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IMAGES:
The links below take you to a page where you can download high resolution images.
The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy similar
in shape and size to our own Milky Way.
Seventy-three novae were discovered in Andromeda
by students participating in the NSF-funded
program titled The Use of Astronomy in
Research Based Science Education.
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Matt Harriger, a student at Harry A. Burke High
School, in Omaha, NE, discovered novae in
Andromeda through the RBSE program.
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RBSE, operated by NOAO, provides opportunities
for middle and high school students to
learn astronomy and inquiry-based skills
through participation in actual research.
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Image credit: AURA/NOAO/National Science Foundation
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Students Help Astronomers Discover 73 Novae in Andromeda Galaxy
Astronomers, high school teachers and their students have discovered 73
novae in the Andromeda galaxy through a National Science Foundation
(NSF) funded education program called "The Use of Astronomy in Research
Based Science Education" (RBSE). These results will be presented today by
Drs.Travis A. Rector and George H. Jacoby of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), in Tucson, AZ, to the American Astronomical Society meeting in Atlanta, GA. Novae are stellar outbursts that lead to
a rapid brightening when mass is transferred between two stars in a binary
system, causing the surface layers of one star to ignite explosively from the
fusion of hydrogen nuclei. The novae in Andromeda were discovered by
students using images from the NSF's Kitt Peak National Observatory and
collectively represent the highest discovery rate for novae found in this
galaxy. The long-term goal of this project is to accurately determine the
novae production rate for galaxies of different sizes and shape, leading to a
greater understanding of the frequency of binary stars and distribution of
ages of stars in different galaxies. Novae also play a role in creating much
of the nitrogen in the universe, an element critical for the creation of life.
The NSF RBSE Teacher Enhancement program includes a four-week summer workshop for middle and high school teachers interested in incorporating astronomy research within their science classes. RBSE extends the
experience to the classroom with materials, datasets, support, and mentors
during the academic year. This provides opportunities for students to learn
about astronomy and inquiry-based learning as they participate in three
ongoing research projects at NOAO: studies of solar activity, a search for
novae in local group galaxies, and spectroscopic observations of active
galactic nuclei. Attending the Atlanta AAS meeting are teacher Tom
Gehringer and his student Matt Harriger of Harry A. Burke High School in
Omaha, NE. They are two of the program's participants studying novae in
the Andromeda Galaxy. Mr. Gehringer teaches 11th and 12th graders astronomy and earth science, and says that RBSE has "invigorated my
efforts to give students the opportunities to do science instead of just memorizing facts and figures. It has inspired me to learn more along with my
students." Rector, the NOAO astronomer who works closely with the RBSE
program agrees, saying "it's invaluable to be able to include teachers and
students in our research projects because it teaches them how science is
really done." Matt Harriger, a junior, and one of Gehringer's students
involved in the novae research, feels "it is one of the more exciting things
I have been able to do in high school."
For the RBSE novae project, images of galaxies are collected using the
NSF's 0.9-meter telescope with a CCD camera on Kitt Peak. Students
search images from successive epochs for novae by using a blinking
process where images are rapidly alternated using a computer. When a
nova appears, its coordinates are recorded. A light curve for each nova is
then created by measuring its brightness in each epoch in which it appears. Currently, the RBSE participants are searching for novae in the
Andromeda Galaxy, a nearby spiral galaxy similar in stellar content and
size to our own Milky Way. A nova is created in a binary star system,
where a white dwarf has a nearby companion star. As the companion
loses hydrogen gas, the gas falls onto the white dwarf, causing an instability near its surface. An explosive nuclear reaction occurs, causing the
white dwarf to shine brightly as a nova.
The NOAO-based RBSE program will hold its fourth annual workshop in
Tucson, AZ during the summer of 2000. Additional information, and
application materials, can be found at:
http://www.noao.edu/outreach/rbse
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For more information:
Suzanne Jacoby
NOAO Education Officer
(520) 318-8364
sjacoby@noao.edu
Dr. Travis A. Rector
Astronomer, NOAO
(520) 318-8256
rector@noao.edu
Tom Gehringer
Teacher, Harry A. Burke
High School
tgehring@ops.org
Dr. George Jacoby
Astronomer, NOAO
(520) 318-8292
gjacoby@noao.edu
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