ASTR 1195: Observational Astronomy
Limited to 24 students.
Provides a "hands-on" introduction to observational astronomy intended
for liberal arts students at the freshman and sophomore level. High
school mathematics is assumed, but otherwise there are no formal
prerequisites. The course objective is to teach how we know what we
know about the universe. The course is set up with two lectures and one
evening laboratory per week. Not all of the evening sessions will be
used. Planned exercises include five or six observational labs (star
gazing with binoculars and small telescopes, telescopic observations and
CCD imaging of star clusters, nebulae, and the planets, solar
observations , radio observations of the Milky Way Galaxy), plus a
selection of exercises from the following: experiments in navigating by
the stars; construction and use of simple instruments such as optical
spectroscopes, and sun dials; laboratory spectroscopy; experiments in
planetary cratering; collection and study of micrometeorites; analysis
of planetary and lunar images obtained by the class, measuring the
diameter of Earth, or the size of the solar system.
