Project the Sun or the Moon

Your job is to project an image of the Sun or the Moon onto a sheet of paper, and record that image.

There are a number of optical devices which can project an image of the Sun (or the Moon): a telescope, of course, but also binoculars, a magnifying glass or simple lens, or even a small hole in a sheet of opaque material (aluminum foil works well).

You can read descriptions of solar projection in (among other places)

• Sky and Telescope's "How to Look at the Sun safely"
• Stanford Solar Center's "Observing the Sun for Yourself"
• American Astronomical Society's "Projection: Pinhole and Optical"

The image you create must be at least one inch in diameter, though the bigger it is, the better. Take photographs showing your setup and example(s) of your projected image.

Make a copy of your best image, and label any features you can see.

Bonus! If you can see any sunspots, take photographs on at least two days, mark the positions of the spots, and use them to estimate the rotation period of the solar atmosphere.

Scan or photograph all your drawings and notes, creating a single PDF file with all the material. Submit the PDF file via the myCourses "Assignments" facility.

Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.