Fall 2007
Research Project: We hope to include a research project as part of the activities carried out by students in this course. This will depend on availability of the Rigel Telescope of the University of Iowa, which is located on a dark site in Arizona. The research project is an investigation to be undertaken by the student, and involves measurements and/or observations in addition to research on a topic of interest. Students will present their findings in front of the class during the final lab meeting, and a formal report must be submitted. The final project is worth 20 points. Students are encouraged to create their own projects based on information and techniques learned in lab and lecture. They should feel free to discuss possibilities for projects with Professors Bryce or Spangler, or the teaching assistant. However, any project must be cleared with the teaching assistant. Since this project involves acquisition of observations, plus analysis and thinking about the project, it cannot be completed at the last minute, or the night before it is due. A session is scheduled in the middle of the semester for serious planning and work on the project, but it is never too early to get started.
| Week of | Lab Title | Information | Points |
| Sept. 3 | Measuring the Sky | Lab Document | 10 |
| Sept. 10 | Using Star Charts | Lab Document | 10 |
| Sept. 17 | Observing the Night Sky I | Lab Document | 10 |
| Sept. 24 | Parallax and Angular Measurements | Lab Document | 10 |
| October 1 | Telescopes | Lab Document | 10 |
| October 8 | Observations of the Sun (First Priority) | Lab Document | 10 |
| October 8 | Basic Image Analysis (Backup in case of clouds) | Lab Document | 10 |
| October 15 | Laboratory Spectroscopy | Lab Document | 10 |
| October 22 | Basic Image Analysis | Lab Document | 10 |
| October 29 | Tri-Color Imaging | Lab Document | 10 |
| November 5 | Observing the Night Sky II | Lab Document | 10 |
| November 12 | How To Make Your Own Observation With the Rigel Telescope | In preparation | 10 |
| November 19 | Thanksgiving: "Fun, Fun, Fun, 'till Daddy takes the T bird away" | ||
| November 26 | Work on Research Projects | --- | |
| December 3 | Spectral Classification of Stars | In preparation | 10 |
| December 10 | Observing Galaxies with Binoculars and Telescopes | In preparation | 10 |
| Research Project (report and presentation) | 20 | ||
| Total: 150 |
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