to set up and take calibration spectra
Determine a Wavelength Solution - Use your object spectrum and calibration spectrum to assign wavelengths to pixels
Flat Field Corrections - Steps on how to calibrate your images with flats
Color Combine Images - Step-by-step instructions on how to align and make a color image in MaximDL
Photometry - Learn how to do photometry on single or multiple images and export the data to an Excel format
Blinking Images and Making a Video - Learn how to animate your images
Astrometry - Add the World Coordinate System (WCS) to the header