Submit your completed lab report in PDF format here by the deadline indicated below. In order to receive full credit, ALL activities and questions in the lab should be completed. Incomplete labs will only receive partial credit.

The Tools of Astronomy

Observatories

Imagine that you have been tasked with finding an ideal location for a new observatory somewhere in the state of Michigan. Use the resources below along with what you have learned about ideal observing conditions to find a perfect spot for your new observatory. (You may want to review the teacher video Good Observing Locations for helpful guidance in selecting a location.)

• Dark Sky Map
• Michigan Precipitation Map
• Michigan Elevation Map
• Latitude/Longitude Finder

Once you have found an ideal observatory location, provide the following information:

1. The latitude and longitude of your observatory location:

   [Insert answer here]

2. A city located nearby the observatory location:

   [Insert answer here]

3. Why do you believe this is the best place in the entire state to place a research observatory?

   [Insert answer here]

Color the Universe

Next you will experience firsthand how those amazing images of outer space are captured by the Hubble Space Telescope and then turned into magnificent works of art. As we have already seen, the cameras and telescopes used by astronomers are far better at detecting light than our own eyes – seeing objects much fainter than our eyes can perceive and in colors beyond the visible rainbow. The question remains, how can images of objects in space that are beyond our physical senses be presented in a way that we can understand them?

• Watch this lab video tutorial, which reviews the process of creating color astronomical pictures and provides specific instructions for completing this project.
• When you are ready to begin, open this shared Google Slides presentation. (To complete the project, you will need to make your own copy of the slides, which will require a Google account. If you do not have a Google account, you can create one for free.)

• After you have created color pictures of the five astronomical objects, use the space below to share a link to your finished slideshow. If you need a reminder on how to set the “Share” settings on your slideshow, then revisit the lab video tutorialand skip to 10:50.
• Link to your completed slides:

  [Insert link here]

Completing the Lab

• Submit your completed lab document to Canvas.
• Return to the course and complete the lab quiz to demonstrate your understanding.