Edwin Hubble’s observations of the Andromeda “nebula” in 1924, using the then new 100 inch telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory, lead to the understanding that the Milky Way was not the only galaxy, but one of a countless large groups of stars in our Universe. Within this new field of astronomy, Hubble devised a classification system for galaxies based on their observed shape and structure. In this laboratory exercise, you will use Stellarium to observe a number of galaxies and attempt to classify them using Hubble’s system.
For this project piece, use a computer simulation to examine the concept of habitable zones around other stars or examine and classify a range of galaxies. Please read through the assignment background information and follow the steps listed in the lab assignment instructions. You will be asked to form a hypothesis, state the lab objective, record your measurements and calculations, and answer each of the lab questions.
