Observation Journal (Essay Sample)

Instructions:

Observation Journal Assignment PHYS 100, Fall 2014 Due: Thursday, December 3 Length: About 2 single-spaced pages (about 1,000 words) Points: Counts for 10% of final grade You will write a descriptive astronomical observing journal based on independent night-sky observations that you make with the naked eye during the semester. You should observe twice, so that your observing log will have two entries. Each entry should be typed based on notes that you take while outside, and each entry should be about one single-spaced page (or two doublespaced pages) in length (about 500 words each, or about 1,000 words total for the two entries). Basic Suggestions for Observing:

1. Start early in the semester, and try to space the two observations at least a month apart, so that the night sky will have had time to change. I suggest doing one observation in October and one in November.

2. Go observing on clear nights, so that you will have things to see besides clouds.

3. Go to a relatively dark spot (hard to find here, so do the best you can) where you have unobstructed views of most horizons. The campus athletic fields might make a good observing spot, for example, after the lights are off. Your backyard may be fine if you live at home. If you go to the Star Party, you can do one entry then.

4. You can go out at any time that you want, but most star maps are prepared for early evening (about 9 PM). You will have to take this into account if you go much later (see below).

5. Take with you a notebook, pen, and light so that you can take notes, and a star map from your textbook or online (see below).

6. Go with a friend or in a small group for safety.

7. For estimating angles, remember that your fist held at arms length is about 10 degrees, and your thumb held at arms length is about 2 degrees. Things to note in your Observing Log: 1. Give the date, time, and location from which you are observing. 2. Orient yourself (find north, south, east, and west), and tell how you did this.

You can use the North Star, a landmark, etc. (for example, from campus Painter Ave. is toward the West). Face north and find the North Star as a check, using the method that we learned in class. Remember that it is not the brightest star. 3. Describe the general conditions. What is the light pollution like and how dark is the sky? What are the clouds and weather like? (For example, “Lights from a parking lot make the sky too bright to see anything near the eastern horizon, and there are low clouds obscuring the northern horizon.”) 4. Describe the Moon, if it is up. Note as precisely as you can what phase it is in (for example, first quarter, waxing crescent, etc., see Figure 3-2 in your book). Note where it is relative to bright stars or the horizon, using the methods for estimating angle that you have learned. For example, “The Moon is very clear tonight and in its first quarter phase. It is about 20 degrees below the bright star Vega, and about 30 degrees above the horizon.” If the Moon is not up, look up the phase, rise times, and set time for that day online and note them. 5. Describe the stars and constellations that you are able to identify from your star map. Try to find as many from your star map as you can, and be as descriptive as possible. This section will constitute the bulk of your writing. Be honest about what you are able to find; this is a descriptive writing assignment, not a test on the constellations. Sample entries may be things like (taken from actual student observing logs): “The stars are clear and bright, there are so many and I’m having trouble finding the constellations on my star map. I think I see the Little Dipper, but I’m not sure”, or “I identified many constellations, and noticed even more stars than usual. I attributed this to the especially dark sky and clear conditions tonight. Most surprising to me was what I saw in the constellation Orion. The ‘sword’ appeared to be linked by a faint line of stars to the ‘belt’. I have never noticed this before.” 6. Describe any planets that you are able to find. Note where they are relative to bright stars and the horizon, in degrees. See below for a description of how to obtain star maps with current planet positions on them. Jupiter will be the brightest thing in the late-night sky late in the semester, so make sure to locate it properly so that you do not confuse it with a star. How to get and use Star Maps: 1. Your book has Star Maps for each month listed in the back. These contain only stars though; no planets are listed, you will find much better ones online. 2. A good place to obtain them online is http://skymaps.com/downloads.html. These maps give more stars than the ones in your book, and show the bright planets as well. Make sure to get the Northern Hemisphere Edition. 3. Both of these sets of maps are designed for use at around 9 PM in the designated month. If you go out much later, recall the rule that stars rise 4 minutes earlier each night due to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, or 2 hours earlier each month. So you will need to add one month to the current month for every 2 hours after 9 PM. You can follow the table below: Observing Time Month for Star Map 9 PM current month 11 PM current month + 1 month 1 AM current month + 2 months 3 AM current month + 3 months Some Interesting Dates: There will be 3 meteor showers during the semester: the Orionids on October 21, the Taurids on November 4, and the Leonids on November 16. To see one, go out between midnight and dawn on that morning, and stare up at the constellation the meteor shower is named after (so Orion, Taurus, or Leo). You should see about one meteor every ten minutes or so (it looks like a sudden bright streak across the sky). There is a total lunar eclipse in the early morning hours on October 8 (the night of October 7). It begins at 3:27 AM, and ends at 4:22 AM

