Astronomy 3010
Syllabus Fall 2006 Tues, Thurs 12:30-1:15
Office
235 Physics; hours 11-noon Tues, Thurs or by appointment;
Office
phone 542-2870, home phone 353-2614
Homepage
http://www.physast.uga.edu/~jss/
Course
Homepage http://hal.physast.uga.edu/~jss/3010/
This
is a ‘How To’ course. How to find your way around the sky, use a
telescope, take and reduce astronomical data, and interpret those data.
When we are learning ‘how to’ we will also learn some background information
about why we are doing what we are doing: coordinate systems, systems of time,
properties of telescopes, properties of detectors, etc. Then there is the
long
list of terminology: CCD, German mount, local apparent solar time, H & K
lines, color-color diagram, etc. Every field has its own language.
If you have trouble understanding how to do a task, how or why software,
hardware or a process works, or what I am saying when I talk ‘astronomy’,
please ask questions.
Students
come to the course with a wide variety of experience. Some have been
astronomy majors for three or more years. Some are non-majors. If
you are new to all of this and it seems to be going over your head please get
help and don’t get behind. If you are a ‘pro’, help the ones who don’t
have your background.
Night
work –
You will need at least 2 nights a week available free from any
obligation. If your early evenings are full, think about all that
wonderful time after midnight. We share the telescope with the ASTR1110L
class and with the public nights. Wednesday nights are reserved for
ASTR1110L. You may get on the telescope only after they have
finished! There will be a sign up sheet for all observations. You
MUST sign up to observe. Even if there is no one signed up when you come
to observe, still write your name in. You are obligated to show up and
observe if you are signed up! That means when you sign up you should have
accounted for all your next-day tests and other activities.
Group
work –
All observations with the UGA 0.6m telescope will be done in groups of two or
three. Group work is fully collaborative with the group receiving one
grade for the project.
I
encourage all of you to teach each other. However, I expect each of you
to do your own work and hand it in as such. [See the exception, group
work.] Of course, any form of outright plagiarism is absolutely
forbidden. If you use material from outside sources, even the web, cite
it!
About
the syllabus, especially deadlines. Below is an outline of the course.
Since several of the things we do require clear weather many of the dates are
approximate. However, there is bad luck with weather, and there is
procrastination. If the weather is terrible I will slide the deadlines
for observations projects back some. The other slack you have is in the
grading system.
The
approximate sequence of topics covered in class (and on the tests)
The
Sky
Time
Phenomena
Refraction,
aberration, the atmosphere –
Precession,
nutation, etc.
Catalogs,
atlases, and nomenclature ‑
Telescopes
Fundamentals
Configurations
Aberrations
Eyepieces
Mounts
Atmosphere
Optics,
Adaptive optics
Detectors
Photography
CCDs
Midterm
Test In-class and Take-home October 5
Photometry –
Methodology
Color systems
Spectroscopy
Instrumentation
Spectra
Final
Test In-class and Take-home Dec 14 noon pm
Observations
50 Asteroid Due December 2
Exercises
10
Asteroid Pick and Finder Chart
40
Binary star, reduction and analysis Due Dec 13
Tests
80
Midterm In-class and Take-home October 5
100
Final In-class and Take-home Dec 14 3:30 pm
~30 Miscellaneous problems each
During the term there will be homework questions
for you try before we discuss them in class. I will post them on the web
so you can do them ahead of time. Questions similar to them will show up
on the tests so be sure you do them and understand what is going on.
Occasionally I will assign a problem due for
credit. There will be about 30- 40 points total for these over the
semester. Observations are due physically in my box, under my door or
electronically submitted by 23:30 Local Mean Solar Time on the date
noted. This does not apply to tests. All tests, take home and in
class, must be turned in on time.
Total points 390+ Grade based on (points
earned)/360