GeCAA – Theory

Final Question Sheet

(Total 150 points)
1. Astrophotography

An astrophotographer, based on the Equator, uses a good digital camera on a tripod, but with no
tracking. The camera has a telescopic lens with focal length of 150 ​mm​ and aperture (objective
diameter) of 84 ​mm.​ The sensor has an effective light collecting diameter of 22.5 ​mm​. The
photographic target is a star field at the observer’s Zenith.

a) (2 points)​ Calculate the field of view (the angular width of the image) which can be captured
on the sensor using this equipment.
b) (5 points) ​The pixels in the camera’s sensor are separated by a distance of 3.23 ​ ​μm ​. What is
the maximum possible exposure time for a single frame, so that no star trails appear on the
exposed image?

c) (3 points) ​For a better-quality image of the star field, the photographer decides to take
multiple shots at the exposure time calculated in b) and then to stack them together. The
total time for all these shots is 30 seconds (ignore any time taken to write data to the
memory card) What proportion of the total field of view is possible at the higher signal to
noise ratio?
2. Flat Earth
(10 points)​ A new model of the world is gaining in popularity among some people. These people
believe in the “Flat Earth” view of the world, where the Earth is not a spheroid, but rather a circle
with radius R⊕ . The central axis of the Earth (normal to the circle passing through its centre C)
passes through the observer's zenith.

This model must at least remain consistent with the observed phenomena, as listed below:

❏ The value of the solar constant is S ⊙ = 1366 W /m2 .

❏ The Earth's central axis precesses in a circle with a period 25800 years.
❏ The radius of the precession circle is 23.5°.

Assume that (1) the Earth is a perfect blackbody radiator and the Sun is sufficiently far away such
that all solar rays are parallel and (2) the Sun's current (initial) location is at the zenith,

Determine how many years it will take for the Earth's equilibrium temperature to decrease by 1°C.
3. Mirror
A bored cosmologist comes up with a thought experiment to determine the Hubble constant ( H 0 )
for his model of a Steady-State-Universe. In this experiment, a large, fully reflecting flat mirror -
carrying several gyroscopes that would maintain its spatial orientation in the same plane - would be
placed at a distance D from the Solar System in a region without gravitational influences. From the
Earth, a laser beam would be directed towards that region for a long period of time. After a time T ,
the radiation would return and be detected, allowing the determination of the fixed constant H 0 .
a) (7 points)​ Find an expression for H 0 as a function of D , c (speed of light) and T .
Consider that the separation S between the Solar System and the mirror increases only due
to the expansion of the universe according to the law S = s· eH 0 t , where s is the initial
separation. You may use ex ≈ 1 + x for x ≪ 1 , if necessary.
b) (3 points)​ Imagine that such a mirror is located in the vicinity of the star Vega (which also
features on the logo of the 1​st​ GeCAA). Vega was the first star outside the Solar System to be
photographed and one of the first stars whose parallax ( p = 0.125" ) was accurately
measured in 1840 by G. W. von Struve.
Estimate the total duration of this H 0 measurement experiment.
4. Light Curves
The light curve A shown below, shows a fictional edge-on eclipsing binary system containing
stars X (radius rX , luminosity LX ) and Y (radius rY , Luminosity LY ) . Assume that star X is

brighter, but star Y is hotter.

