Project Information Kepler Mission

Due: bibliography and poster

Purpose:

NASA and other organizations have a number of observatories, both space and ground-based. Over the course of the semester we have learned about many different astronomical concepts and used observations from these observatories to illustrate the concepts. Unfortunately there is not enough time during class to thoroughly discuss all of the interesting observatories and their discoveries. While completing this project, you will learn about your chosen observatory, discoveries made using this observatory, and effectively convey that information to me and your peers. This is also an opportunity to your knowledge gained during the semester.

Instructions:

Pick an observatory from the following list: Observatories
Included a bibliography. Cite your sources using any format you prefer (e.g. MLA, APA, etc)

Make a scientific poster (use the given template) describing your observatory in detail. Your poster must have the following sections:

General Information:
Include the following information:

• Name of your observatory (2 pts)
• Picture of your observatory (2 pts)
• Description of observatory (What kind of telescope/observatory is this, how does it work, anything that makes it unique/interesting (5 pts)
• What type of wavelengths of light does your observatory function in? (2 pts)
• What kinds of objects/phenomena is this observatory used for? Why is it used for these types of objects/phenomena? (4 pts) Discoveries:
  • Summarize (in a few sentences/short paragraph) 3 major discoveries from your observatory (7 pts each).
  • Include images/graphs to illustrate each discovery you are discussing (2 pts each) You will be asked to present your poster in class and give a short (3-5 min) oral summary of your. I will ask you a question related to your observatory and part of your grade will reflect how prepared you are for this.
  Presentation:

• Summary of findings (5 pts)
• Ability to answer related question (4 pts)

Research Tips

• Most observatories have a mission-specific website. Use this as a starting point.
• Most mission websites have press releases that highlight important discoveries. Use these!
• NASA.gov has comprehensive information about many different astronomical objects and missions.
• If you’re uncertain about the validity or trustworthiness of a website or other source, please ask me.
• If you need help understanding aspects of the science, please talk to me.
• When using Google try adding “press release” to your search; it will bring up official NASA press releases meant for the general public “Do”s and “Don’t”s
  • DO ask me for help if you don’t understand something
  • DO explain things using terms you understand
  • DO use your textbook (or other similar source)
  • DO use Wikipedia to get a general overview of your observatory and to find citable sources
  • DON’T explain things using jargon you don’t understand (I will be able to tell)
  • DON’T copy things verbatim from the internet or other sources; I will be checking these for plagiarism.
  • DON’T cite Wikipedia as a source
  • DON’T wait until the night before the due date to do this project

Grading Rubric:

(see point breakdown above for details)

Correct format of poster: 2 pts General Information: 16 pts Discoveries: 27 pts Presentation: 6 pts Bibliography and Citations: 4 pts Total: 55 pts

Recommended Sources for Research:

General sources:

www.astronomynow.com
jpl.nasa.gov
civspace.jhuapl.edu/
www.nasa.gov
www.teachastronomy.com www.space.com www.skyandtelescope.comhttp://www.astronomy.com/
www.esa.int (The European Space Agency) www.spaceflightnow.com www.astrobites.com

Your textbook!

Mission-specific website

NOTE: WIKIPEDIA IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SOURCE. You may use Wikipedia as a starting place and follow links cited within Wikipedia, but you may not use Wikipedia as a source.

Please submit separate documents for the poster and the bibliography.