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Content:

Name
Course
Instructor
Date
Observation Journal
First observation
As night approaches, it becomes apparent that it will not be very visible unlike the previous month. On the 15th of October, 2014, at 9 p.m., I undertook to observe night fall together with a group of friends. Beginning with the northern direction it was easier to pinpoint the stars and constellation after having mapped out all the directions properly. In the case of direction, the northern course was the basis for many observations, it is important to understand how to use all the equipment given that one needs to be more comfortable using the naked eye, binoculars as well as telescope for further observation. At the same time, handling all the equipment requires. The role of sketching has played a more prominent role, and after sketching I found it easier to put more details on earlier observations.
The risk associated with light pollution is that the stars may not be easily visible. Nonetheless, during the observation there were few sources of light pollution, and as such there was a need. The sky was dark, and although there were visible human activities around the observatory, there was no risk of light pollution. This has been critical to proper observation given that quality lighting that is not directed to the night sky made it easier to observe. In any case, there is a last quarter moon visible, before, Orionids appeared (Skymaps a). At the same time, the remnants of meteor shower do not appear to have any direct effect on the dark skies, providing an opportunity to view any possible the possible effects of the meteors, while also anticipating for the Orionids.
Spring was almost over, and this provides an opportunity to observe the Big Dipper as seen in the North West direction as well as the North Star and the Little Dipper. The North Star provides direction to the other stars, where mapping facilitates on to pinpoint on the direction of the brightest and most visible stars. Towards the west to the –South west direction is a bright star visible, probably the Bootes. Given that there were traces of summer, the viewing was good. The distinctly yellowish appearing Capella was visible, there were various bright stars which can also be seen with the naked eye, but relying on sky mapping highlighted that was likely that they were the Altair and Deneb. When using the binoculars, there are clusters of stars which were visible
Mars was the most visible at night among all the planets, but even then for short periods of time. Nonetheless, for star gazers, the day was perfect to spot glimpses of the planet. Even though, the planet is characterized with a reddish brown color, this is only faintly visible as the night approaches. Nonetheless, to be able to appreciate the planet’s features there was a need to further observe the planet’s sightings earlier when it is possible to identify the icy and rusty features. Overall, the success of the observation was dependent on ability to handle equipment, interpret information as well ability as rely on the sky maps.
Second observation
The second observation was on November, 15, 2014 exactly one month since the last time, I reflected, wrote and observed the night sky. It has-been an incredible journey, and I have learned on the value of recollection as well as continuous learning. In order to align the sky map with the observations it is important to interpret the sightings from various locations. In the case of the South side, the constellation is the one directly facing a person at the bottom. The East is on the left, west on the right and North behind. On the other hand when looking East, the constellation is towards the bottom, while the North is on the left, the South to the right and the West behind. Another direction is locking West, with the west side near the bottom, the North being on the right, while the South and East are on the left and behind respectively.
The sprinkling of meteors for days prior to that of the observation as well as the 15th of November provided the perfect opportunity to observe the night sky. The remnants and activities of these meteors gave rise to bright skies, and there was low level of light pollution despite the activities of these meteors. The night sky provided a display of various stars, allowing me to compare the changes that had taken place over the four weeks. The display of stars as well as constellations provided an opportunity. Unlike the previous observation, sightings of the moon at the apogee were visible after First Quarter Moon was observed (Skymaps b).
Unlike in mid Oct...

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Observation Journal (Essay Sample)

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