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White Dwarfs and the Age of the Galaxy Workshop
June 29 - July 3, 2005 - McDonald Observatory


What is a white dwarf?

Introduction to white dwarfs - NASA
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/dwarfs.html

More details - NASA
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/dwarfs.html

During this workshop, you will learn about white dwarfs from expert astronomers. You will also do three classroom based activities about stellar evolution, white dwarfs, and calculating the age of our Galaxy.


What is a color magnitude diagram?

M55: Color Magnitude Diagram
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010223.html

Your team will create a color magnitude diagram for the star cluster. To do this, you will use a research telescope and instruments to gather images of star clusters. Then, you will use computers (Apple iMacs) and free software downloadable from the Internet to analyze the images. Finally, you will use Microsoft Excel to store your data and produce the color magnitude diagram.

To give you an idea of what we will do, here are Shockwave guided exercises by Dr. Michael Briley about making a color magnitude diagram (and why astronomers make them). Don't worry about actually doing the exercises. Just aim to get a feel for what these diagrams mean.


Color Magnitude Diagram of the Pleiades
http://planck.phys.uwosh.edu/mike/exercises/pleiades/pleiades.html

Color Magnitude Diagrams
http://planck.phys.uwosh.edu/mike/exercises/cmds/cmds.html



About astronomical images

What is an astronomical image?
http://www.spacetelescope.org/projects/fits_liberator/improc.html



dumbell nebula


Click here for printable schedule.

WDAG - Preliminary Schedule

Wednesday 29 June
1:30-2 PM:
Arrive at the McDonald Observatory Visitors Center
2-5:30 PM:
Introductions
Engagement about white dwarfs
Star maps and coordinates; making an observing list
Mini-lecture: CCD cameras and image processing

6 PM:
Dinner in Astronomers' Lodge
7 PM:
Introduction to telescopes and observing challenge
9 PM:
Open dome and observing until 3 AM (weather permitting)
Each night, teams will gather data on a star cluster with the CCD camera on the 0.8-meter telescope with color filters; other telescopes are available for optical observing.


Thursday 30 June
12 PM:
Lunch in the Astronomers' Lodge
1-5:30 PM:
Discussion: review of observing
Activities on color in astronomy
Activity: --Interview with a White Dwarf--

6 PM:
Dinner in Astronomers' Lodge
7 PM:
Visit research telescope
9 PM:
Open dome and observing session until 4 AM (weather permitting)

Friday 1 July
12 PM:
Lunch in the Astronomers' Lodge
1-5:30 PM:
Discussion: review of observing session and data reduction
Activity: --Properties of White Dwarfs--
Demonstrations on gas laws and cooling

6 PM:
Dinner in Astronomers' Lodge
7 PM:
Visit to research telescope
9 PM:
Open dome and observing session until 4 AM (weather permitting)

Saturday 2 July
12 PM:
Lunch in the Astronomers' Lodge
1-5:30 PM:
Discussion: review of observing session and data reduction
Activity: --What is the Age of the Milky Way?--
Introduction to Argos-Online

6 PM:
Dinner in Astronomers' Lodge
9 PM:
Open dome and complete observing (weather permitting)
Each team will complete star cluster observations and observations of white dwarf field stars, analyze their images, and make their own cluster magnitude diagram.


Sunday 3 July
11 AM:
Check out of room at Astronomers' Lodge
11:30 AM:
Astronomer research talk
12:00 PM:
Lunch at Visitors Center StarDate Cafe
1 PM:
Conclusion of workshop and evaluation
2 PM:
Departure



Topics from National Science Education Standards

Science Domain
 
Science as Inquiry

Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry

Understanding about scientific inquiry

Physical Science

Structure and properties of matter

Interactions between energy and matter

Conservation of energy and the increase of disorder

Earth and Space Science

Origin and evolution of the Universe

Science & Technology
Understanding about science and technology
History and Nature of Science

Science as a human endeavor

Nature of scientific knowledge







The "White Dwarfs and the Age of the Galaxy" workshop is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant AST 0307315. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provides additional support under an Education and Public Outreach supplement to Grant/Contract/Agreement No. NAG5-13070 issued through the Office of Space Science.

8 June 2005
Astronomy Program · The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, Texas 78712
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