Week Two in Review

Day 1. I was faced with multiple roadblocks. When I arrived, x term was no responding so I worked on code academy until the professors arrived and could figure out what was wrong with the code. After lunch we had a learning session. We learned how to find redshift using wavelengths. We also learned how to find the redshift if we had recession velocity. We learned that the Hubble Constant was attained by taking the recession velocity(km/s) and dividing it by the distance(Mpc). We learned where a parsec comes from. It is the distance from the Sun that creates an angle of one arc sec with the Earth. The distance between the Sun and Earth is 1AU. We learned that there are different filters that galaxies can be observed in; they are "F","N","u","g","r","i","z". The "u","g","r","i","z" data comes from the SDSS. I spent the afternoon working on plotting the absolute magnitude in the g-band vs the number of  galaxies. After I get the first one on I begin to work on sub-plotting the images. I found that subplots meant that multiple graphs will appear in the one figure. I look up many different ways to make sub plots but am having a difficult time applying it to my graphs. By the end of the afternoon I was beginning to get close to what needed to be plotted but something was just a hair off. End Day 1

Day 2. I was having difficulties logging into x term so I worked on code academy. We then decided how we were going to split up who was going to read what paper. I have nine articles to read. It is a slow and tedious process to read these papers because the words and equations that are being used are often more advanced than what I know. I was able to get help with my x term so I was able to get a subplot of Coma, MKW11, and MKW8 to work. I then worked on the first of many papers that I have to read.  End Day 2

Day 3.   I worked on changing the y axis of my plot a log but kept finding difficulty when I tried to run the code on MKW8. Brendan Mike and myself then worked on figuring out how to send something to github. After we successfully figured that out, I began to continue working on the article from yesterday. I find that it takes me about 3 reads through the intro and conclusion to understand what exactly the scientific motivation, goals, results, data, and comparison to others works are. After lunch I work on my second article. I also found what the nine clusters that I will be working with are, MKW11, MKW8, Coma, Hercules, NGC6107, AWM4, A1367, A2052, and A2063. End Day 3

Day 4. I wrote the summary for the article that I read yesterday afternoon. Then I begin to work on plotting all of the clusters in my Mg vs number of galaxies subplot. I was able to get the log working on MKW8. Mike Brendan and I then attempt to figure out how we can go from absolute magnitude to luminosity. We finally find an equation that gives us enough constants and will allow us to solve for the luminosity of the galaxies in the cluster. When we figure that out we attempt to write a program that allows us to graph luminosity. The graph seems off but we are getting a graph for the local cluster survey. I finish the afternoon reading an article and writing a summary. I will wait until tomorrow so that I can ask questions about what is wrong with my graph. End Day 4

Day 5. I was going to work on an article but then I was able to ask for help about my graphs. We found out that we had worked the absolute magnitude luminosity equation too much. So now I attempt to fix the code. This correction when it finally works not only makes my code simpler but it also is an easier equation to run. Alyssa then assisted me in starting to write a loop so that I do not need to hard code each cluster for any function. After I got my loop to function properly, I was able to begin labeling my axes. I was able to put a legend onto the graphs so that you are able to pick out which cluster went with each graph. With Mike's help I was able to figure out how to put a sun into my axis for my graphs. At the end of the week, this is the graphs that I was able to produce.