a) (1 point)​ Which of the two stars is likely to be on the main sequence? (Write ``X'' or
``Y'')
b) Based on light curve A, estimate:
r
(I)​ (2 points)​ r X , the ratio of the radii of the two stars.
Y
LX
(II) ​(2 points)​ LY
, the ratio of the Luminosity of the two stars.
c) (15 points)​ For light curves B to F, in each case only one parameter of the binary
system has been changed from the case in light curve A.
For each case, choose the description from the following list that best corresponds
to the change (Write the appropriate roman numeral in the answer sheet).
i) Star X increased in size.
ii) Star X increased in luminosity.
iii) Star X decreased in size.
iv) Star X decreased in luminosity.
v) Star Y increased in size.
vi) Star Y increased in luminosity.
vii) Star Y decreased in size.
viii) Star Y decreased in luminosity.
ix) Star X is a variable star.
x) Star Y is a variable star.
xi) The inclination of the system relative to the Earth has changed.
 xii) The distance of the system from the Earth has decreased.
xiii) The distance of the system from the Earth has increased.
xiv) The orbital period of the system increased.
xv) The orbital period of the system decreased.
5. HII region
Luminous Blue Variables (LBV) are massive, unstable, supergiant stars that can undergo episodes of
very strong mass loss, due to an instability in their atmospheres. After such an event, a dense nebula
is formed around the star. LBV are also very hot stars and produce a large amount of high-energy
photons that are able to ionise hydrogen atoms ( E ph > hυ 0 = 13.6 eV ) creating a roughly spherical
region of ionized hydrogen (HII region).

In this problem, we consider a static, homogeneous, pure hydrogen nebula with a concentration of
nH = 108 /m3 and temperature T HII = 104 K , ionized by photons from a single LBV star with a stable
rate of ionizing photons Q = 1049 ph/s . Assume that each photon can ionise only one hydrogen
atom. At a particular location within an HII region, the rate of photoionization is balanced by the rate
of recombination per unit volume. This sets the radius of the fully ionized region and this region is
called the Stromgren sphere with the radius RS .
The total number of recombinations per volume is proportional to the concentration of protons np ,
the concentration of electrons ne and the recombination coefficient for hydrogen
α(T HII ) = 10−19 m3 /s . For simplification, ignore the fact that the process of recombination can also
release ionising photons.

a) (5 points)​ Derive an algebraic expression for the radius of the Stromgren sphere and
calculate its value for the given parameters. Express your answer in units of parsecs (pc).
b) (3 points)​ The photoionization cross-section of H-atoms in the ground state encountering
photons with frequency υ 0 is equal to
σ ≈ 10−21 m2
Calculate the mean-free path lυ0 of an ionising photon. Compare lυ0 to RS to determine if
this ionized nebulae is sharp-edged or not? (answer “YES” or “NO”)
c) (4 points)​ On what timescale (in years) do you expect the Stromgren sphere to form?
d) (4 points)​ Radiation from an ionized hydrogen cloud (HII region) is often called free-free
emission because it is produced by free electrons scattering off the ions without being
captured: the electrons are free before the interaction and remain free afterwards. In this
process, the electron retains most of its pre-scattering energy.
An electron, while passing by a much more massive singly ionized hydrogen atom, produces
a radio photon of υ = 10GHz . Calculate the mean electron thermal energy in the HII region,
for the given temperature of the Stromgren sphere. Is this an example of free-free emission?
(answer “YES” or “NO”)

e) (4 points)​ Since the HII region is in local thermodynamic equilibrium, one can calculate the
absorption coefficient that is proportional to the optical depth τ υ ∝ υ −2.1 and it turns out
that at sufficiently high radio frequencies, the hot plasma is nearly transparent and hence
τυ ≪ 1 .
The flux density of photons has power-law spectra of the form S υ ∝ υ β .
Find β for the radio frequencies.
6. Occultation of an X-ray Source
Consider a satellite observing x-ray sources, while orbiting the Earth in the equatorial plane with
orbital radius r , and orbital time period P . Assume that this satellite is pointed in one fixed
direction in space for a given length of time. Take the radius of the Earth as R .

When the satellite moves ‘behind’ the Earth in its orbit, the x-ray source is ‘occulted’ and the
measured x-ray flux from the source drops to zero. However, due to Earth's atmosphere, this drop is
gradual. If the line of sight to the source passes through the atmosphere, the extent of the
attenuation depends on the air-mass (i.e. length of air column) along the line of sight.

a) (1 point)​ Let us assume that the satellite is pointing towards a fixed source at 0° declination.
We consider that the source is occulted when 50% of the light coming from the source gets
attenuated due to the atmosphere. Let us say that this happens when the minimum height
of the line of sight from the surface of the Earth is h .

