Walter Payton College Prep High School

Cool, Wise and Young Stars Astronomy Research Group

C-WAYS Current Research Activities

Studying Young Stars

General Background on Young Stars

Information about BRC 38 - Jackie BRC 38

Meeting Notes

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6/21/12 Summer Team Meeting This wkik page, WPCP C-WAYS SUMMER TEAM has homework for the summer team. The fall team is welcome to try it. We will be working with this information in the fall.

6/11/12 Notes - Go to the C-WAYS Summer Calendar and mark when you will be available and not available. We are trying to schedule a trip to Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wi. Continue working on source matching Instructions for source matching

5/29/12 Notes - Q & A - IR excess (Infrared excess) - a indication that a particular point source of light may be a YSO. One of the first papers to describe IR excess

Video conference with Dr Rebull - Studying Young Stars - Similar Diagram of classes of YSOs to the one she showed us;

Star Formation - Long but very good explanation of young stars and star formation. Lots of good pictures. Dr Rebull wrote this

HR diagram - this link describes this diagram. It is a diagram that two astronomers came up with independent of each other, Mr Hertzsprung and Mr Russell (thus HR diagram!!). They decided to graph the temperature of a star vs. its brightness or luminosity. They noticed patterns which end up being related to the age or life of a star. Remember temperature is related to color.

Homework
1. Post any questions and we can all comment and try to answer them. Questions from WPCP

Work on your wiki page Walter_Payton_College_Prep_High_School,_Chicago,_IL.

2. Watch the video explaining how to do source matching. This is a youtube so maybe not at school :(

3. Source match the point sources you are assigned. We will compare our results next week, though we can compare them as we put them in the google doc spreadsheet. Instructions for source matching

Next meeting Tuesday June 5, 2012. The Last meeting will be Monday, June 11, 2012 after the third final. Let's order pizza or something for that meeting.

5/22/12 Tuesday

Notes - Q & A - We need to start a page for Questions from WPCP for Dr Luisa Rebull, JD Armstrong, Mark Legassie, Russ Laher & Babar Ali

Blackbodies - Here are some pages to visit to read more about them; Blackbody explanation #1 - be sure to look at the links on the sidebar --- Explanation #2: More complicated explanation
Hydrogen as fuel - Explanation #1: Click on Composition and read the paragraphs Composition through The birth of stars ---- Explanation #2: How stars burn Hydrogen;
Big bang info -- Story of the man who first expressed this concept ---- Explanation #2: Don't let the outline intimidate you; Scroll down to #1

Homework
1. Make a wiki page. Go the wiki page Walter_Payton_College_Prep_High_School,_Chicago,_IL. Click on your name and start editing your page. It may help to open another window with another wiki page, and then to click the edit button, so you can see the wiki html. Looking at other people's stuff is a great way to learn. If you don't see your name, send an email to Ms. Barge ( jcbarge@cps.edu ). I will get your own logon info to you very soon. Help for editing wikis: Help:Contents

2. Read the introduction to Source Matching - C-WAYS source matching work. Read the Big Picture Introduction and go through the chart comparing the analogy and reality. If you are up to it, browse the rest of the page and read The Challenges and The mechanics of what we need to do

Next meeting Tuesday, 5/29/12, 3:10 pm

5/16/12 Wednesday -

Notes - Discussed basic outline of project; Decided on Tuesdays for after school meeting this spring from 3:10 to 4 pm; Looked at locations of the 3 BRCs in planetarium; Talked about Solar Eclips 5/20/12 and Transit of Venus 6/5/12 - solar shade glasses given out;

Homework - Absolutely do #1 & 2; 3 & 4 if you have time

1. Read the wiki pages above (Studying young stars and Background on Young Stars); Write down ANY questions/comments/confusion you have - we learn by asking questions;

2. Visit these web pages - read about the electromagnetic spectrum and again make note of any questions/comments/confusion - NASA Imagine the Universe - Part 1 ---- Part 2; Browse this site, [The Infrared Universe], which shows why looking at the universe with infrared light is important - be sure to look at the Star Formation link.

3. APOD - Astronomy Picture of the Day - You can search the archive of this site for images of our BRCs. BRC 27 is part of the Seagull Nebula; BRC 34 and 38 are part of IC 1396, also called the Elephant's Trunk Nebula but that is really the name of one particular feature in the nebula.

4. Pictures that we looked at in the planetarium - Image of BRC 27; Image of IC 1396 showing locations of BRC 34 & 38; Closeup of BRC 38. Next meeting - Tuesday, May 22, 2012; 3:10 pm