A middle-school passion for shooting stars and interest in physics drove Teddy Smyth ’11 and Michael Berube ’11 to conduct original research, collecting previously unrecorded information about asteroids and sunspots. They presented their findings as part of a Spring Revisit program this week. The presentation marked the end of Smyth and Berube’s Independent Project in Astronomy, conducted with the assistance of Caroline Odden, Instructor in Physics. For the project, Smyth and Berube studied lengths of orbitals for asteroids circling the sun and the movement of sunspots. The results of the project are considered original research data for the Physics Department. “The project itself was interesting because we were conducting the only hands-on research in the physics department,” said Smyth. According to Berube, they ultimately concluded that the asteroid 3605 Davy has a rotation period, the length of a day on that asteroid, of 1 hour and 45 minutes. They also concluded that 1721 Wells’ rotation could not be measured due to it’s current position in orbit. The findings gave them a better understanding of the nature of asteroids, and helped record information for previously unmeasured asteroids. They also focused on tracing the migration of sunspots across the sun’s surface with daily observations through the telescope. They concluded that the poles of the sun rotate at a higher speed than the equator, creating a very intricate system of currents on the surface of the sun. Their observations also allowed them to watch the activity of one of the largest solar flares in recent history. Because solar flares are harmful to electronic equipment on earth and satellites in space, Berube and Smyth’s studies could help scientists better understand these threats. The seniors also determined the rotational period of asteroids, the amount of time it takes the object to turn completely, based on the asteroid’s reflection of the sun’s light. They used a hydrogen-alpha telescope with an ultraviolet filter for their work with the sun. On most days they observed the position of sunspots and recorded their placement. Through daily observation, they were able to create a record of the migration of sunspots. Smyth and Berube also recorded images of the light curve of certain asteroids by programming the telescope to snap pictures throughout the night. Based on how the sun’s light hit the asteroid and was reflected back, they were able to determine the relative position of the asteroid. Through several images, the students could track the rotation of the asteroids, usually large and irregularly shaped. Once an asteroid has completed a full rotation, the time can be recorded as its rotational period. Most of the research was conducted from the programming room on the fourth level of Gelb. By entering coordinates of an asteroid into the computer, the telescope will automatically track the position of the object. The telescope is also programmed to move with rotation of the night sky. Berube initially found inspiration for the project in a book given to him by Odden that outlined various scientific studies. As a young child, Smyth was interested in shooting stars he saw while camping, and he was later exposed the study of Astronomy in his eighth grade physical science class. Berube said, “I had a young inspiration of just looking up at the sky that really flourished when I came to Andover.” Both students took Physics 440, the introductory Astronomy course, as Uppers, and found that the course gave them most of the preparation for their independent study. “Astronomy has a small number of very interested students, even though it’s one of the lesser-known sciences and branches of physics,” Smyth said. Smyth felt the course taught him the background information that was later needed to understand and handle the research. “The one elective gave me the basics, but the specificity of the IP required much of the information to be self-taught,” Berube said. In particular, the telescope’s mercury switch, which keeps the telescope from pointing towards the ground, needed to be manually adjusted several times. Smyth and Berube were also challenged by the large snowstorms throughout the winter term. The falling snow prevented the use of the actual observatory space, which is open to the sky, and obscured the sun with storm clouds. The seniors said they worked particularly hard during their periods of observation, even with the diminished number of clear days and nights. “Despite the weather, we worked with what we were give and the presentation eventually turned out great,” Berube said.
