Spring 2008
Meeting
times: Monday, 7:00—10:00 pm
Tuesday,
Thursday, 7:30—9:00 pm (make-up nights)
Instructors: James
D. Lowenthal Meg
Lysaght Thacher
McConnell 412 McConnell
409
Tel.: x6995 Tel.:
x3935
james@ast.smith.edu thacher@ast.smith.edu
Mon 2:30-3:30/Wed 1:30-2:30 By appointment
Materials:
·
Stars and Planets by Jay Pasachoff (Houghton Mifflin)
·
Calculator with
trigonometric functions (sin, cos, tan)
·
Warm clothes: winter
hat, mittens, coat, thermal underwear, wool socks
·
Flashlight
|
Date/Moon |
Topic |
Reading/ Due Date |
|
Jan 28 LQ |
Constellations Introduction to Telescopes
and Optics |
S&P Ch. 1 S&P Ch. 16 |
|
Feb 4 NM |
Constellations
Angular Measure |
S&P Chs. 3, 4 S&P pp. 18-20 |
|
Feb 11 FQ |
Nighttime Telescope Operation
The Celestial Sphere &
Coordinate Systems I |
S&P pp. 495-498
Sky Quiz due
|
|
Feb 18 FM |
Nighttime Telescope Operation
The Celestial Sphere &
Coordinate Systems II |
|
|
Feb 25 LQ |
Setting Circles
Optics and Telescopes
|
S&P Ch. 16 |
|
Mar 3 LQ |
Field Trip to Arunah
Hill
(or Eclipses, if cloudy)
|
Telescope Quiz due
|
|
Mar 10 NM |
Observing
Telescope Properties
|
|
|
Mar. 17 FQ |
Spring Break
Spring Break
|
|
|
Mar 24 FM |
Independent Observing
Digital Images
|
S&P Ch. 8 + pp. 481-492, |
|
Mar 31 LQ |
Independent Observing
CCDs
|
Obs. Notebook (3/10) due
|
|
Apr 7 NM |
Independent Observing
Basic Data Reduction
|
Detector Manual |
|
Apr 14 FQ |
Independent Observing
Spectra & Spectral
Classification
|
|
|
Apr 21 FM |
Independent Observing
Eclipses
|
Obs Notebook due S&P pp. 144-149 |
|
Apr 28 LQ |
Independent Observing
Project presentations
|
Observing Projects due |
In this class, you will learn all about telescopes: how they work, how to use them, and how to find your way around the night sky. We will also discuss professional telescopes and learn how astronomers study astronomical objects by observing the light that comes from them.
Our regular class meeting is
Monday 7-10 pm. On most days we
will split that time between two main activities: Indoor lab exercises and
outdoor observing. On cloudy
nights, however, we’ll be indoors only, and on clear nights we may be outdoors
only.
On
most days we will have an in-class laboratory exercise. There will be reading assignments, and
some homework will be assigned. If
you are absent from class, you must come in during a make-up night and complete
the lab within one week of its
original due date. Late
assignments will be accepted with a grade penalty of 25% per week of lateness.
Each
Monday night, we will be observing the sky if it’s clear or learning about some
aspect of telescopes if it’s cloudy.
For the first half of the semester, there will be an organized outdoor
lab exercise every week. During the
second half of the semester, you’ll use the observing sessions to perform
independent observations with the telescopes. Because some Mondays will undoubtedly be too
cloudy to permit observing, we have also designated Tuesdays and Thursdays from
7:30-9:00 pm as makeup nights for any observing. All students in the class must have either Tuesday or Thursday evening free, in
addition to Monday, in order to complete the nighttime observing.
III. Observing Notebook
and Project
After you have learned how to use the telescopes and
how to navigate the night sky, you will be able to do independent
observing. Guidelines for the
observing notebook will be handed out later in the semester. The first three
observations are due on Mar. 31;
the complete observing notebook is due on April 21.
You
will also be required to obtain data, complete a project and make a
presentation to the class, due April 28, our last class meeting.
You will take two quizzes in the
course of the semester. The first
is the Sky Quiz, due by Feb. 11, in which you will identify constellations and bright
stars for your instructor or a TA.
The second is the Telescope Quiz, due by Mar 3, in which you will demonstrate that you can operate a
small telescope, identify its parts, and locate celestial objects with it. If you do not pass a quiz before
its deadline, your grade will be reduced by 25% for every week past the due
date.
Grading
In-class labs 40%
Outdoor labs 10%
Observing Notebook 20%
Observing Project 20%
Quizzes 10%