Syllabus Astronomy 113 - The hands on UniverseFall semester 2006 (09/05 - 12/15/2006)4421 Sterling HallCourse web page: http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~heinzs/astro113Sebastian Heinz! ! ! ! Nathaniel DoaneAssistant Professor! ! ! ! Teaching Assistant6508 Sterling Hall! ! ! ! 4524 Sterling Hall, (608) 265-2554, [email protected]! ! ! ! [email protected] description:Astronomy 113 is a hands-on tour of the visible universe through computer simulated and experimental exploration. During the 14 lab sessions, we will encounter objects located in our own solar system, stars filling the Milky Way, and objects located much further away in the far reaches of spaceNOTE:Labs start the first week of classes. Due to a clerical error, the online timetable on the course listing web site erroneously states that labs do not meet the first week of classes. Because a notification E-mail was not sent out until close to the beginning of the semester, it will be possible to make up the first lab either during the open lab on Friday 09/08, 1:00 - 2:55 pm or Friday 09/15 at 1:00-2:55 pm.Class requirements:You will need to have a paper copy of the lab manual (which can be purchased from the Social Sci-ence Copy Center, Room 6120 Social Science Building or downloaded and printed from the course web site) by the third week of classes. There is no textbook for astronomy 113, but your textbook for as-tronomy 100 or 103 will be helpful when preparing for the labs and taking the quizzes.You will also need a dedicated lab notebook to record your findings in. You will additionally use this lab notebook during the open book quizzes at the end of the labs, and to prepare lab write ups. You can use any empty notebook for this purpose. Remember to write neatly and keep your answers and notes organized (the question numbers in the lab manual will provide a natural way to put your comments and sketches in order). This will help greatly in answering the quizzes.A scientific calculator (one that can perform logarithms, trigonometric functions, and exponential nota-tion - even the most basic scientific calculators can perform these functions) will be required to com-plete some of the labs. There are a small number of calculators available for use in Sterling 4421, but bringing your own will allow you to complete the labs more quickly. A description about using scientific calculators can be found in the appendix to the lab book (handed out in class) or on the web site.Prep work:In order to finish the labs on time, it is essential to read the lab manual before coming to class. Each lab will come with a set of pre-lab questions that will help prepare you for the lab. These will be handed out the week before the lab starts. They can also be downloaded from the web page. You should write your answers to these pre-lab questions on a new, empty page in your lab book after reading the lab and before coming to class. If you have not completed the pre-lab assignment, two points will be sub-tracted from the grade for that lab.Office hours (open lab periods):Friday 1:00-2:55 pm, 4421 Sterling HallYou will have full access to the computers and lab equipment to finish labs that could not be completed during regular lab hours. It will also be possible to take the quiz after completing a lab during office hours and to hand in lab write ups that are due that week.Grading policy:The course grade is made up of 8 lab grades. Each lab will be graded on a scale from 0-10. The grades for six of the labs will be based on open book/open notes quizzes given at the end of the lab. The re-maining two labs will be graded based on a lab write up that will be due the week after finishing the lab (you will have at least a week to complete the lab write up at home). The grade for each lab will be based on the clarity of your written answer, the coherence of your train of thought, and on the correct-ness of your result. The lab schedule below will show you when there is a quiz and when there will be write ups due. There will be opportunities to earn extra credit for individual labs as well as by participat-ing in the night viewing sessions.Not completing a quiz by Friday 2:55 pm of the scheduled week without prior approval by the instructor will result in a zero grade for that lab. The same is true for lab write ups that are not handed in by Friday 2:55 pm the week they are due.As noted in the section on prep work, you will need to complete the pre-lab assignment, otherwise two points will be deducted from your lab score.Lab Schedule:09/05-08! Celestial Motions: An Introduction to the Sky09/12-15! Celestial Motions: An Introduction to the Sky! Quiz (celestial motions)09/19-22! The Refracting Telescope! pre-lab due (telescope)09/26-29! The Refracting Telescope! Quiz (refracting telescope)10/03-06! Parallax: The Distance to the Stars! pre-lab due (parallax)10/10-13! Parallax: The Distance to the Stars! Quiz (parallax)10/17-20! Observing Sun Spots! pre-lab due (sun spots)10/24-27! Spectral Classification of Stars! Write up due (sun spots), pre-lab due (stars)10/31-11/03 !Spectral Classification of Stars! Quiz (stars)11/07-10! The Universe ca. 1900! pre-lab due (universe 1900)11/14-17! The Universe ca. 1900! Quiz (universe ca. 1900)11/21-24! No lab (Thanksgiving break)11/28-12/01! The Crab Nebula! pre-lab due (crab)12/05-08! The Expansion of the Universe! Write up due (crab), pre-lab due (expansion)12/12-15! The Expansion of the Universe! Quiz (expansion)Extra-lab activity (not mandatory):These hands-on activities are not mandatory. Schedules are subject to change due to weather and par-ticipation. Check with the instructor or on the course web page the day of the activitiy. Because cloud cover can change quickly, we cannot guarantee that a night session which has not been cancelled on the web will actually take place (this is one of the difficulties in observational astronomy). Because night viewing sessions will be held late during the semester (when the sun sets earlier), you will need to dress approprietly for cold weather! Participation counts as extra credit. Sign-up sheets for the fol-lowing activities will be passed around during the lab sessions:11/20! Night viewing session - starts 7:00 pm at Washburn Observatory11/27! Night viewing session (only if 11/20 was overcast) - starts 7:00 pm at Washburn Observatory12/4! Night viewing session - starts 7:00 pm at Washburn Observatory12/11! Night viewing session (only if 12/4 was overcast) - starts