Astr 3005/3006 Observational Astronomy

1. Astr 3005/3006Observational Astronomy Instructor: Dr. Spencer Buckner Office: SSC B-326 Office Hours: MWF 10:15 – 11:15am and 1:30 – 2:30pm or by appointment Class Meeting Time:Thursday evenings Lecture: 5:30 – 6:30pm in SSC B-310 Lab: 7:10 – 10:10pm at the APSU Observatory

2. Textbook Observational Astronomy 2nd Edition by D. Scott Birney, Guillermo Gonzalez and Davis Oesper

3. Also Recommended I will buy a number of them from OPT at a slight discount and resale them to you at cost. Let me know which one you want.

4. Constellations Test During the semester you will be required to learn the locations of 25 constellations and 30 named stars in the planetarium. The planetarium test is an up or down test, no partial credit. The last day to take the test is Thursday December 11.

5. You will be require to keep a logbook of your observations. The logbook will be collected several times during the semester and at the end of the semester. It will be graded for completeness and number of entries. You should have entries for each observing lab as well as any observations you make outside of class Observing Log • Every log entry should include • Date, time and location of observation • Sky seeing conditions • Instrument used (including focal length or f/ratio) • Magnification and eyepieces used • Description of the objects observed

6. There will be at least five observing labs during the semester. Some of the labs will be completed in a single night while others may take observations over several weeks to complete. Each observing lab will require a formal write-up and at least one lab will require a short oral presentation to the class. Not everyone will present the same lab. We will “draw straws” for the order of presentation. The presentation should be 7 to 10 minutes long and will be presented on the Wednesday the lab write-up is turned in. First Lab: Telescopic Observations of the Moon Multiple night lab…observations over the next four weeks. Lab write-up will be due September 25 Observing Labs

7. Homework Homework will be assigned from the Review Questions at the back of each chapter. They will be due on the Wednesday following the completion of the chapter. Additional problems from other sources may also be assigned to supplement the back-of-chapter questions. First Homework set is due Wednesday September 4. Chapter 1 # 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 Answer in complete sentences, where appropriate. Show your calculation on #6

8. Project The first project is to observe and properly log at least 45 Messier objects. The observations can be done during regular observing lab nights or on your own. Some of the objects can be observed with binoculars while others will require a telescope. You will be requires to give a short (7 – 10 minutes) oral presentation on either this project or the second project during the final exam period Wednesday December 10. A list of other projects will be distributed within the first few weeks of class.

9. Part of the requirements for the introductory astronomy classes is to attend a 1st Quarter Observing Night and a Dark Sky Observing Night. You will serve as set-up and take-down for those nights. All nights start at 7:30pm. The nights are We will meet in B-310 approximately 45 minutes prior to the start time. On weeks when there are observing nights, there will be no lab. The class lecture will take place during those weeks. Observing Nights First Quarter Nights Dark Sky Nights

10. Tonight: becoming familiar with how to set-up the various telescopes. If possible, make observation of the Moon. Expect to stay the full time Next Week: 1st Quarter Observing Night on Tuesday so no lab. You can make some lunar observations during the evening, though. Week after: class meets here for lecture then migrates to the Farm for lab (if clear). Plan on carpooling. If cloudy: cloudy night lab. Schedule for the next three weeks

11. The Celestial Sphere A useful fiction but it has its limitations

12. Spherical Coordinates On the Earth, the angle f is the latitude while the angle l is the longitude. A third quantity, the altitude, is needed to describe the position in 3D

13. Alt-Az Coordinates The Alt-Az coordinates are tied to your locale. Azimuth is the angle around from due north (0°) and altitude is the angle above the horizon. Third quantity, distance to object, isn’t used.

14. Celestial Equatorial Coordinates • (Right Ascention) is the angle around from the Vernal Equinox • (Declination) is the angle above (+) or below (-) the celestial equator • The celestial equator is the projection of the Earth’s equator onto the celestial sphere. The Vernal equinox is the point where the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving northward

15. Ecliptic Coordinates Useful for specifying the positions and orbits of objects within the solar system

16. Galactic Coordinates Useful for galactic orbit calculations. Many sky survey star maps use galactic coordinates

17. Measuring Celestial Coordinates The Meridian Telescope Measure when an object crosses the meridian and, given your longitude, you have its Right Ascension

18. Measuring Celestial Coordinates II Find the angle between the object and the North (or South) Celestial Pole and you have the compliment of its declination

19. 5-Minute Essay My name is ___________. I am a (sophomore, junior, senior, other) My major is _____________. I am taking Observational astronomy because I want to learn_____________. When I graduate, I want to __________.