If θ0 is the angle between the direction of the source and the direction of the Earth, as
measured from the spacecraft, find an expression for θ0 .

b) (4 points)​ The time duration Δt between the source getting attenuated from 90% of the
pre-occultation flux to 10% is defined as the ‘occultation time’ for the source. Assume the
flux attenuates to 90% when the minimum height of the line of sight (h + 0.5Δh) and
similarly the flux attenuates to 10% at (h − 0.5Δh) , where Δh ≪ R .

Find the expression for Δt in terms of r , P , Δh and θ0 .

c) (15 points)​ If the satellite was pointing towards a source at an arbitrary declination β
instead (where β is not too large), what will be the expression for Δt ?

Note:​ If the satellite was not in the equatorial plane, then the problem could have been simply
rephrased by assuming the satellite's orbital plane to be the equatorial plane. In that case, β
becomes ‘relative declination’.
7. Radiant of a Meteor Shower

A stargazer in Chiayi, Chinese Taipei (23.5°N, 120.4°E, GMT+8) saw two meteors streaking through
the sky at 21:00 (Chinese Taipei time) on 25​th​ September 2020. One of the meteors originated
directly above the northern horizon at 15° altitude and streaked to meet the horizon exactly due
east. The second meteor originated at an altitude of 23.5° and an azimuth of 210° and ended at an
altitude of 75° and an azimuth of 255°.

a) (6 points)​ What is the Local Sidereal Time (LST) at the time of observation?
b) (16 points)​ Find the alt-az coordinates of the apparent radiant of the two meteors.
c) (6 points)​ Find the equatorial coordinates of the apparent radiant.
d) (2 points)​ Which of the following constellations is closest to the radiant?
Crux / Dorado / Pavo / Tucana / Triangulum Australes
(choose one and write the same name in the answer box)

Notes:
❏ Azimuths are measured from the North (0°) towards the East.
❏ The Greenwich Sidereal Time (GST) at 00:00 UT on 1​st​ January 2020 is 6​h​ 40​m​ 30​s​.
8. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
In the following problem, the fluid mechanics of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (GRS) is studied based on
the velocity field data. The diagram on the next page shows a map of relative velocity for GRS and
the surrounding region. The arrows are oriented and scaled as per the directions and magnitudes of
winds at different points.
Due to the combined effects of gravity and rotation, Jupiter is slightly flattened at its poles. The
equation of a spheroid approximating for the shape of Jupiter can be stated as:
x2 +y 2 z2
R2e
+ R2p
=1
where Re = 7.15 × 107 m is the equatorial radius of Jupiter, and Rp = 6.69 × 107 m the polar radius.
The radii of curvature of this spheroid in any direction can be calculated by the following equations (
ε = RRpe ):
r(ϕ) = Re (1 + ε−2 tan2 ϕ)−1/2
3
R(ϕ) = Re ε−2 ( r(ϕ)
Re cosϕ )
where r(ϕ) and R(ϕ) are the zonal (aka in the zone of a particular latitude) and meridional (aka
longitudinal) radii of curvature, respectively, as a function of planetographic latitude ϕ . The sidereal
rotation period of Jupiter is P = 3.57 × 104 s .
a) (4 points)​ Calculate the zonal and meridional radii values ( r and R respectively) at the
location of the centre of the GRS.
b) (5 points)​ Estimate the eccentricity of the GRS.
c) (6 points)​ ‘Vorticity’ at any point is a measure of local spinning of the fluid as measured by
an observer situated in the reference frame of the fluid. Mathematically, it is calculated as
‘curl’ (vector derivative product) of the velocity field. In this case, the average relative
vorticity may be estimated by the equation:
V w LGRS
ξ= AGRS
where V w is the maximum value of winds as per the velocity field, LGRS is the length of the
circumference of the GRS and AGRS is the area of the GRS.
Estimate average relative vorticity of the GRS.
Hint:​ The circumference of an ellipse is well approximated by an average of circumferences
of the corresponding auxiliary and minor circles.
d) (2 points)​ Find the absolute vorticity ξ a = (ξ + f ) by adding the Coriolis parameter
f = 2Ωsinϕ
where Ω is the angular velocity of the Jupiter (due to axial rotation) and ϕ is the
appropriate latitude.
e) (1 point)​ If the absolute vorticity has the same sign as the latitude, we call the storm a
‘cyclonic storm’. If they have opposite signs, the system is ‘anticyclonic’. Is the GRS cyclonic
or anticyclonic?
f) (12 points)​ Imagine that the GRS moves to another latitude ϕ1 , where the absolute vorticity
changes the sign (changes from anti-cyclonic to cyclonic or vice versa). Assuming minimum
possible displacement of the GRS, at what value of ϕ1 do we expect this change?
In your analysis, assume that the GRS at the new location would occupy the same angular
span in latitude, as well as have the same wind velocities and eccentricity as the original.
GeCAA – Data Analysis

