Astronomical Object or Technology

You will write a scientific report on ONE of the following:
Option 1) an astronomical object (such as a: planet, comet, star, galaxy, dead star, etc.) or
Option 2) a recent technological item used for astronomical purposes.

Sections in your Report
Option 1) Astronomical Object
If your chosen topic will be an astronomical object, then break your report down into the following sections using these exact headings:
I. Introduction – Introduce your object briefly and creatively. Do not summarize what you will discuss.
II. History – Was the object discovered by a particular person(s)? If so, When? How? Is this object difficult to observe? Why?
III. Known Features and Characteristics – What are some interesting aspects about your chosen object? Rather than listing facts, discuss how these features and characteristics originated.
IV. Unanswered Questions – What are some important details not yet known about the object? Why is it that we don’t know the answers to these questions?
V. Conclusion – Don’t summarize your report; just bring your topic to a close as creatively as you can.
Option 2) Technological Item used in Astronomy
If your chosen topic will be a recent (created within the last 100 years) item of technology, then break your report down into the following sections using these exact headings:
NOTE:
I. Introduction – Introduce your technological item briefly and creatively. Do not summarize what you will discuss.
II. Objective – What was/is the purpose of the item of technology? What will/did it achieve? Why is this important to know?
III. Construction – Generally describe how the technological item was built/functions, along with its cost. What scientific instruments does it contain? What challenges were needed to be overcome? Did it work as planned? How long is it intended to operate?
IV. Breakthroughs – Did the technological item reveal any breakthroughs?
V. Conclusion – Don’t summarize your report here; just bring your discussion about the technological item to a close as creatively as you can.
The report will be submitted in D2L as a PDF document any time before the due date. It will be between 1200 – 1500 words long (excluding the References page). For every 100 words over the 1500 word limit, 1 mark (out of 20) will be deducted. For every 20 words under the 1200 word limit, 1 mark (out of 20) will be deducted.
Things to Also Include With Your Report:
Your NAME and Student ID Number
You MUST show your Full Name and your Student ID Number at the top of your Report. Ideally
these should also appear in a header at the top of every other page.
Title
Include a title for your report indicating what it is that you will be discussing. You do not need a title
page.
Referencing
References can be from any acceptable sources. The following are some recommended sources (with the
best ones listed first):
Astronomical Journal (AJ), Astrophysical Journal (ApJ), Publications of the Astronomical Society of
the Pacific (PASP), Nature, Science, American Institute for the Advancement of Science (AAAS),
Scientific American, Sky & Telescope, National Geographic, Discover, Smithsonian.
Do NOT use the class notes, class textbook, Wikipedia, or any other websites ending with *pedia.
Ensure that any source you use from the internet is reliable.
Scientific Referencing is required in AIP (American Institute of Physics) style, whereby ONLY integers are
used in the Report text: a superscript number matching the reference list number. See this example
link for how to reference in your report: https://physics.gac.edu/~huber/misc/aiprefs.htm.
The reference list is at the end of your report and you must have at least three different properlypresented
sources/references/citations.
Turnitin will automatically scan your report once you upload to D2L. Avoid quotes and ensure you write
in your own words. Extensive paraphrasing is NOT acceptable. The Turnitin percentage match must be
less than 35%.
Evaluation
The following Rubric Guidelines will be used to evaluate your specific report.
Option 1) Astronomical Object Option 2) Item of Technology Marks
Introduction Introduction /1
History Objective /4
Known Features and Characteristics Construction /5
Unanswered Questions Breakthroughs /5
Conclusion Conclusion /1
Writing (Grammar, Style, Overall
Quality)
Writing (Grammar, Style, Overall
Quality)
/3
Citations and References Citations and References /1
Total:
Total:
/20