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Utah State University

Physics Capstone Projects

Light

Publication Year

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Solar Observatory: Shedding Light On The Surface Of The Sun, Zane F. Davis Apr 2018

Solar Observatory: Shedding Light On The Surface Of The Sun, Zane F. Davis

Physics Capstone Projects

The Solar Observatory was used to observe the photosphere of the sun. The main focus to observer the photosphere are the sunspots and prominences that develop on the surface. These phenomenon can lead to Coronal Mass Ejections (CME’s). After taking pictures and analyzing them, there was only one day that had any activity on the photosphere. It was concluded that the sun is at it’s solar minima. This means that there is little to zero activity on the suns photosphere. With this, and more data over an extended period of time, it is possible to calculate a solar cycle.


Studying Light Pollution In And Around Tucson, Az, Rachel K. Nydegger Aug 2013

Studying Light Pollution In And Around Tucson, Az, Rachel K. Nydegger

Physics Capstone Projects

Eight housed data logging Sky Quality Meters (SQMs) are being used to gather light pollution data in southern Arizona: one at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, four located at cardinal points at the outskirts of the city, and three situated on surrounding mountain tops. To examine specifically the effect of artificial lights, the data are reduced to exclude four natural contributors to lighting the night sky, namely, the sun, the moon, and the Milky Way. Faulty data (i.e., when certain parameters were met) were also excluded. Data were subsequently analyzed by a recently developed night sky brightness …