Hello,
My name is Nick Wiest and I love astronomy. I am in 9th grade and I am interested in doing an experiment for the Regional Science Fair. Last year, I participated in the regional fair and my project was awarded a purple ribbon. I went on and participated at the State Science Fair and I was recognized in category of Optics and Phonetics. My project was about looking through a spectrometer to determine the emission and absorption wavelengths that hydrogen gas has, and how they affect the visible light spectrum. I connected this idea back to the James Webb Space Telescope because it will be looking through an exoplanet's atmosphere to determine the elements in it. This could help to show if that exoplanet could harbor life.
I would really like to complete a project this year for the Regional Science Fair. I have a Zhumell Z8 with a solar filter and I was thinking about using my telescope to view sun spots. I have thought of one idea but it doesn't directly involve using my telescope for the experiment. I know there is a lot of research currently going on to track sunspots and how they could possibly predict coronal mass ejections. These coronal mass ejections could significantly impact or wipe out the electrical grid depending on its intensity and location of impact. My idea for a science project would be to build a mini model of a grid and present different scenarios as to how a coronal mass ejection could affect the grid which in turn would impact cities and populations.
I would like to do a science fair project involving astronomy, but this is a tough area to figure out what a good experiment could be. Any ideas would be welcomed.
Thank you for your time,
Nick Wiest
