An Interpretation of Radio Data and Optical Images for Three Nebulae

1
An Interpretation of Radio Data and Optical
Images for Three Nebulae

• By Kadir Carruthers, Heather Eisenson, Bill
  Furnish, Molly Gayden, Robert Hammond, and
  Margaret Tankard

2
Background

• Nebulae- masses of gas, birthplaces of stars
• HII emission nebula
• Clouds of ionized hydrogen
• Emit light and radio waves on HI frequency

3
Background

• Most solid objects emit radio waves
• Hydrogen emits at 1.42 GHz
• Hydrogen line often used as base frequency,
  spectrometer receives 600 kHz around base
• Peak on left- red shift
• Peak on right- blue shift

4
Purposes

• Become familiar with astronomical equipment
• Learn about differences between radio and optical
  data
• Observe physical properties of three nebulae
• Lagoon (M8)
• Omega (M17)
• Trifid (M20)
• Determine velocities of Doppler shifts
• Determine rates of expansion for nebulae

5
Expectations

• We thought
• The three velocities would be similar
• Part would be red shifted, part blue shifted
• The nebulae would be moving away from Earth

6
Materials

• 4.6 meter radio telescope (Smiley)
• 10 inch Meade telescope
• CCD camera
• Planisphere
• Skyglobe 3.6 program
• Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program

7
Method

• Coordinates and optimum viewing times determined
• Radio data collected
• Hydrogen spectrum recorded for Lagoon, Omega, and
  Trifid
• Smiley (4.6 meter radio telescope) used
• Collected between 1200 and 200 A.M.
• Attempts at taking optical photos
• 10 inch Meade telescope and CCD camera used
• Weather and technical problems

8
Method

• Radio data used to determine
• red shifted or blue shifted
• velocities of the motion
• Comparison of the amounts and intensities of
  hydrogen

9
Results

• Lagoon nebula
• Largest size
• Densest
• Second most hydrogen
• Produces most heat
• Trifid nebula
• Lowest size
• Lowest density
• Least amount of hydrogen
• Least heat produced
• Omega nebula
• Second most size
• Second most density
• Most hydrogen
• Produces second most heat

10
Results
11
Results
12
Results
13
Results
14
Discussion

• Change of goals to finding speed and spectral
  shift
• Each nebula has blue shift compared to rest frame
  of Earth (approaching)
• Sides closer to Earth are expanding faster
• We did not have sensitive enough equipment to
  produce interface
• CCD pictures failed because of technical
  difficulties and weather

15
References

• An Infrared Negative of a Bright Nebula. ESA
  Science. Retrieved June 18, 2003 from the World
  Wide Web http//isowww.estec.esa.nl/science
• Doppler Shift (2002, February 23). Ned Wrights
  Home Page. Retrieved June 26, 2003 from the
  World Wide Web http//www.astro.ucla.edu/wright/
  doppler.htm
• Fraknoi, A., Morrison, D., Wolff, S. (2000).
  Voyages Through the Universe. (2nd ed.).
  Orlando, FL Harcourt, Inc.
• Kaufmann, W., Freedman, R. (1999). Universe.
  (5th ed.). New York W.H. Freeman and Company.
• Ker, C. (1997, March 6). Astrophysicist Detects
  Stars Birth 5000 Light-Years Away. The
  University of British Columbia Public Affairs.
  Retrieved June 18, 2003 from the World Wide Web
  http//www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/ubcreports/1997/97
  mar06/lagoon.html
• Messier Objects. AbsoluteAstronomy.com.
  Retrieved June 18, 2003 from the World Wide Web
  http//www.absoluteastronomy.com/messier.htm
• Nebulae. Astro-Photos.com. Retrieved June 26,
  2003 from the World Wide Web http//www.astro-pho
  tos.com/gallery.php?gallerynebulae
• The Omega Nebula, M17. Association of
  Universities for Research in Astronomy.
  Retrieved June 18, 2003 from the World Wide Web
  http//www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0052.html

16
Acknowledgements

• Thank you to Mike, Michele, and Joe for endless
  amounts of help and guidance for our project
• Thank you to the PARI staff who always are there
  to assist with equipment and allow us access to
  the telescopes
• Thanks to Phil and Jessica for always working
  very hard to try and make optical work
• Thanks to Smiley for WORKING