Introduction

Please use the comment box to introduce your self to the astroBITS group. The course material can be found at http://www.noao.edu/education/astrobits/course-outline.php. Also check azastro.pbworks.com

Module 1, Assignment 2

What is the largest value you can find within the image of the sun? Let’s call these “Data Numbers” or DN value.Comment on what you estimate is your measurement accuracy. How many significant figures are meaningful? (In other words, can you measure the diameter to an accuracy of one pixel? One tenth of a pixel? One hundredth of a pixel? None of these?)How much fainter in DN units is the sunspot than its surroundings?Repeat your measurement of the Sun’s diameter several times and post your average value of the diameter in kilometers on the Blog. Include a comment about sig figs.
Describe the general nature of the sun's surface around the location of this sunspot.

Module 2, Assigment 3

Describe your best simulations and your interpretations on the Blog. Also demonstrate the Stefan-Boltzmann Law by answering the following: when you double the temperature, by how much does its total energy increase?

Module 2, Assigment 4

At what temperature is the light in the B filter equal to the light in the R filter (i.e. the peak of the curves are the same height)? What is the lowest temperature at which U>B>V>R?Which star is brighter in the B image? Which is brighter in the R image?Send a screen shot of the 4 profiles to Chris Martin and post your analysis of which star is the hotter, A or B, on the blog.