Astronomy Labs
The following schedule is completely tentative as it depends on weather. Outdoor labs are given a priority over "indoor" or Cloudy Weather labs. Once you go to a lab session and sign on to the roll, you can not change labs or come to another night. Lab nights are not guaranteed to have the same labs, as they are weather and schedule dependent. Also, it will be very cold some nights and we will go outside for hours at a time on clear nights.
Schedule
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday taught by Luther Richardson email: lrich AT physics DOT auburn DOT edu
Monday taught by Dr. W. Maddox email: maddox AT physics DOT auburn DOT edu
Click here for the The C8 Set-up Procedure
The Plan
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Clear Weather |
Cloudy Weather |
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Constellations (Grade sheet --> Ex1) |
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Telescopes(Grade sheet --> Ex3) |
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Review Cepheid Lab + Cepheid Extra |
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Sun (daytime lab - no night mtg) |
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Star Quiz (by March 13 / April 17th) |
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The Reality
Check with your lab instructor to find out which labs to have with you each week. By the end of each lab, your instructor can tell you what lab you will do the next meeting if it's clear or if it is cloudy.
Lab Attendance
A roll will be taken each lab. The attendance policy for lab is explained in the class syllabus. Due to the high numbers of students in each lab section, no switching of nights is allowed. Exceptions can be made only with the prior approval of a lab instructor. Excused absences require university documentation.
Grading
Each lab is worth 100 points and there will be 12 graded labs. All written lab assignments are intended to be done individually even when working with one or two other students, unless instructed otherwise. A final average will be turned in to Dr. Bozack to be used in part to determine your final average in the class.
Equipment
Each group (2 students per group) will need a scientific calculator, and their class text for reference. Each group will be assigned a telescope to use with accessories. Any damaged or missing equipment will be charged to the students in that specific group.
Students are required to print out the pages they need for each lab prior to arriving to lab. In the case of cloudy weather, your instructor will email you which lab will be completed if it is cloudy at least 24 hours ahead of time. Some labs may not be available online, in which case, copies will be provided. Labs turned in without the original lab sheets will be penalized 10 points, and possibly more if neatness becomes a problem.
Many of the indoor labs come from the Physics and Astronomy Department at Gettysburg College as part of a series called CLEA – Go to their web-site to take a look at the manual ahead of time. Data sheets will be provided to you by your instructor for these labs.
Table of Contents with links