Final Question Sheet

(Total 120 points)
1. AGN
It is believed that the accretion disc around supermassive black holes (BH) at galactic centres gives rise
to UV thermal emission. This emission is associated with Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs).

The optical spectra of bright AGNs show additional bright broad emission lines. Those emission lines
arise from the dense gas in the Broad Line Region (BLR), which is ionized by the UV photons from the
accretion disc. See the sketch to visualise this model.

We can assume that the flux of broad emission lines varies in response to the variation of the UV
continuum with a time delay. This time delay should be proportional to the separation RBLR between
the BH and the BLR.

Assume that the size of the accretion disc is negligible as compared to RBLR .
a) (1 point)​ Estimate the time lag (days) between the B-band continuum and broad emission line
(H​β​) using the light curves shown below. The x-axis is in reduced Julian Dates (JD).
 b) (3 points)​ Estimate RBLR in parsecs (​pc​).
c) (2 points)​ Estimate the angular separation of this region θ BLR (in arcsec) from the blackhole, if
this AGN is ​100 Mpc​ away from us.

It is possible to estimate the mass of the system using the Virial theorem, if the velocity dispersion of the
gasses in theBLR and the size of the system are known. Assume that the masses of the accretion disc and
broad line region are negligible, as compared to the black hole.

The velocity dispersion v σ may be estimated from the broadening of the given emission line. We will
take the corresponding wavelength dispersion to be
F W HM
σ= 2.35
where FWHM is the full width at half maximum of the broad emission line.

d) (5 points)​ Calculate the velocity dispersion v σ in units of km s​-1​, from the spectral line shown
below.

e) (4 points)​ Calculate the mass of the central BH ( M vir,BH ) in units of M ⊙ .

2. Minor Planet
Table 1 gives the ecliptic longitude (​λ)​ and parallax (​p)​ at different times (​t​), for a certain hypothetical
minor planet. The baseline for the parallax measurement is the diameter of the earth. The time is
expressed in years and, for your reference, the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun (​λ​☉​) for the same dates
are also given the table. Let us assume that the orbital inclination of this minor planet, with respect to
the ecliptic, is negligible and the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit is negligible.

a) (38 points)​ Calculate the coordinates of the minor planet in the heliocentric polar coordinate
system and put them in an approximately sketched polar plot. The x-axis in the plot should be
directed towards the initial position of the minor planet. Draw the major axis of the orbit of the
minor planet.
Identify erroneous observation(s), if any.
b) (6 points)​ Assuming the heliocentric orbit of the minor planet to be elliptical, determine
i) the semi-major axis length ​a​p.​
ii) eccentricity ​e​.
iii) the period ​P.​
c) (6 points)​ Estimate the errors in the values of ​P​, ​a​p,​ ​e​ and the solar mass.

Table 1: Minor planet data.

t​ [year] λ​ [°] λ​☉​ [°] p​ [“]

2012.3 336.73 40.95 3.82

2012.6 3.44 134.83 7.24

2012.9 50.71 242.08 7.09

2013.4 94.52 64.84 2.40

2013.6 121.40 134.59 2.16

2013.9 154.31 241.82 2.75

2014.2 25.33 353.29 3.16

2014.5 148.51 99.04 1.99

2014.8 176.26 205.45 1.83

2015.0 216.33 280.19 2.03

2015.3 187.5 28.55 2.897

3. Hypervelocity Stars
In recent years, a new field of research has emerged, that of Hypervelocity Stars (HVS for short). These
are stars in our Galaxy (mostly at its outskirts), which are moving with excessive velocities and may be
escaping from the Milky Way.

