The NakedEye Observatory at MTSU

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The Naked-Eye Observatory at MTSU
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• 70 foot by 70 foot square
• Sun is 32 feet in diameter
• The Sun will have scale sunspots and prominences

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Observatory Plan

• Larger circle is 40 feet in diameter.
• 16 foot diameter dome.

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Observatory Elevation
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Observatory Elevation

• Top of dome is 18 feet high
• Base of dome is 12 feet high

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Typical Column Front
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Typical Column Back
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Column Elevation

• Columns are 10 feet tall.
• Markers are 3 to 5 feet tall.

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• Sun
• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth
• Mars
• Asteroid Belt
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune
• Pluto/Kuiper Belt
• Entire Solar System or Comets

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The Jupiter (North) Column

• Each column has a scaled image of a solar system
  object.
• Each column has factoids inscribed.
• Each column has a symbol on the outside to
  attract attention.

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North and South Grids
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East and West Grids
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Planetary Symbols
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Potential Experiments

• Identify the North Star by mapping northern
  constellations with respect to time.
• Determine the latitude of Murfreesboro.
• Learn basic principles of celestial navigation.

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Potential Experiments

• Identify circumpolar constellations.
• Use these constellations to tell time.
• Interpret circumpolar constellations in terms of
  a spherical Earth.

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Potential Experiments

• Examine sunrise and sunset points to explain the
  Earths tilt and the seasons.
• Identify the first days of Spring, Summer, Fall,
  and Winter.
• Examine the moonrise and moonset times/elongation
  angles to explain lunar phases.
• Identify the paths of the planets through the sky.

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Potential Experiments

• Identify where and when to look in the night sky
  for meteor showers.
• Calculate angular size of Sun and Moon and
  relative distances to Sun and Moon.

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Potential Experiments

• Measure Earths rotation rate.
• Measure Earths rate of revolution around the Sun.

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Potential Experiments

• Calculate local noon from Suns shadow.
• Compare local noon with Central Time to explain
  time zones.
• Find true north using the Suns shadow.
• Understand why it is different from magnetic
  north.

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Potential Experiments

• Measure altitude of Sun at local noon throughout
  the year.
• Use latitude of Murfreesboro and solar altitudes
  to measure solar declination.
• Estimate the time from the Suns shadow.
• Estimate the date from the Suns shadow.

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Potential Experiments

• Measure distance to Mars via elongation angles.
• Measure Earths diameter from the angles of
  shadows.
• Practical exercises in spherical trigonometry
• Predict when the Moon will be at a node/eclipse