Astronomy Paper
toller65
2019.4_AstroNews.pdf
Astronomy 1010
Assignment 1: Astronomy in the News
Due Date: Saturday 10.26
During the semester there will be many new discoveries of astronomical interest. They
may take the form of an observation of some object or process with a telescope or other
sensor, a new discovery from a space probe or lander, a new computer calculation of a
process or condition, etc. At least once each week you should scan through astronomical
news and review sites looking for something that interests you. When you find something you like, do some additional research through an Internet search engine on the topic you
have found. You will probably find that many news sites have picked up on the
discovery. If you do not understand some aspect, do further research on that aspect- for
example, it might be about black holes or something else that you do not know much
about.
The discovery must have happened after 31 July 2019, and should NOT be about a
predicted event (such as an eclipse).
For your paper, write a 800+ word review of the discovery, consisting of an introduction
of the topic, an analysis of the discovery itself, and a conclusion discussing the
significance.
Include at least one well-explained graph or image (you may refer to a link to a video).
Papers should be typed, double spaced, and submitted in .docx or .pdf format through the
Blackboard SafeAssign portal for this assignment. Check your papers for correct grammar
and spelling before submission. Material not your own must be cited within the text to a
bibliography entry at the end. References should be cited using a common citation
style—APA, MLA, or Chicago. See examples on the next page.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Here are some astronomical news sites to start with:
Science Daily
Astronomy Picture of the Day often has news items.
Phys.org astronomy
Space.com
Or, you can just enter “astronomy news” into your favorite search engine.
Rubric:
This assignment is worth 10 points, broken down as follows:
+4: Content: introduction/analysis/conclusion.
+2: References are cited consistently and correctly, using a common citation style.
+1: Graph/image included and described in the text.
+1: Paper is the correct length.
+1: Paper has fewer than 5 grammatical or spelling errors.
+1: Paper is submitted in proper format.
Papers will lose 1/4 point for every day after the due date above.
Reference formats: choose one
The paper must include a bibliography in one of three styles. Below are examples for the
article https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180315110626.htm :
MLA: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/2/
In text:
Another half degree of warming could flood five million people (Princeton University).
or … could flood five million people ("Half a degree”).
Bibliography:
Princeton University. "Half a degree more global warming could flood out 5 million
more people." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 March 2018.
< www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180315110626.htm >.
APA: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/
In text:
Another half degree of warming could flood five million people (Princeton Univ, 2018)
or … according to Princeton University (2018) another half degree of warming…
Bibliography:
Princeton University. (2018, March 15). Half a degree more global warming could flood
out 5 million more people. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 17, 2018 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180315110626.htm
Chicago: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-
2.html
In text:
Another half degree of warming could flood five million people (Princeton Univ 2018)
or … according to Princeton University (2018) another half degree of warming…
Bibliography:
Princeton University. 2018. "Half a degree more global warming could flood out 5
million more people." ScienceDaily.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180315110626.htm (accessed March 17, 2018).
If an article has identifiable author(s), replace “Princeton University” with the name(s)
as, e.g. “Anderson, L.S. and Huang, C.”
The bibliographic entry must be as specific as possible; simply writing NASA.gov will
not do. Copy the actual URL from your browser when you are viewing the material
referenced.
If you have more than one bibliographic entry from e.g. Princeton University with the
same date, add a letter a, b, etc. after the date in both the text citation and the
bibliography.
If the source has identifiable page numbers or sections, add the location either in the text
citation or the bibliographic entry.
MLA is common in the humanities; Chicago is common in the physical sciences.
- Assignment 1: Astronomy in the News
- Due Date: Saturday 10.26
- Rubric:
