ASTR 311 STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS Term Paper
due: 3 PM EST 9 December 2011
Your paper will be a
case study of your star, written in something closely resembling
the professional style and format used in astrophysics. Follow the formatting guidelines of the
Instructions to Authors in the US professional astrophysics
journals (i.e. Astrophysical Journal, Astronomical Journal, Publications of the
ASP all use the University of Chicago press, the AAS LaTeX package, and standard
formatting for citations, section headings, etc.). This will be easier if you use the
AAS LaTeX package, but
that is not an explicit requirement. Determining the appropriate length is similar to
calculating how long your legs should be: just long
enough to reach the ground. Seriously, I expect that your papers will be in the range of 10 to 15
pages (in the double-spaced AAS manuscript format), though they can be longer
(especially if you include lots of figures and tables). If they are shorter, you should
consider if you are missing something. This paper will replace the final exam and will count for 15% of your
final grade in this class.
Some things you might want to include....
- A table summarizing all
of the global properties of your star. That should include where your star is located in the galaxy,
how fast
it's moving, etc. (not just spectral type and mass)
- A figure showing the star field at several different wavelengths
- A discussion, early in the paper, of why your star is interesting
- A historical overview of
the measurements of this stars properties and the research related to it
(with appropriate citations in the correct style)
- A detailed discussion of
your star in the context of one or more things we've covered in class (e.g. something
about it's interior structure, atmosphere, etc.). This could rely on published literature
(if appropriately
cited), or it could be original.
Crucial resources to use....
- ADS abstract service
- SIMBAD
- on-line ApJ, AJ, etc