ASTR 205 or Astronomy 205 Assignment 1- Observational Study Athabasca University 2024 full

Introduction This assignment is an introduction to familiarize myself with some aspects of observational astronomy. It consists of 4 different exercises, the first 3 dealing with observations of the night sky, and the last one dealing with observations of light sources through a diffraction grating. It has been designed with the intent to gain familiarity with the night sky, to gain experience in making basic astronomical observations, and to appreciate how astronomers make use of these observations to interpret the physical process at work. The following exercises relate to many astronomy aspects that I have learned while reading the textbook and has subsequently allowed me to further develop my understanding of these new concepts. Exercise 1: The moon and its motion The first exercise comprised of doing 4 separate observations of the moon, keeping track of its position on a star chart and drawing sketches showing the appearance of the Moon's crescent and its position relative to the horizon. An objective of these observations was to gain a