ASTR 134N: Elementary Astronomy Laboratory I
INSTRUCTOR:
OFFICE:
PHONE:
EMAIL:
LAB:
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE WEBSITE:
Fall 2012
Dr. Alex Bulmahn
022 CHCB
243-2076
alexander.bulmahn@umontana.edu
11-1 Thursday or 3-5 Thursday or 12-2 Friday
10-11 Monday, 1-3 Tuesday, 1-2:30 Thursday, and by appointment
Course materials will be posted on the Moodle site for the course
Overview: This course will give you an introduction into the methods that astronomers use to
study ours and other solar systems. You will have a chance to see deep-sky objects through a
telescope, use astronomical software to model celestial events, and find out HOW astronomers study
solar systems.
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this course you should:
 know how to find your way around the night sky.
 know where and how to look up information on any object in the sky you are
curious about.
 be able to predict the motions of celestial objects and understand why they
appear and appear to move in the way that they do.
 have gained a fundamental understanding of the properties of light and the
information that can be gleaned from it.
 have gained a working knowledge of telescopes.
 understand the techniques astronomers use to detect extrasolar planets.
 have gained experience with some of the techniques astronomers use to
discover the amazing things that we know about the solar systems contained in
the galaxy in which we live.
Required Materials: You will need the following materials for the course:
 Weekly labs which can be printed from the Moodle site for the course
 A scientific calculator and pencil
Expectations: The labs will usually expand on material presented in lecture, so it is important
that you attend lectures and keep up with any readings or activities in that class before coming
to lab. Most past students of the lab have found that the more in-depth, practical experience
of the laboratory course really helps their understanding of the material presented in lecture.
Take advantage of laboratory time to explore topics, think critically, and ask good questions.
Throughout the course you will be expected to:
1. Read through the experiments (at least the introductory material) before coming
to class.
2. Ask questions. Come prepared to enter into discussion. Try to ask questions
that help you focus on the big picture, not just procedural details.
3. Do your own work. Even when you collaborate with other people in the lab,
your lab write-up must reflect what you understand. I reserve the right to assign
zero credit to students that I suspect of copying or relying on the work of others.
Grading: Your grade for the course will be based on completion of weekly labs, open lab
quizzes over the previous week’s lab, and attending two mandatory night-time observing
sessions.
Lab Write-Ups: Before leaving lab, you must submit your write-up for review.
Check +: 100%
Everything complete and correct
Check: 80%
Complete and mostly correct
Check -: 60%
Incomplete, hurried work
Zero:
Either absent or forgot to submit your write-up for review
The grading for the course will be broken down as follows:
Lab Write-Ups:
25%
Observing:
10%
Quizzes:
65%
Plan on letter grades being assigned based on the traditional grading curve: 100-90 % A, 89-80
% B, etc. There will be NO make-up opportunities for missed labs. Your lowest lab score will
be dropped from your final grade. Note: the last day to drop the course via Cyberbear is
September 17th. The last day to drop without the Dean’s signature is October 29th.
Schedule:
Week
Dates
Lab
Notes
1
8/27—31
Introduction, Planetarium, and Star Charts I
2
9/3—7
Star Charts II
3
9/10—14
Sign-up for One
Observing Session
4
9/17—21
Quantitative Reasoning: A Trip to Mars
Night Observing
Phases of the Moon
5
9/24—28
Sign-up for One
Observing Session
6
10/1—5
Light, Color, and Filters
Lunar Observing
NO LAB
7
10/8—12
Lenses and Images
Night Observing Backup
8
10/15—19
Bulk Density and Planet Composition
9
10/22—26
NO LAB
10
10/29—11/2
Solar Energy and the Habitable Zone
11
11/5—9
NO LAB
12
11/12—16
Surface of Mars
13
11/19—23
Thanksgiving Break: NO LAB
14
11/26—30
Radial Velocity Detection of Extrasolar Planets
15
12/3—7
16
12/10—14
Photometry and Extrasolar Planets: the Transit
Technique
Finals Week: NO LAB
Lunar Observing Backup
Academic Honesty: All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is
subject to penalty by the course instructor and/or disciplinary sanction by the University. All
students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review
online at http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/documents/StudentConductCode1.pdf.
Special Accomodations: Students with disabilities may request reasonable modifications by
contacting me. The University of Montana assures equal access to instruction through
collaboration between students with disabilities, instructors, and Disability Services for
Students (DSS). "Reasonable" means the University permits no fundamental alterations of
academic standards or retroactive modifications. For more information, please consult
http://www.umt.edu/disability.
Complaint Procedure: If anyone is having issues with the way that the course is being taught or
the way that material is being presented I hope that you will come to me first to express your
concerns. If you feel that you cannot come to me with these issues you can contact the chair of
the department, Dr. Andrew Ware, 132 CHCB.