After completing three parts of the project, you now need to organize your work to prepare it for the poster. Since many of your answers will be going on your poster, keep your responses brief.
Your submission must include a resubmission of the corrected portions for parts 1-3 of the project.
You can compile this information in this document (Word, RTF). Please submit all this work in the dropbox on Cobra.
*A properly cited source would be a primary source using whatever format (MLA, Chicago, etc.) you prefer. Please include the complete URL as well. A long Google URL is not a primary source, nor is a Wikipedia article. Those are good search tools that can direct you to primary sources.
Part 1: Introduction
Write a short introduction to the project. Include some general information about your constellation. Briefly describe what you accomplished in each part. Discuss what you think is the end goal of the project.
Part 2: The Constellation
Look up a myth about your constellation and summarize the myth.
Cite* your source. If you are having trouble, many of
the major constellations are talked about at these websites:
comfychair.org/~cmbell/myth/myth.html
dibonsmith.com/constel.htm
Part 3: Project Part 1
A. In Part 1, you checked how many of your stars are in multiple star systems. Generally, about half of all star systems contain multiple stars. How does the number of multiple stars in your constellation compare to that?
B. You also listed at least two deep sky objects, including Messier objects, in your constellation. Pick two of the objects and do some research to find the distance, the date of discovery, and an image that can go on your poster. Cite* your sources. You may use the same objects you observed in part 1. If your constellation has fewer than two Messier objects, use the other objects you studied in part 1. Compare the distances to these objects to the distances of the stars in your constellation, which you found in part 2.
C. The Messier catalogue consists of objects such as nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies seen by Charles Messier in the 18th century. If you observed this region of the sky with a research-grade telescope, would you expect to see many more of these kinds of objects or roughly the number you've already studied? Explain your answer.
D. Summarize the work you did in determine the length of the year.
Part 4: Project Part 2
A. Based on the altitude and azimuth of the center of your constellation, describe where in the sky the center of the constellation was when you recorded the data (e.g. high in the southeast, low in the southwest, below the horizon, etc.).
B. Find some artwork of your constellation. The image you choose does not have to match the mythology you chose in the previous slide. I recommend finding images from Bode's Uranographia, Bayer's Uranometria, or another star catalogue. Images from planetarium software are also acceptable. Cite* your source.
C. Consider the distances to each of the stars. They appear close together in our night sky. Are each of them truly close to each other in space? Explain your answer with a couple examples.
Part 5: Project Part 3
A. Explain how you know these stars didn't form at the same time.
B. What are the masses, spectral types, and luminosity classes of the star that will die first and the star that will die last in your constellation?
C. Describe the evolutionary stages of three stars in your constellation. I recommend you use stars with different luminosity classes or use the stars which come first, last, and in the middle of the "death order."
Your descriptions should include the following:
1. the stages each star has already completed since joining the main
sequence, along with the completed lifetime
2. the stages before the final fate that are not yet complete, along with
the remaining lifetime
3. an estimate of the range of mass for the final fate of the star
Here is an example
using stars in Gemini.
D. Explain how it is possible for a luminosity class III star to have a longer remaining lifetime than a luminosity class V star.
E. Tally up the number of each type of object made when the stars die. What fraction ended up as white dwarfs, as neutron stars, and as black holes?
F. Most stars in the galaxy are less massive than the Sun. Do you expect that the fractions you've cited in 5E will be the same throughout the galaxy? Explain your answer.