Final Project Timeline for 2009
Oct 21: A deadline to choose your final project, which should
be pre-approved in general terms by one of your instructors. Turn in
one- to two-paragraph proposal in class, describing your proposed
observation (or specifying use of archival data) and giving a short
explanation of data analysis required and possible physical
significance of your results.
Oct 26: You will get a feedback on the first part of your proposal.
Oct 28: A deadline to turn in a more detailed (1-2 pages)
second part of your final project proposal. Some of the questions you
needs to answer are:
- What are the name(s) and coordinates of your target(s)?
- When are your targets visible?
- Which instruments you will need for your observations?
- How much data do you need (in units of time)?
- How are you planning to analyse your data?
Nov 2: You will receive back your plan with comments/suggestions from
the instructors
Nov 4: Provided that your plan was approved, you need to submit a
list of dates when you are able and/or would prefer to do your observations.
Nov 6: The instructors will send out the final project observing
schedule. The data will be gathered during the following two weeks.
Dec 7: Final project results are presented in class.
Dec 9: Final project reports are due.
Examples of Final Project Topics from Past
Years
- Photometry of variable stars, e.g. Cepheids, RR Lyrae, eclipsing
binaries, etc.
- H-R diagrams of open or globular clusters
- Temperature profile of sun spots
- Differential rotation of the sun (archival data)
- Following orbits of Jupiter's satellites to constrain Jupiter's mass
- Orbital elements of asteroids
- Spectroscopy of planetary nebulae
- Spectroscopy of nearby AGN (with a grism on TMO)
- Broad band spectral energy distribution for galaxies, AGN (from archival
data)
- Spectroscopy of galaxies, AGN (from archival data)
- Characterization of the grism and polarimeter at TMO