In this question, you will use spectroscopic and astrometric measurements in order to calculate the
velocity of one such star, called “HVS1”, consider its origin and whether it may escape the Galaxy.

Figure 1 shows a spectrum of HVS1 in the blue to UV part of the spectrum:

Figure 1. The spectrum of HVS1 shifted to the rest frame of the star (i.e., there is no Doppler shift due to
the motion of the star along the line of sight).

a) (7 points)​ Determine the spectral type of the star using the standard spectra in Appendix 3 and
the absorption lines identified on the spectrum of HVS1. (Note that the spectrum above
contains both stellar and interstellar absorption lines.)

b) (18 points)​ Detailed modeling of the spectral lines places the star between luminosity classes V
(Main Sequence) and IV (subgiant).
i. The apparent magnitude of the star in the visual band is ​m​V​ = 19.84. Find the absolute
magnitude ​MV​ ​ of
​ the star using Appendix 1 for the two possible luminosity classes.
 You may ignore the uncertainty in ​mV​ ​ ,​ since the uncertainty in your calculation will be
dominated by the uncertainty in ​M​V​.

ii. For both these possible luminosity classes, calculate the star’s distance from the Sun,
ignoring interstellar extinction.

iii. The Galactic coordinates of HVS1 are ℓ​ ​ = 227.33537267°, 𝑏​ ​= 31.33199386°. Is the

assumption of ignoring interstellar absorption justified? Write “YES” or “NO”.

iv. The Gaia mission of the European Space Agency has been mapping the Milky Way since
2014, measuring the parallax and proper motion of 1.5 billion stars to an accuracy between
0.04 and 0.1 milliarcseconds (mas).
Could Gaia have measured the parallax of HVS1,
A) if it is a MS star? Write “YES” or “NO”.
B) If it is a subgiant? Write “YES” or “NO”.

For the rest of this question, adopt the larger of the two distances you have calculated above.

v. Assume that the distance of the Sun from the Galactic center is ​R​☉​=8.0 kpc.​
Make a roughly proportionate sketch of the relative positions of HVS1, the Sun and the
Galactic center. Use it to calculate the distance (​r)​ of HVS1 from the Galactic center.

c) (17 points)​ Here, you will calculate the actual velocity of HVS1.
i. The spectrum in Fig1 shows two absorption lines due to Ca II. One is caused by the
atmosphere of the star and the other is due to the interstellar medium. The shift of this line
is due to the motion of the star with respect to the interstellar medium.
Measure this Doppler shift and calculate the radial velocity of HVS1 with respect to the Sun.

ii. We are interested in the velocity with respect to the Galactic center. For this, we first need
to take into account the velocity of the Sun due to the rotation of the Galaxy. The following
equation transforms the velocity of a star with heliocentric radial velocity ​v​hc​ ​to one in the
Galactic rest frame (rf), ​v​rf​:

​v​rf​ = ​v​hc +​ 11.1 cos ℓ​ ​ cos ​b​ + 247.24 sin ​ℓ​ cos ​b​ + 7.25 sin ​b

where the speeds are measured in km s​-1​.

Find ​v​rf​ for HVS1.

iii. HVS1’s proper motion has been measured as:

(​μ​α​, μ
​ ​δ​) = (+0.08 ± 0.26, -0.12 ± 0.22) mas yr​-1
 Calculate the tangential velocity component (in km s​-1​) of HVS1. (You may ignore the
correction for declination as the star is near the celestial equator).

iv. Calculate the velocity (​vT​ ​) of the star with respect to the Galactic center (magnitude
measured in km s​-1​ and angle with respect to direction of the Galactic center).

v. Assuming this star was born within the Galactic disc, use your calculation of the velocity to
estimate where in the Galactic disc it is more likely to have come from:
A) near to the Galactic center
B) further out in the Galactic disc

d) (6 points)​ From the energy considerations,

​ ),
i. Give an expression for the escape speed (​vesc​ as a function of the distance from the Galactic
center and the enclosed mass of the Galaxy.

ii. Calculate the mass of the Galaxy (in solar masses) within the radius of the distance of HVS1.

