Astronomy GCSE Coursework!!

Hey, I'm doing Astronomy GCSE and I need to do some observational coursework but I'm finding it difficult to complete or even understand some of the suggestions!
Here is a link to what I can do: http://www.theplanetearthcentre.btinternet.co.uk/gcse_coursework.htm

A lot of these are so dependent on weather or timing that I just can't seem to get a good time to even attempt most of them.

I already know what I'm doing for the aided observation but really need to get this unaided done before I get back to school and have no time.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I'm beginning to panic a bit! :afraid:

Reply 1

username564415

14

This is not helpful but I never knew there was an astronomy GCSE... Wow

Carry on

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 2

Scary Third

OP

3

Yeah, it's a bit tough as you have to do all the work yourself at home and I know it will be worth it but if I can't get this coursework done I may have to quit. It's all quite sad really, I'm very interested in the subject and it is very good if you want to do Physics A level.

Reply 3

dobbys sock

10

There's an astronomy GCSE? Wow, I wish I could have done that. It would be like my very own Hogwarts class.

What are you doing for the aided observation?

Astronomy GCSE!?

I've done Astronomy GCSE last year and got an A. The coursework is really hard, and so are the exams, it is by far the hardest gcse I have ever done, and I had to do the whole thing in a year with only 1 lesson every week.

What I did for my coursework is drew the moon at new moon, crescent moon, half moon, three quarter moon and full moon, then three quarter moon, half moon and crescent moon from a big detailed picture on the net.

Each drawing was big and detailed on seperate pieces of A4 paper. The I added dates and times that matched with the moon calender, and added weather conditions and my location. Then I added about 12 pages of typed up work and diagrams explaining why we see the moon change through different phases and why it had its surface features such as craters.

My second piece was a huge A2 diagram of the moon drawn on tracing paper, and I labelled apollo landings and names of all the different major crates, although you will need a big detailed and illustrated diagram of the moon and a lot of time to complete this.

Most of my friends did the same, although some took many photographs of the moon instead of drawing it at different stages, and got similar marks.

The top two projects I mentioned are probably the easiest on selection. I tried to do the meteor shower project but it proved near impossible when each meteor from the Perseid meteor shower last year (which made a show again some weeks ago) lasted 0.5 seconds.

Feel free to PM for more help.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 6

Scary Third

OP

3

For the aided I either want to measure the sidereal day or use a sundial and determine it's accuracy. I can, and have already made, a sundial accurate to my area although I would probably make another bigger one for it. That would be the easiest for me.

For the unaided I would like to do the shadow stick and I think I'm just being a bit dim. I know what all the words mean and I've done work on how to do it and I've read about it but it just seems to not make sense to me.

I really appreciate the answer, planetearth and it has really helped me in thinking how I can go about this. The girls at my school who did it last year didn't really talked to us about it and the example we have is not particularly helpful with most of the projects we have available. I'll PM you if I need more help later on. Thanks again!

Reply 7

566

7

I'm doing my unaided right now, and I'm also doing the shadow stick thing. It's not very hard, you can PM me if you need any help.

Reply 8

Scary Third

OP

3

I'm back at school on wed so I'll ask the others in my class and my teacher, although I'll probably have less trouble the second I get back and have to do some serious work again.

Reply 9

blackcurls

2

I finished my GCSE this summer, I really enjoyed it tbh!
I chose the shadow stick for the unaided, I did a lot of the un-aided projects without writing them all up, but I chose that one because it's by far the easiest to squeeze in technical words to gain the marks :smile:

for the aided i chose a robotic telescope which was really fun and i got some really good pictures as well!
all I'd say is don't give it up, it's a really good subject and if you enjoy it, more for a reason. stick at it!

Reply 10

Aman.G

Does anybody know a college or centre of some sort that offers GCSE Astronomy anywhere at all in the west midlands

Reply 11

kinyung

Um, hey.
I seriously need help, I just want to ask where did you get pictures for moon daily on the internet, cos I can't find any.

Reply 12

Helsy

12

Original post by kinyung

Um, hey.
I seriously need help, I just want to ask where did you get pictures for moon daily on the internet, cos I can't find any.

Have you tried googling 'The Moon'...? [Sorry, my sarcasm is condition I am trying to keep under control :wink:

] Because that's all I did. Had an A4 sheet of paper with several moons on it and shaded it in each night. And you just need a simple image for that.

Reply 13

Scary Third

OP

3

All finished now, and worth it in the end! After my mock exam I was on track for a high A so hopefully I did better in the actually thing to pull an A*. Anyone else collecting their results come August 23rd? It's the only result I'm allowed to receive because we do it a year early and our school no longer allows yr10s to collect module results with the yr11s.

Reply 14

Loveyourself786

1

I'm doing my astronomy GCSE and I'm stuck on what to do for my coursework. I only have 2 weeks to prepare it and I'm really worried. here is the list of the observations I can pick from. http://www.planeteartheducation.co.u...coursework.htm

For my unaided I've decided to do shadow stick and for my aided constellation photography or drawings of messier objects but I don't know what to write about and how to start it. Also no one in my school does it so I have no support or help. If anybody could recommend me what observations I could do and how to start doing them it will be very appreciated. I REALLY want an A*!!!

xxxxxx

Reply 15

Gudu2003

I am doing Aided Constellation photography and for unaided i am doing levels of light pollution Iv nearly finished my coureswork

Reply 16

99Nish

Hi, did you do the A1, Lunar feature? Because i am doing that right now. ATM i am not too what to do as my analysis so could you please help me ? Did you do the -why we see the phases and how they were formed?
Please help

Reply 17

Arose309

3

I really need to do my constellations unaided coursework, but I'm really struggling! My teacher isn't great and the planning makes no sense at all! Am I meant to write about the light pollution of the area? And if so, how am I meant to figure it out? Also, my aided if features of the moon, but again, I'm not sure how to do that, and how it can be 'aided'. Help!

Reply 18

Joinedup

20

Original post by Arose309

I really need to do my constellations unaided coursework, but I'm really struggling! My teacher isn't great and the planning makes no sense at all! Am I meant to write about the light pollution of the area? And if so, how am I meant to figure it out? Also, my aided if features of the moon, but again, I'm not sure how to do that, and how it can be 'aided'. Help!

'unaided' means naked eye
'aided' means with the use of binoculars, a camera or a telescope

see also the spec p29-30 https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/astronomy-2009.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=Pearson-UK:Category%2FSpecification-and-sample-assessments

and reference commentaries (esp 2) https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/astronomy-2009.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=Pearson-UK:Category%2FControlled-assessments

Reply 19

helenh567

6

Original post by blackcurls

I finished my GCSE this summer, I really enjoyed it tbh!
I chose the shadow stick for the unaided, I did a lot of the un-aided projects without writing them all up, but I chose that one because it's by far the easiest to squeeze in technical words to gain the marks :smile:

for the aided i chose a robotic telescope which was really fun and i got some really good pictures as well!
all I'd say is don't give it up, it's a really good subject and if you enjoy it, more for a reason. stick at it!

Hi, I know it's 5 years later and you've probably forgotten, but can I ask how you did on your shadow stick experiment coursework? Do you have any advice on how to get the top marks? :smile:

Astronomy GCSE Coursework!!

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