Telescopes

Find out an example ans a 2 sentence summary for each of the following types of telecopes.   The link below is your priamry reources.
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/groundup/


Era stories:

Story 1
Galileo's Refractor: Galileo's telescope revealed the first hint of the depths of space. His dedication and approach to explaining what he saw revolutionized astronomy. (Includes one telescope story, one biography.)

Early Refractors: Telescopes with flatter lenses brought wider and clearer views of the sky but required longer tubes. Some refractors were so long that they became difficult to maneuver. (Includes two telescope stories.)


Great Refractors: New technology allowed astronomers to create larger lenses that produced bright, clear images. For a while, refracting telescopes became more popular than reflecting telescopes. (Includes three telescope stories, one biography.)

Story 2
Newton's Telescope: Sir Isaac Newton replaced the main lens of a telescope with a mirror, creating the reflecting telescope. (Includes one telescope story.)


Early Reflectors: Early reflecting telescopes used metal mirrors to look deep into space, but the new design presented new challenges. (Includes four telescope stories, one biography.)


Hugh Reflectors: Astronomers crafted telescope mirrors from glass instead of metal, making reflecting telescopes more powerful and easier to use. They began relying on photography and instruments to record observations. (Includes three telescope stories, two biographies.)


Story 3
Solar Telescopes: Solar telescopes are reflecting telescopes that use special instruments to observe the Sun. (Includes one telescope story, one biography.)


Radio Telescopes: The discovery of radio waves from space launched a new branch of study: radio astronomy. This spurred astronomers to develop new techniques to accommodate the large size of radio waves. (Includes two telescope stories.)


Multi-mirror Telescopes: Multi-mirror telescopes used computer technology to overcome the size limits of huge reflecting telescopes. (Includes two telescope stories, one biography.)


Space Telescopes: By placing telescopes in orbit above Earth, astronomers were finally free to view the universe in all wavelengths of light. (Includes five telescope stories, two biographies.)

CCD

What is a CCD and WHY does it Matter?

Pictures of CCD(interactive on buildiing a CCD)

CCD Lab

Using the CCD Lab, answer the following.

1.  You want to put together a space telescope.  To start with, you decide you need to check out the metal surface of your CCD.   What surface(s) could you use to detect the following  types of light at 100% intensity (make a table as shown below)?

Surface Metal      x-rays      purple        blue     green   yellow     orange      red
sodium
zinc
platinum
copper
calcium

2.  Now, decide which metal you will use for the primary CCD telescope.   Now, check the wavelength range at various intensities  (10%, 20%, 40%, 80%, 100%) using the table below?    How effective will this telescope be for bright objects?   Dim objects?

Intensity                     10%                20%                  40%                  80%                100%

Wavelength range


3.  Take a look at the values of current for a 75% intensity light on a platinum surfaceand write the current into the table below..

Wavelength vs. Current

100nm       200nm       300nm       400nm        500nm         600nm           700nm



What does the data in #3 tell you about the effectiveness of a CCD for ALL wavelengths of lights?   How would an alloy try to deal with this value?



4.  If you were to construct a space telescope, would you have more than one telescope available on a platform?   Explain your reasoning.

• Turn in this sheet INDIVIDUALLY at the end of the hour.9

Friday, 9/27

Please check on your computer to see if the VIREO lab has been loaded.  TO do this, go to Start, All Programs, CLEA, and look for Vireo

If it is, great!

If not, download the program and install so we can use on Monday.  The sub has the passwords.


==========

Today, we are going to look at how Annie Cannon's work was used to classify stars and extend our understanding of spectra.  We'll use some sample work and interactive applets to do this.

Please complete these activity questions on paper in a notebook.  DO NOT KILL A TREE by printing out sheets and sheets

Spectra and intensity

Saturn and Titan   (you will need to use this interactive)

Goldilocks and the Three Planets (you will need to use this interactive)


Be prepared on Monday for a circle discussion on what spectra can tell us about other planets and stars.  Also, be prepared to show me your work in the notebook.

Stellar Spectra

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/home.html


Reading 1
Stellar Spectra Lab 1
The VIREO LAB on Stellar Spectra


 When you get done with these, you will need to complete a one to two page summary (do not just answer the questions).  It may be handwritten.

Starlight
1. Contrast Emission and Absorption Spectra
2.  What element do all stars contain?
3.  Why do we talk about 'stellar fingerprints'?

Star Collection
1. What did you notice about using the telescope regarding speed, ability to slew, ability to get a signal-noise ratio that was 100 or more, and the fine vs. gross adjustments?
2.  Why is RA/DEC important, and what is UTC?
3.  How is technology helpful and difficult as we look at the world of starlight?


Star Analysis
1.  The stellar classification system we use today was developed by Annie Cannon was actually based on her work sorting thousands and thousands of spectra into categories, which then became the stellar atlas.  What do the classification OBAFGKML letters tell us about temperature or brightness of a star?

The Neutrino Puzzle

 

John Bahcall
Ray Davis
What's a Neutrino? 
Neutrino detectors 
How Long Would We Have if the sun went out? 

Sun flare links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/06/09/09climatewire-this-weeks-solar-flare-illuminates-the-grids-63979.html?pagewanted=all

http://greekgeek.hubpages.com/hub/massive-solar-flare-1859

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7819201/Nasa-warns-solar-flares-from-huge-space-storm-will-cause-devastation.html

http://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-flare-electronics.htm

Starting Unit 3

Group Whiteboard questions:

1. Scan through the first 12 slides.   Then, discuss the statement  "Why is sunlight responsible for life on earth?"   List what evidence you have that supports the statement.
2. Focus on the radius and mass of the Sun and compare it to our Earth and Jupiter.   
3. Finally, look at the differences in temperature between the core and the convection zone, and try to explain it to me using a meaningful analogy.  (Example:  the difference between a tornado and a breeze is like a semi of rice grains compared to a dozen).

====
We watched excerpts from:

Citation (MLA)

  The Sun. National Geographic. 2004
  Learn360. 19 September 2012
  http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=128186

Citation (MLA)

  Secrets Of The Sun. A&E Television Networks. 2007
  Learn360. 19 September 2012
  http://www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?ID=227115


We took notes regarding:
The Sunspot Cycle
Maunder Diagram
Space Weather



Day 2
Go to the link below. Try looking at a spectra that is 350 degrees, 1000 degrees, and 6000 degrees. What amount of visible radiation is shown in each of those? Why do we have blackbody spectra for stars?

Link:   Black Body Radiation






Complete the sun lab using the sheets provided, and the link shown below

Link:  Sun Lab



Line Spectra Lab

Click to Run

 Investigate screen and experiment with the situations.  Predict what will happen under the following situations:

What will happen when the voltage is increased?
 With the voltage at a given amount, what will happen when the heater percentage is reduced?
If conditions are set so that light is being produced in multiple molecule mode, what will happen in single atom mode? Check your predictions.

 Questions: 1. What condition(s) must be met in order for light to be produced by a discharge lamp?

 2. What event(s) occurs to actually produce the light we see?

 3. Does the spectrophotometer indicate unique spectrums for each gas?

 4. What types of electromagnetic radiation are produced?

 5. How could this phenomenon be used by astronomers?