Astronomy Gcse Coursework B4
GCSE Astronomy Controlled Assessment:
B4 – Constellation Photography
Design
For my coursework I have chosen to attempt photography of three different constellations in the night sky. I will go out on three separate dates to take photos then select the best photographs to use for the analysis. I will then aim to identify colours and magnitudes of my photographed stars using comparisons with reference stars for which I have collected known magnitudes from official sources.
Explanation of used Astronomical terms
Constellation – A group of stars seen from Earth as forming some sort of recognisable pattern in the sky. These are usually given names due to their resemblance to mythological creatures.
Asterism – a prominent pattern of stars in the sky; usually part of a bigger constellation.
Reference star – a star with a known magnitude used to compare against others to determine estimates for apparent magnitudes.
Star chart – a chart used to show the position of stars in the sky when viewed from a particular point on Earth at a particular time.
Magnitude – the brightness of a star. For each whole number above 0, the brightness of the star decreases by x2.5. Meaning the magnitude rating would be 1=2.5, 2=6.25, 3=16 etc.
Colour – the surface colour of a star which depends on its temperature and chemical composition. Red stars being the coolest and white being the hottest.
Sky glow - the illumination of the sky caused by lighting in urban areas, usually from floodlights, streetlamps etc.
Circumpolar – where a star or constellation is situated around or inhabiting one of the earth's poles. Therefor it can be seen all year round due to its position such as Polaris, the North/Polar star.
Bayer – a Greek letter of the alphabet assigned to stars in a constellation to rank them in order of apparent magnitude.
Longitude – The angle between the Prime meridian (Greenwich), the centre of the Earth and your position. Measure in degrees East and West.
Latitude –
B4 – Constellation Photography
Design
For my coursework I have chosen to attempt photography of three different constellations in the night sky. I will go out on three separate dates to take photos then select the best photographs to use for the analysis. I will then aim to identify colours and magnitudes of my photographed stars using comparisons with reference stars for which I have collected known magnitudes from official sources.
Explanation of used Astronomical terms
Constellation – A group of stars seen from Earth as forming some sort of recognisable pattern in the sky. These are usually given names due to their resemblance to mythological creatures.
Asterism – a prominent pattern of stars in the sky; usually part of a bigger constellation.
Reference star – a star with a known magnitude used to compare against others to determine estimates for apparent magnitudes.
Star chart – a chart used to show the position of stars in the sky when viewed from a particular point on Earth at a particular time.
Magnitude – the brightness of a star. For each whole number above 0, the brightness of the star decreases by x2.5. Meaning the magnitude rating would be 1=2.5, 2=6.25, 3=16 etc.
Colour – the surface colour of a star which depends on its temperature and chemical composition. Red stars being the coolest and white being the hottest.
Sky glow - the illumination of the sky caused by lighting in urban areas, usually from floodlights, streetlamps etc.
Circumpolar – where a star or constellation is situated around or inhabiting one of the earth's poles. Therefor it can be seen all year round due to its position such as Polaris, the North/Polar star.
Bayer – a Greek letter of the alphabet assigned to stars in a constellation to rank them in order of apparent magnitude.
Longitude – The angle between the Prime meridian (Greenwich), the centre of the Earth and your position. Measure in degrees East and West.
Latitude –