12/3/2023 0 Comments Seeing stars overlay![]() ![]() The Moon, atmospheric conditions, and light pollution can make it hard or impossible to see the fainter stars. (Based on ‘Calculating Stars Lost’ by Fred Schaaf in Seeing the Sky, John Wiley & Sons, 1990) In order to complete this activity you will need to determine your local limiting magnitude using your results from the ‘Estimating the Magnitudes of the Stars’ activity described above.īy now you know that the number of stars visible is affected by the quality of the night sky. Extension: Estimating How Many Stars are Lost The students can then estimate how many stars they have lost (e.g., they are unable to see) across their whole sky because of light pollution in their location. Remember that the lower the magnitudes are, the brighter the stars the higher the magnitudes are, the dimmer or fainter stars. Have the students bring their results to class. The students should also record the lighting situation where their data are recorded. Once they have recorded the magnitude for all the stars shown on the drawing of Orion, the highest magnitude (highest number that they record) will be the limiting magnitude (the faintest star) overall that can be seen in the Orion. Note that the students will not be able to see some of the stars on the drawing because of light pollution. But the student will record only hole #3. For instance, a star that has a magnitude of 3 will be seen through holes #3, 4 and 5. This is an estimate of the magnitude or brightness of the star. For each star in the drawing of the constellation, the students write down the smallest number of the hole through which they can see the star. The students view each star in the constellation through the Magnitude Reader. The students should allow at least 5 minutes outside for their eyes to adapt to the dark. Have the students go out on a moonless, cloudless night in their backyard for a few minutes with the drawing of the constellation and a pencil in hand, and ask them to find the constellation in the night sky. You can choose to use the drawing of Orion (attachment 1) or that of another constellation that is up in the evening at another time of year. The 1st hole should have 5 layers of transparency and the 5th hole should have only 1 layer of transparency.ĭuring winter months in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere, the constellation Orion is visible in the first half of the evening. Tape transparency piece #5 across the length of the index card. Tape transparency piece #4 across holes #1-4, making sure that the transparency piece covers those holes. Tape transparency piece #3 across the holes #1-3, making sure that the transparency piece covers those holes. ![]() Tape transparency piece #2 across holes #1-2, making sure that the transparency piece covers those holes. ![]() It does not matter if the rough side of the transparency is face up or down. In all these steps, when you tape the transparency piece to the index card, the tape should not cover the holes. Tape transparency piece #1 across hole #1, making sure that the transparency piece covers that hole. Label the 5 cut-out holes #1 through 5 from left to right across the index card as shown in the picture below. Make sure that the cut-out holes are all slightly spaced in a row across the widest portion of the index card. Use a coin to trace and cut out 5 circles on the index card or, instead, slightly bend the card lengthwise in half and cut 5 ‘V’s to create 5 diamond shaped cut-outs. From this point on, the students do the following. Have the students cut out the 5 rectangles (attachment 1) which labelled as 1 through 5 with each transparency still overlaid on top of each template. (During the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere, Orion is an easily recognizable constellation in the early evening).īefore students estimate the magnitudes of the stars, you may want to have a star party to teach students how to find the constellation and how to use their magnitude readers to estimate stellar magnitudes in the chosen constellation. Print out 1 constellation picture per student. Make as many templates as there are students.Ĭhoose the constellation you will be viewing as part of the activity, and find a picture of it (as with Orion in this activity). Cut the template printout and transparency into thirds, preserving that pattern of rectangles. Notice that the template printout repeats a pattern of rectangles labelled 1 through 5 three times. Before making the Magnitude Reader in class, overlay the transparency on the printout of the template. ![]()
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