Why every observatory needs a disco ball
arXiv:2309.14173 · doi:10.1088/1361-6552/ad1fa0
Abstract
Commercial disco balls provide a safe, effective and instructive way of observing the Sun. We explore the optics of solar projections with disco balls, and find that while sunspot observations are challenging, the solar disk and its changes during eclipses are easy and fun to observe. We explore the disco ball's potential for observing the moon and other bright astronomical phenomena.
6 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to Physics Education. Comments welcome