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Aims
This project should take the place of a Sixth form Physics Practical project. The students could undertake it as a real research project or make it a search for some feature, for example, a new supernova.
Introduction
The Bradford Robotic Telescope can obtain images of almost any star in the northern sky but the Messier objects (bright stars, galaxies and clusters) will be the easiest to observe. The chief advantage of this telescope is its ability to measure the brightness of an object with great precision, although control via the Internet helps us.
Project
Some general questions are raised - the same as those at the end of "The Galaxy and the Universe" project. A few more specific ideas are indicated, although research is still generally at the stage of just looking and hoping to see something interesting. The observations undertaken by the Hubble Space Telescope provide one quick image of each star (or distant galaxy). The amateur astronomer can also make significant observations because he or she can observe the same star or cluster over days, weeks or months. However, some scientific thinking has to go into the choice of observations.
Suggested Topics for Research
Number of stars in a globular cluster (this will entail counting the outer stars then integrating the brightness of the cluster).
The age of clusters in an open cluster (request images through a red filter and blue filter; old stars are red, young ones are blue. See information sheets on "The Galaxy and the Universe"). If the mass distribution of stars is the same in every cluster, old clusters will have more red stars and young ones will have more blue stars.
Variable stars (see table of variable stars. Some have regular periods, some are chaotic. There is as yet no model to explain many types of variability but it could be flares, rotation or spots. Choose from the variable stars and obtain a series of images over some days or weeks; (try different filters). Always ensure that you compare the brightness of the variable with two or more stars in the same image.
Search for life (choose a star of suitable brightness and look for the eclipsing effect of a planet; you need at least one other star of constant brightness in the image. Request a series of about 5 images over days or weeks).
Star Spots (for our Sun, the more spots the hotter it is; a 1% increase in power output would cause a huge increase in global warming, so we need to understand this. Historically, no spots (called the Maunder minimum) probably caused the mini ice age of the 1600s. A large spot could cause a 1% increase in luminosity. Monitoring a star over a number of days and weeks will show periodic changes which could be related to rotation periods and to the spot, (make sure there is a good comparison star in the image).
Write up this project as if it is a research paper for publication. Your results will be sent to the University.
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