Use images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to measure the rotation period of the Sun. Further, submit a sketch of the sunspot positions on different days and your estimate for the rotation period for the Sun.  Find a time period of time where the Sun has many sunspots (use the plot of the sunspot number at the space weather website. https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/solar-activity/solar-cycle/historical-solar-cycles (Links to an external site.)).

For a period of 30 days get one image a day from the SDO archive:  https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/aiahmi/ (Links to an external site.) . Use the following settings: Telescopes / Wavelengths: HMI Intensity gram Flat (orange)
Browser Display

Use either 1024×1024 or 512×512 for the resolution
Display one image per nth (optional): 96

Sketch the sunspots for each day on a single diagram of the Sun.  Label each spot with the date for the image it is from. 

For this project submit your sketch of the sunspot positions on different days and your estimate for the rotation period for the Sun and your reasoning for choosing that number

Solar Dynamics Observatory: Sunspot positions

Your photo, cropped, scaled, and/or compressed appropriately so that it DOES NOT EXCEED 5 MB IN SIZE. All files must be in either JPG or PNG format. Photos in other formats will receive grades of zero.

Your answers to the reflection questions, given below. Answers must total no more than 500 words.
We will grade you on three factors:

The quality of your image.

The accuracy and thoughtfulness of your answers to the reflection questions.

The clarity of your writing and the level of polish of your project.

Reflection Questions
Regardless of which project you choose, your submission must include the answers to the following questions, for full marks. Your answers must not exceed 500 words in total. 

What equipment did you use, from what location did you take your photo, on what date and at what time?
What do the difficulties you faced during this project tell you about the kinds of difficulties professional astronomers face in trying to make similar observations?

How do they overcome them? (That is, what specific strategies do they use in terms of using specialized equipment, observing from specific locations or at specific time?)
What did you learn about your target object that you didn’t know before?
If you were tasked with doing this project again next year, how would you improve your results?