Today is the second day of SSP, and it is very nice overall.
During class, we went over the basics of celestial coordinates and some vector math.
We also visited the planetarium. Visiting the planetarium is one of the most amazing experiences I had in the first two days of SSP because it is the first time that I got to see so many stars (although they are virtual). The moment that left the deepest impression on me is when Dr. C removed the effect of atmosphere on the view of the sky (so that we can see how stars are shining during the day if their light is not refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere) and when we zoomed forward and backward two thousand years to see how our coordinates have changed. Visiting the planetarium is also educational in the sense that we can directly experience what was taught in class (I.e. celestial coordinates, meridian, equation of time).
After dinner we worked on our problem sets, which is a bit challenging for me because it is the first time I learned about celestial coordinates. However, everyone is very friendly and willing to help, so with their help, I eventually understood some of the more difficult ideas.
Looking forward to observing our asteroid tomorrow!
-Jean
