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Download Planetarium Activity 1 Learning to measure brightness and Limiting
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Planetarium Activity 1 Learning to measure brightness and Limiting magnitude February 14, 2008 2:25-5:25 Instructions: In this exercise you will determine the accepted names for the brighter stars in several familiar constellations by distinguishing between degrees of brightness and using the Greek alphabet. You will also be deriving a technique for determining the magnitude of stars and limiting magnitude for any night. Things to review before you come: Constellations, naming conventions of stars in constellations, apparent magnitude, and magnitude scale, Greek Letters Task 1 Instructions 1. You will be shown five popular constellations (Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, Leo, Ursa Minor and Orion) fix their position in the sky when the lights are off so that its approximated location can be found as the lights brighten. Use dots to Sketch the constellations on your worksheet and connect the stars with dash line. 2. As the lights are raised the first time, note the relative order in which stars in the constellations disappear. 3. The second time the lights are raised, number the stars (on your worksheet) in the order of their disappearance. This step will be repeated several times if you are unsure of differences between stars of similar brightness. 4. Assign Greek Letters to the stars in each constellation in the order of their brightness. The name of the Greek letter plus the name of the constellation is the name of each star. Task 2 1. Determine the limiting magnitude on five clear nights; that is, determine the magnitude of the faintest star visible. To do this, simply count the number of stars visible within the Great Square of Pegasus (or an alternate constellation) and find the limiting magnitude from the following table. 2. Record your results on the worksheet. Number of Stars Visible 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Limiting Magnitude 4.4 4.6 4.7 4.8 5.1 5.3 5.4 5.5 Number of Stars Visible 10 12 13 18 23 25 30 37 Limiting Magnitude 5.7 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.4 6.5 Name: Planetarium Activity 1 Worksheet Date: Time Questions for Task 1 1. Describe the rule used to name the brighter stars in the constellations. One constellation is an exception to this rule. Described how the stars in these constellations are named. 2. The magnitude of Beta Leo is given in catalogues as 2.2. Using this as a guide, estimate the magnitude of the other stars in Leo which are shown on your worksheet. Identification Magnitude 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Identification 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Magnitude 3. Beta Pictoris has been known to contain objects around it. What can you determine about the location and brightness of this star? Table for Task 2 Night 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Date No. of Stars Limiting Magnitude