[
M (r) = 4πρ0 rc2 r − rc arctan ( )]
r
rc

​ 0​​ = 1.396x10​4 ​M​☉​ pc​-3​ are constants of the equation.

Where ​r​c​ = 8 pc​ and ρ

iii. Calculate the magnitude of the escape velocity at the distance of HVS1.

iv. Is this a runaway star? Write “YES” or “NO”.

e) (2 points)​ How long has it taken for HVS1 to reach this position?

f) (3 points)​ On the basis of the spectral type and the luminosity class of this star, estimate the age
of HVS1 and compare this with your result in the previous part. Which one of the following
statements about the origin of the star is true:
(A) the star was ejected when or shortly after it was formed
(B) the star was ejected mid-way through its time on the Main Sequence
(C) the star was ejected towards the end of its time on the Main Sequence

g) (2 points)​ Astronomers looking for HVS-s start by finding a sample of stars in the Galactic halo
which are of a spectral type similar to that of HVS1. Explain why by choosing which one of the
following statements is true:
(A) Stars of this spectral type are young and so belong to the native population of the halo
(B) Stars of this spectral type are old and so belong to the native population of the halo
(C) Stars of this spectral type are young and so ​do not ​belong to the native population of the
halo
(D) Stars of this spectral type are old and so ​do not ​belong to the native population of the halo
Appendix 1: Spectral types, luminosity class and absolute magnitude M​v
Appendix 2: Spectral Lines
Spectral lines useful in the spectral characterization of low resolution stellar spectra of different stars.
Appendix 3: Absorption spectra typical of different spectral classes​[3]
Spectra of main sequence stars of different spectral classes, at the blue end of the spectrum (where
there are many absorption lines due to atomic transitions). The spectra have been divided by the
respective continuum so that the lines are more easily discernible. The first six panels correspond to MS
stars. The seventh panel shows how the lines change for different luminosity classes for the same
spectral type.
GeCAA - Observation

Constants and materials

Here we provide all links that are inserted for the student:

In theory round there are 4 questions with a sum of 80 points, point value of question should be
in accordance with question difficulty level. Solving time is 1:30h
Points for questions are:
1. 15 points
2. 10 points
3. 40 points
4. 15 points

Correct answers in bold

Comets in the “air”

(5 points)​The figure below shows a star chart of the night sky. The location of comet C/2020 F3
Neowise on July 31st, 2020 is marked by a red dot.

Name the five brightest stars in the field shown. Please use IAU star names in your answer (i.e.
like Sirius or Rigel).

The brightest stars[5]

Sort the brightest stars visible on the figure in descending order of brightness.
 A. 1st brightest - Arcturus
B. 2nd brightest - Regulus
C. 3rd brightest - Pollux
D. 4th brightest - Spica
E. 5th brightest - Capella

[CATEGORIES]

1. Achernar
2. Acrux
3. Aldebaran
4. Altair
5. Antares
6. Arcturus
7. Canopus
8. Capella
9. Fomalhaut
10. Hadar
11. Pollux
12. Procyon
13. Regulus
14. Shaula
15. Spica

Where is the Sun? [2]

(2 points)​ Write the latin name abbreviation (you can find accepted abbreviated names here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAU_designated_constellations​) of the constellation in which the
Sun is present on 31st July 2020.

(Cnc)

Point on chart[3]

(3 points) ​Mark the position of the Sun on the chart, in case it is not present on the chart, mark
the direction to the Sun at the edge of the image.

[CANVAS] - not graded

 1. {"name":"​Sun​","x":​0.57899​,"y":​0.91937​”}

Tail of the comet Neowise [2]

(2 points) ​Mark which line on the chart corresponds most accurately to the position of the
comet’s gas tail (1, 2, 3 or 4 as indicated on Figure). Write the correct number as your answer.

