1. Object Visibility:  Write a spreadsheet (Excel) program to determine the altitude and azmuth of a celestial object as seen from the new observatory site.  The program should use the object's RA and declination, the time and date of observation, and the location of the new observatory site:  (34.521 N, 84.055 W)  The equations needed to write this program may be found in the Observer's Handbook.  Among other things, you will need to determine the local mean sidereal time (LMST) and then the hour angle for the time and location of the observation in order to complete the program.  Check your work by using the celestial coordinates and time of observation of the object you plan to observe for project 1 and compare the spreedsheet program's alt. & azm. to the alt. & azm. determined from The Sky.

ORBITS

2.  From the Earth to Mars - Spaaaaaaaaaaaaace Cadets!:  Assume circular orbits for Earth and Mars.  Determine the semimajor axis length and eccentricity of the Hohmann transfer orbit between them.  (Optional for extra credit:  Use a plotting program of your choice to plot Earth's, Mars' and the Hohmann orbit between them to scale.)  Using Earth and Mars' circular orbit speeds, the escape velocity from Earth's surface, the vis-viva equation for the Hohmann orbit, and conservation of energy considerations in the vicinity of Mars to determine all the "delta-vee's" for a trip from Earth to Mars.  Here is a list of the "delta-vee's":

Dv(1) = escape speed from Earth's surface, spacecraft is now in orbit around the Sun with the same speed as the Earth's circular orbital speed

Dv(2) = change in speed from Earth's cir. orb. speed to perihelion speed of Hohmann orbit, spacecraft begins long "climb" to Mars' orbit distance

Dv(3) = change in speed necessary to soft-land on Mars; assume your trajectory is such that the spacecraft arrives 100 Mars' radii directly ahead of the surface of Mars at the instant of Hohmann orbit aphelion; use the following procedure:  determine the difference between the Hohmann orbit aphelion speed and Mars' circular orbit speed (this would be the closing speed between the spacecraft and Mars at the point when the spacecraft is 100 Mars' radii above the surface); use energy considerations to determine the speed at which the spacecraft would hit the surface, ignoring atmospheric friction; this "impact speed" should be the "delta vee" necessary to slow the spacecraft down for a soft landing on the surface 

BINARY STARS (EXO-PLANETS)

3.  Using the measured orbital period and inclination (from light curve) of the extra-solar planet HD209458b; and the measured projection of the orbital velocity (from velocity curve) of the parent star HD209458a, plus the stellar mass as determined by its spectra type:  determine the mass of HD209458b.

BLACK HOLE MASS (STARE EXAMPLE)

4.  Not updated yet.....

BLACKBODY SPECTRA

5.  Characteristics of black body radiation:  Derive from the Planck formula; (a) Wien's Law [ l_max = 0.002898 m^.K/T ] and (b) Stefan-Boltzmann Law [ I = sT⁴ ] where I is the total power per unit area radiated by the black body.

STELLAR SPECTRA

6.  Relative Line Strengths With Temperature:  Apply the Boltzmann and Saha equations as found in your notes to determine the relative line strengths of the Hydrogen Balmer line as a function of absolute temperature.  Use a spreadsheet (or Maple if you like) to create a plot of this function and compare it to figures 8-13 and 13-6 in your textbook.  Your instructor will give you a sheet of constants that you will need.

7.  TBA