In this project, you will view, measure, record, and analyse data from the Gaia space telescope. We need you to measure the change in brightness of a supernova over a period of time. Your work will help us to learn more about these powerful stellar objects. This project is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Credit: M. Weiss
Supernovae are huge explosions in space. During one of these events, a star can rapidly become more than a million times brighter than usual. For a short period of time, one supernova can even shine brighter than a whole galaxy.
Not all supernovae are the same, so they can be divided into several groups. In this project, you will use data from a Type Ia Supernovae.
By the end of the project you will:
- Know how to use software to view, measure, record, and analyse data
- Have done photometry (measured how bright objects in space are)
- Have created a light curve graph for a supernova
To complete the project you will need:
- Online access to JS9 software (free, no download required)
- The Gaia data files (download zip file)
- MS Excel and the Magnitude Calculator
Use the items in the menu to:
- Learn, 'what are supernovae?'
- Find out how we detect supernovae
- Read through the instructions and view the resources
- Learn how to use the software
- Get help or answers to common questions