Release Your Inner Scientist!
Astronomy and Magnetometer Projects
Everyone has heard about astronomy, but what is it exactly? By definition, astronomy is the branch of physics that scientifically studies celestial bodies and the universe outside the earth's atmosphere. But, it's also so much more than just that, which is what makes astronomy a valuable subject for the creation of extraordinary science fair projects.
There are many areas or branches of astronomy. To name just a few, there's radio astronomy in which celestial bodies are observed and studied at radio frequencies; there's solar astronomy in which ongoing and thorough research into our sun is conducted; and there's gamma-ray astronomy which studies celestial objects that are at the shortest wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.
In all astronomy branches, there are specific and necessary tools that aid in the further study of each area. One such tool is the magnetometer, which is useful for a variety of tasks.
Some celestial bodies that are magnetized are surrounded by what is called a magnetosphere. A magnetosphere is the area around a celestial object in which events are dominated by its magnetic field. Earth has its own magnetosphere as does Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
A magnetometer is an instrument used in a scientific way to measure the direction and/or strength of any magnetic field that's in the proximity of the instrument. The magnetism of a celestial object varies from location to location so a magnetometer is used to measure these variations.
Magnetometers are one of the most useful instruments in astronomy studies. If not for an onboard magnetometer the Van Allen radiation belts around Earth might never have been discovered during Explorer 1, the first rocket mission. Right now there are ongoing missions like attempting to define the shape and activity of Saturn's core that rely on the use of magnetometers.
There are two basic types of magnetometers: scalar magnetometers which measure the total strength of a magnetic field, and vector magnetometers which are able to measure the magnetic field in a particular direction. Beyond that, there are several other types of magnetometers such as the rotating coil magnetometer, the fluxgate magnetometer, the overhauser magnetometer, and several more!
Probably the coolest thing about magnetometers is that they're perfect subjects for science projects even if you only demonstrate the basic functions of the many different types. With magnetometer high school science fair projects you may find you won't need a new subject for years to come.
|