PHYS UA 13 Observational Astronomy: Fall 2011 General Information Classes. Lecture: Mon. 3:30{4:45, Room 102, Meyer. Labs: Mon. and Wed., 7:00{9:00, Room 224 Meyer. Later in the semester as the daylight hours change, we shall change the lab times to 6:20{8:20. You need to be registered for the lecture and one of the lab sections to be registered for the course. Level. This course is a science elective. Pre-requisites are specified on Albert and in the CAS Bulletin. Course Instructor. Patrick Huggins, Room 530 Meyer, [email protected] Exams. There are weekly quizzes, a mid-term and a final. Course Texts A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets by Jay Pasachoff, 4th edition (Houghton Mifflin). The best handbook/field guide available. The Ever-Changing Sky by James Kaler, (CUP) paperback. Edmund Mag 5 Star Atlas (Edmund Scientific). An old publication but one of the best for actually identifying the stars. Course Objectives Observational Astronomy is a course in technical amateur astronomy. The objectives are to learn which astronomical objects can be seen with the naked eye and small telescopes, when and where astronomical phenomena occur, and what is going on. The lectures provide the necessary background material, and lab sessions provide hands on observing activities with binoculars and telescopes when it is clear outside (about 50% of the time), and with maps, globes, and astronomical software when it is cloudy. Specific objectives include: the ability to identify bright stars and constellations; the use of astronomical atlases and handbooks; the ability to locate the planets; a firm understanding of sky coordinates, the seasons, the phases of the moon and eclipses; how to use astronomical telescopes and what can be seen with them. A detailed list of topics and the associated readings are given in the lecture/reading schedule. At the end of the course the successful student will likely be an informed and interested reader of the popular astronomical press such as Sky and Telescope and Astronomy magazines. Lecture Schedule 1. Introduction to the Sky. The constellations, star names, altitude and azimuth 2. The Changing Sky I. Sky co-ordinates: Right Ascension and Declination 3. The Changing Sky II. Sun motion, sidereal time, magnitudes 4. The Moon. Lunar phases, motion, and telescopic views 5. Planets I. Planet motion in the sky, when and where to find them 6. Planets II. Telescope views of the planets, moons and rings 7. Stars I. Magnitudes, distances, the H-R diagram 8. Stars II. Binary stars, variables, and the Milky Way 9. Deep Sky Objects I. Planetary nebulae, supernovae, H II regions 10. Deep Sky Objects II. Galaxies, where to find them 11. Telescope Optics. How telescopes work, limitations 12. Sun and Eclipses. Sun rotation and sunspots, the geometry of solar and lunar eclipses 13. Comets & Meteors + Review. The small bodies of the Solar System.