[4]

In which constellation is comet Neowise [3]

(3 points) ​Name the constellation in which the comet is seen in Figure 1. Write the answer
using the IAU abbreviation

Com

Neowise with MAGIC

The Figure shows the Astronomy Picture of the Day on July 24, 2020 (image credit & copyright:
Urs Leutenegger, ​https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200724.html​) taken near the MAGIC
telescopes at European Northern Observatory. Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise is visible in the
image.
Photographer’s location [5]

Estimate the latitude of the telescope’s location. (5 pts)

[NUMBER: 30 (10%)]

When was this picture taken? [3]

(​3 points​) Is this picture taken in the morning, evening or midnight sky

A. Morning sky
B. Evening sky
C. Midnight

Comet tails[2]

(​2 points​) Two tails of the comet are visible in Figure 2. Which tail is the gas and which one is
the dust tail?
 A. The Dust tail is on the left and the gas tail is one the right of the image.
B. The Gas tail is on the left and the dust tail is on the right of the image.

All sky
The Figure shows an all-sky image taken somewhere at local midnight.

Directions in the sky

(​26 points​) In this question you are asked to mark the following visible objects or directions
● Mark north and east directions on the horizon by clicking with the mouse. (4 pts)
● Mark all Solar System objects that are visible (3 points)
● Identify and mark on the all-sky image the following deep-sky objects: M31, M13, NGC
884, M45, M33, M15 (6 pts)
● Identify and mark the following constellations by clicking on their approximate center:
Pegasus, Ophiucus, Ursa Major, Cepheus, Capricornus, Camelopardalis, Cassiopeia,
Lyra, Sagitta, Perseus, Equuleus, Aries, Hercules, Bootes, Auriga (15 pts)
 1.

Geographic latitude of an observatory [4]

(​4 points​) Estimate the geographic latitude of the site where the image was taken. The right
ascension of Altair and Capella are 19​h​ 51​m​ and 5​h​ 17​m​, respectively. Write the latitude in integer
format.
[​58 (accepted error 5%)]

Sidereal time [4]

(4 points) ​Estimate the approximate sidereal time when the image was taken. The right
ascension of Altair and Capella are 19​h​ 51​m​ and 5​h​ 17​m​, respectively. Please give your answer
using the format HH:MM !

Answer: ​20:21 - 20:51 (20:36 +- 15 min)

Galactic equator [6]

(​6 points​) On the Figure, the Galactic Equator passes through 12 constellations. Mark all
the constellations that are on the Galactic Equator in this Figure.

Galactic equator: ​Aquila, Auriga, Camelopardalis, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cygnus, Perseus,

Sagitta, Sagittarius, Scutum, Taurus, Vulpecula

Skymap
On the Figure, a star chart is shown for Tallinn, Estonia (Lat 59.43 N, Long: 24.75 E) on
14​th​ September 2020 at 22:00 (UTC+3). The chart is not distorted and shows all
altitudes from 0​o​ to +90​o​. Stars to magnitude +4.7​m​ and one planet are shown.
Planets [4]
(​4 points​) Four relatively bright (about 1.5​m​ - 3.5​m​) stars in well-known constellations or
asterisms are missing. Identify them (in any order) using the Bayer classification.

Mark all the planets that should be visible at this time on this chart. Mars is marked as a red dot:
 A. Mercury
B. Venus
C. Earth
D. Jupiter
E. Saturn
F. Uranus
G. Neptune

NB! Marking Earth was penalized -2 p and Venus and Mercury -1point, minum score was
0

Missing stars[8]
(8 points) ​Mark the missing stars indicating their rank order as greek letter with IAU Designation

epsilon Cassiopeiae, gamma Pegasi, beta Tauri, delta Ursa Majoris

Mars [3]

(​3 points​) What is the RA of Mars (to nearest 10 minutes, ​write in format HH:MMm,
where H and M-s are replaced with correct numbers, round answer to nearest 10
minutes, so it must end with “0” for example 12:10​)?

01:40 - 02:00 (01:50+- 10m)​.