ASTRONOMY I ESSAY 2011I have assumed that you know how to use the catalogue , and have some ability to use electronic databases. Encyclopaedias are often a good starting point for an essay.
You may find the following encyclopaedias useful:
Oxford Reference Online Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics (BSL Main Coll. 520.3 M974e) encyclopedia of science and technology (Ref.. 503 M14.10). Encyclopedia of Physics. 3rd. revised & enlarged ed. (Ref. 530.3 T828e)
When using encyclopaedias don't forget the yearbooks and supplements
General dictionaries (Ref 423) and subject dictionaries can supply definitions of terms, and explain unfamiliar terms.
Click on an essay title to find the appropriate help sheet
Origin of the chemical elements. Modern astronomy tells us that all of the chemical elements that make up our Earth, ourselves and everything around us have been made either in the cauldron of the Big Bang or by stars. Give a broad overview of the origin of the chemical elements. Be sure to discuss the mechanisms that produce the some of the very light and very heavy elements, not just the mechanisms that operate inside stable stars. Gravitational Wave Astronomy. Einstein predicted that movements of massive bodies will perturb the fabric of space time creating so-called gravitational waves. These waves have not yet been detected, but an observatory called LIGO is possibly on the verge of detecting signals from merging neutron stars or merging black holes. Discuss the basics of gravitational wave production and detection, with particular reference to the LIGO detectors. LIGO has recently asked Australia to host a LIGO detector at a cost of $150 million. Do you think this is a good investment? Galaxy formation. Galaxies are the huge collections of stars that exist in the Universe. They are not uniformly distributed, but exist in clusters and superclusters. Modern astronomy is attempting to answer questions such as: When did the first galaxies form? Why do galaxies form clusters the way they do? Why do galaxies have spiral and elliptical shapes? Write your essay on the general topic of galaxy formation addressing one or more of these open questions. Discuss popular theories and the supporting evidence that currently exists. Carl Sagan was both a popularizer of science and serious astrophysicist who died in 1996. His work included solar system research and the investigation of the possibilities of extraterrestrial life. Describe his life and his scientific contributions, as well as his work in communicating science and in politics. Can you think of a modern day scientist with a similarly broad range of activities? Do we need people like Carl Sagan today? The spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2 were launched by NASA in 1977. Their original 5-year mission was to fly past Jupiter and Saturn obtaining new information regarding these planets. Their missions were then extended to 12 years with flybys of Uranus and Neptune. In the 33rd year after their launch both Voyager 1 and 2 are now in the “Heliosheath” and are amazingly still continuing to send back scientific information. Describe how the information obtained by the Voyager missions has revolutionized planetary astronomy, what answers have been found and what new questions have they raised regarding the origin and evolution of the planets. What do you think is the most important discovery that Voyager has performed, explain your decision. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and is the only moon in the solar system with a fully developed atmosphere. It is believed that Titan is one of the most likely places that we may find life within our solar system, other than on Earth. In this essay you will survey our current knowledge of Titan, how this knowledge has been obtain and why it leads to the belief by some that life could be found there. Do you think there is life on Titan? Do you think it is important whether or not there is life on Titan?
