Astro 8A: Observational Astronomy – Fall '08
Syllabus
Instructor: Rick Nolthenius
Lab Asst: Dave McKulle
Office: 706a
Phone: 479-6506, but I'm easier to reach by email:
rinolthe@cabrillo.edu
Office Hours:
Welcome to Observational Astronomy!
This is your opportunity to bond with fellow students under the starry skies
and see the real thing - all of the bizarre inhabitants of the universe you
learned about in the lecture class. Note that Astro 8A is the required lab
class needed to complete your lab science requirement in conjunction with
Astro 3, 4 or Astro 10. Also note that the class is not designed as a parallel
course with Astro 3, 4, or 10.
General Points:
On clear nights, drive yourself to the
observatory at the end of the little dirt road on the extreme west side of
campus, close to Porter Gulch Rd.; don't go to the classroom - going to the
classroom first will just slow us down tremendously. It’s at the end of “Well
Road”, which is a little dirt road next
to to the west entrance to the circle drive around the upper campus, right
across from the parking structures. The road goes into that big grove of eucalyptus
trees. Follow it all the way to the end; about a ¼ mile
* On the second week I'll come in with your lab notebooks for the observing
lab projects (see (A.) below).
Here's what you'll need:
REQUIRED ITEMS
1. Star and Planet Locator -
available in bookstore, about $3; way cheap!)
2. a 3-ring binder for your lab
sheets (your "Observing Notebook")
3. a flashlight with red cellophane,
or tailight tape, or something to insure that it gives off red light. Red
light does not cause the eye to close
down and reduce dark adaption. For the ultimate, go to Outdoor World and ask
for their red/white LED elastic headlamps – about $14 - for hands-free observing.
4. In-class lab supplies:
- calculator which does exponents and logs
- ruler marked in millimeters.
We do have many in the lab room if you don't have one
- pencil and eraser (most
labs should not be done in pen. You'll be doing
corrections along the way.
RECOMMENDED
ITEMS..........
1. Warm clothes!
2. Binoculars (Cabrillo has 6 pair
– not enough for everyone, and binocs are the best thing for several of our
projects. If you have a pair please bring
them!
3. Snacks (chocolate chip cookies are especially delicious to the instructor!)
WHAT WE'LL BE
DOING.........
Grading in this class has always
been a bit of an adventure -we never know when or if we'll have clear skies.
Here's my system...Work will be divided between cloudy night in‑class
quizzes/labs, and clear night observing projects at the observatory. The percentages
quoted will be adjusted depending on the fraction of clear/cloudy nights and
what we have time for.
A. Lab Book Individual Projects: ~
34% of grade
I've made up a list of projects
which require simple visual observations using telescopes, binoculars, or
the naked eye at the observatory. These can range from drawings of planets
and comets to charting planet movements, to monitoring the brightness of variable
stars, to timing lunar occultations, etc. There may be an additional lab or
two added later - depending on late-breaking astro discoveries. Put them into
a 3-ring binder. If you don't, in the dark they'll tend to get lost, stepped
on, soaked with dew, ripped out, etc.. Note HOW you made the observation (What
telescope, what eyepiece, what time, what were the conditions like (i.e. any
clouds, what was the seeing quality?) You'll hand in your notebook at the
end of the course. The more detail I see, the more observant I'll think you
were. Also NEATNESS COUNTS! I've seen too many sheets with stuff just scribbled
on them - a prefunctory effort does not qualify you for an "A" ("A"
stands for "AOutstanding!" not "Adequate").
Not all projects will be possible to complete, since some depend on events
which happen only once or twice and may be clouded out. Of course, this is
factored into the grading.
B.Team Projects ~20%
In addition to these individual
projects, I hope to have one team project, for 2-3 member teams. Make friends
early! Form a team!
* Photometry Project - This one is a "maybe". You'll use our 10" Meade telescope
(IF it's repaired - prognosis is guarded) with photoelectric photometer and
computer link to take data on an eclipsing binary star eclipse. Weather permitting,
teams will have one night for their project star. During that night, you will
be at the photometry station taking continuous data. Each of you will rotate
through different duties of the data-taking process. Karl and I will give
you plenty of help here. During your photometry project night you will only
do other on-going lab projects as time permits - your primary goal is to take
good photometric data for later analysis in the classroom.
* Digital Science Project - We may have our CCD camera / 12” LX200 telescope combo back and working
this semester, and have a lab project along the lines of the following - color-magnitude
diagram for a star cluster, calculating the orbit of an asteroid, or something
cool. This is a new thing, and still in the works.
C. Classroom Projects for Cloudy Nights: about
25% of Total Grade
These will be done on lab sheets
I hand out and which also more fully describe the lab. All will have math
required, so always have your calculator! Each of you will record your own
work on your own labsheets.
D. Video Quizzes: about 11% of Total
Grade
I have some video programs. "The
Astronomers", some "Nova" programs, and a few others. These
are usually one hour long. We'll see the video, you taking good notes, and
afterward we talk a little and then you take a multiple choice quiz using
your own notes. We may also have a planetarium visit one night, followed by
a quiz. It'll be pretty hard for you to make up missed video quizes, as I
can't loan them out for you to take home. Good attendence is really essential
in this class.
Grade points
A 80% and above
B 70%
C 62% CRedit
D 52%
F less than 52%
F. Attendence:
Attendence is pretty basic to
showing you're taking the class seriously. Here's how attendence works. After
your numerical grade has been figured from all other work, I'll then take
points OFF for poor attendence. For missed classes I will deduct:
miss 1 night............. - 0%
miss 2 nights............ - 1%
miss 3 nights............ - 3%
miss 4 nights............ - 4% (that's
almost half a letter grade!)
miss 5 nights............ -7%
miss 6 nights............ -12%
miss 7 nights............ -20%
miss 8 nights or more.... -30%
You can see that the penalty doesn’t
just rise, it accelerates! Miss more than a couple of sessions it’ll really
hurt!
G. Extra Credit:
We always are in need of new and
neat stuff, some of which can be built. If you are good with the soldering
iron or workshop and we have a good idea, you can essentially get all your
credit by a special project we decide on. Build and donate a radio telescope,
or an FM meteor detection system, or...??
Grading Philosophy: If you miss a class, you not only suffer attendence penalties, you also
miss the opportunity to earn whatever quiz points were available. It's not
possible to give you a private personal showing of the video program. Also,
I like to go over the exams right afterwards, which makes it impossible to
give makeup exams. For missed labs, I allow you to come in and get the lab
and work on it at home and turn it in late, taking a small penalty.
ADDED Esprit de
Corps…
* You're all welcome and encouraged to bring along cookies, brownies and
other snacks to share. It'll help us all "bond", and besides, we'll
need the calories to keep us warm up on the hill as the weather cools. You
can also feel free to bring along some drinks (no drugs or alcohol, of course).
Final Note - Our
Website:
I have got a Cabrillo astronomy
website up and running. I'd like to try using this as a way to broadcast late
breaking things, like starparty weather cancellations or last second changes
of plans etc. So get in the habit of checking our website regularly -