Earth and Sky, Course discription
Welcome to the Jonsson-Rowland Science Center
and Hirsch Observatory at Rensselaer
![[Welcome to the Earth and Sky web connection]](E2.JPG)
Course Description
Earth and Sky is 4-credit 200-level course, being offered for the
first time in this format in Fall 1998. It is based on the course
Observational Astronomy, offered in previous years as part of the
Astronomy and Astrophysics curriculum. (It is planned to offer
Observational Astronomy as a 400-level course in future.)
The primary aim of Earth and Sky is simply to encourage students to
discover the wonders of observing the night-time sky, both with the
unaided eye and through telescopic observation, and to learn the
basics of observational astronomy. At the same time, we will address
related topics in Earth Sciences, especially what can be learned from
studying the Earth from orbiting satellites. The discussion will be
less technical than in Observational Astronomy: Earth and Sky is
designed to appeal to non-physics and non-science majors as well as
those committed to specialization in Astronomy.
Further details of the topics covered may be found on the syllabus
page.
General Information
Instructor: Doug Whittet (Room 1C34, Science Center)
Phone: 8413, Email: doug@whittet.phys.rpi.edu
Lab Instructor and grader: Erika Gibb (Room 3C18, Science Center)
Phone: 6763, Email: erika@charon.phys.rpi.edu
Class hours: Classes are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,
from 12:00 noon to 12:50 pm. Regular attendance is strongly
encouraged! Note that attendance at evening laboratory classes is a
requirement of the course (see below).
Text: There is no required text for the course. Various books and
articles may be recommended as background reading during the
semester.
Class Notes: Photocopies of lecture notes, overheads and other
reference material will be available for purchase at a nominal charge
from the Physics Department Office (first floor, Science Center).
Details will be announced in class.
Laboratory: These sessions are held in the
Hirsch Observatory (on the
roof of the Science Center). The class will be divided into sections,
each of which will meet from 7:00 to 10:00 pm one evening per week
(MondayThursday), beginning early October. You will be asked to
select which evening you prefer. The telescopes will be used during
clear weather. On cloudy nights, indoor laboratory experiments will
be performed. Written lab reports will be required for both observing
and indoor experiments.
Homework: There is no homework for the class other than the writing
of lab reports.
Project: Each member of the class will be expected to carry out a
project. This allows you to study a topic of your choice in greater
depth. Examples include: (i) data analysis or software development
relating to one of the existing observational or indoor laboratory
experiments; (ii) an observing program that goes beyond topics
covered in laboratory sessions; (iii) a review of a topic discussed
in class or relevant to the class. Dependent on student numbers,
projects may be done in groups or individually. Projects will be
assessed either by a short (25-minute) seminar presentation to the
class, or by a written term paper. For further details, click .
Class Quizzes: There will be a total of four 1hour quizzes, to be
held during normal class hours (see the schedule for dates).
Grading: The final grade will be based approximately on the following
scheme:
- Lab reports 40%
- Project 20%
- Quizzes 40%
Projects
The project gives you the opportunity to carry out a more in-depth
investigation of an area of astronomy in a way that complements or
extends topics covered in class or labs. Depending on the topic
chosen, it may also help you develop relevant technical skills, such
as use of an instrument, programming, data analysis and seminar
presentation.
The project will count 20% towards your final grade for the course.
An appropriate assessment method will be agreed upon for each project
individually. This will usually be based on either seminar
presentation or an interactive demonstration. In some cases, a
written report may also be submitted for grading.
It is expected that most students will work individually on their
chosen topic. However, in some cases, it may be appropriate for a
project to be done by two students working together, on the condition
that each student's work must be clearly identified when the project
is presented for assessment.
A list of suggested project topics follows below. Please note that
the list is intended only as a guideline and is not exclusive you
are welcome to suggest alternatives.
The project topic should be agreed upon between student and
instructor by the end of the third week of the semester.
Project Topics (Examples)
An astronomical observing program:
This will involve planning an observing program, carrying it out and
analysing results. Obviously, this is only recommended to those who
are willing to commit time in the evenings! Possible topics include
(but are not limited to) the following:
- Stellar photometry
- CCD imaging of nebulae or star clusters
- Photography of the lunar surface
Astronomical software development or program assessment
This will involve writing and testing a program to do a selected task
relevant to the course. Possibilities include (but are not limited
to) the following:
- Coordinate transformations
- Calendar and Julian date
- Photometry data reductions
- Assessment of astronomical software packages
Astronomical data retrieval from databases on the WWW
The aim here is to demonstrate the use of electronic web-based
databases as a resource for observational astronomy. This can be one
of the following:
- A detailed exploration of one particular resource, with
examples
of usage involving analysis of extracted data. A good
choice for
this type of project would be "SIMBAD", a site containing
data
and bibliographic information for a wide range of stars and
other
types of astronomical object.
- An overview of all available databases and preparation of a
"data
resource web page", to be added to the Astronomy Group's
web
site (recommended only for those familiar with html)
Review
A review project will involve researching a selected topic and
presenting your findings as a seminar to other members of the class.
There are many possible topics. A few suggestions are given below:
- Solar astrophysics
- Neutrino astronomy
- Detection of cosmic rays
- Radio interferometry
This course is operated by the
Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy
Related web pages: Astrophysics Group
Professor Whittet's web page
Teaching Assistant- Erika Gibb's web page
This web page was developed on 7/07/98 by
Dan Lennon
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