Project 4: "A Survey of Deep Sky Objects"

by April Labrecque

Level: All

 

Objective

The student/amateur is to choose a type of deep sky object appropriate for season location, and record images to create a personal catalog and log book. Object types include nebulae, galaxies, globular clusters, planetary nebulae, etc. The level of involvement will vary based on grade level, experience and number of sessions devoted. A single session can yield a wide variety of images appropriate for such an assignment. Objects should be researched for sky location prior to observations to obtain the optimum quality images. Moon phase, location above horizon, time of location should be taken into consideration when selecting objects for the observing session. Multiple sessions devoted to this study would create better understanding of chosen objects, and introduce students to the scientific discipline needed for systematic observational work.

 

Discussion of Work

Some ideas to explore: Assign groups of students to collect and classify all types of galaxies. Include spirals, elliptical and irregular, etc. Further this project by imaging subclass structures as well to help students see firsthand how galaxies may be suspected to evolve. Determine if galaxies are part of the Local Group. Determine how galaxies are distributed in the Universe. Collect portraits of the birthplaces of stars, the emission nebulae, such as the Orion Nebula, and the death throes of stars, the planetary nebulae, such as the Ring Nebula. Determine the magnitude of globular clusters. Accurate photometry is required exposing students to more advanced calibration and imaging techniques. See Project 7, The Colors of the Stars in Open Clusters. Determine accurate positions of selected objects using the CCD images, which should contain other stars with known celestial coordinates. Astrometric software can calculate location to within 1/2 arc second under optimum conditions. This information may catch the interest of professional astronomers. Enhance the information of the image catalog with image analysis. Measure total light of extended objects such as galaxies, etc. with SkyPro Histogram. See Project 6, The Color of the Stars, for information on Histograms. Add detailed historical data such as discovery date, circumstance, magnitude, distance, etc. Introduce a monitoring project such as galaxies with active galactic nuclei. Record variability of outbursts and visual brightness at optical and infrared wavelengths. See Project 6 for a discussion regarding filters. Detailed observing information can contribute information, perhaps even of interest to professional astronomers and organizations, to a better understanding of the mechanism within active nuclei. Multiple sessions over a planned time period is required.

 

References

J.B. Sidwick, Observational Astronomy for Amateurs, 1916-1982
Timothy Ferris, Galaxies, 1980
R. Burnham Jr., Burnhams Celestial Handbook, 1966-1978
M. Crowe, Modern Theories of the Universe, 1994
Hubble Guide Star Catalog (CD/ROM), Astronomical Society of the Pacific

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS TIE User Guide TIE USER'S GUIDE CCD ASTRO INTRODUCTION TO CCD ASTRONOMY PROJECT 1 Basic Use of the TIE 24" Telescope System PROJECT 2 Adopt a Constellation PROJECT 3 Adopt a Galaxy--The Search for Supernovae PROJECT 4 A Survey of Deep Sky Objects PROJECT 5

Near Earth Objects--Comet and Asteroid Studies PROJECT 6 The Colors of the Stars PROJECT 7 The Colors of the Stars in Open Clusters PROJECT 8 Advanced Imaging Techniques PROJECT 9 Variable Stars--Keys to the Universe PROJECT 10 Focus on RR Lyrae Stars--The Anatomy of the H-R Diagram PROJECT 11 Variable Star Search PROJECT 12 Asteroid Rotation and NEO Search