Unit 2 Task B Aided Observations

You must complete one of the tasks from the list below

Notes:
- This list is for students taking the examination in summer 2011. The list will be reviewed every 2 years and is likely to change.
- The notes for each task are mine, not the exam boards.

B1

Lunar Features
Produce a series of telescopic drawings and/or photographs of three lunar surface features.
Use them to show their changing appearance at different lunar phases.

Notes
B2

Meteor Shower Photography
Use long-exposure photography to obtain photographs of a meteor shower.
Estimate magnitudes of the meteors. Locate and show the position of the radiant.

Notes
B3

Photographs of Lunar or Solar Eclipse
Using a suitable method of observation (lunar — direct, solar — projection), produce a series of photographs showing the progress of a lunar or solar eclipse.

WARNING: The Sun must NOT be viewed directly, with or without optical aids.

Notes
B4

Constellation Photography
Produce photographs of three different constellations, recording dates, times, seeing and weather conditions. Use the photographs to identify colours and magnitudes by comparison with reference stars.

Notes
B5

Telescopic Drawings or Photographs of Celestial Event
Produce a series of detailed telescopic drawings or photographs to record the passage of a suitable celestial event, for example a transit, occultation or comet.

Notes
B6

Sundial
On at least three widely-spaced dates, compare the time shown on a correctly-aligned sundial with local mean time. Use these data to determine the accuracy of the sundial used.

Notes
B7

Photographic Measurement of Levels of Light Pollution
Use the magnitudes of the faintest stars visible in long exposure photographs to quantify the effect of light pollution at two different sites.

Notes
B8

Sunspots
Use a small telescope to project an image of the Sun onto a suitable background and observe and record sunspots over a sufficiently long period of time to determine the Sun’s rotation period.

WARNING: The Sun must NOT be viewed directly, with or without optical aids.

Notes
B9

Light Curve of a Variable Star
Use a series of telescopic estimates of the magnitude of a suitable variable star over a sufficient period of time to determine the period of the star.

Notes
B10

Measuring Stellar Density
Use binocular/telescopic observations or original photographs to measure and compare the density of stars in the sky, parallel with and perpendicular to the plane of the Milky Way.

Notes
B11

Drawings of Messier Objects
Use binoculars/telescope/robotic telescope to produce detailed drawings and/or photographs of at least three Messier/NGC objects.

Notes
B12

Measuring the Sidereal Day
Take long-exposure photographs of the circumpolar stars around Polaris or the south celestial pole and use them to determine the length of the sidereal day.

Notes