Observational Astronomy (Online) Astronomy 25 Fall 2020 Online Instructor: Dr. Mitch Haeri Course begins on 8/17/2020, ends on 12/16/2020 email: mhaeri@saddleback.edu (main method of communication) Office Hours: By appointment (email for appointment) 1. Course Description This laboratory course is an introduction to observational astronomy with an emphasis on techniques used to observe and study celestial objects which include the moon, planets, sun, stars, and deep sky objects. 2. Course Objectives and Student Learning Objectives • Learn the basic function and use of astronomical instruments o Telescopes, spectroscopes, and CCD cameras • Learn the constellations visible during the semester • Learn the use of the celestial sphere and the equatorial coordinate system to find celestial objects • Learn how observational astronomers study celestial objects o The Moon, planets, stars, star clusters, nebula, and galaxies • Learn how observational instruments gather data on astronomical objects o Distance and size of planets, Size of lunar craters, temperature of stars, separation of binary stars, and structure of galaxies. • Learn methods used by observational astronomers to study the birth and death of the universe (cosmology). 3. Prerequisites: None 4. Required material: None. Everything is available on Canvas (Lectures, labs, etc) 5. Grades The course grade is based on lecture quizzes, astronomy research, observational exercises, and exams. % of Final Grade Weekly Lecture Quizzes 15% Weekly Observational Exercises 30% Monthly Observational Research 5% Midterm 25% Final 25% 1 5. Online Assignments, Quizzes and Exams All of the assignments will be done online using Canvas. The student will follow the online instructions. Assignments and quizzes are due on the indicated date. The assignments and quizzes are only available during the week indicated. The student will not have a chance to makeup past due assignments and quizzes. The following activities and assignments must be completed weekly per the attached schedule: • • • • • Read through the lecture posted each week Complete the lecture quiz Complete the weekly observational exercise Complete weekly observational research Post questions on the discussion board. Students are allowed to communicate with each other via the discussion board. Yes, you are allowed to ask each other questions. Weekly Lecture Quizzes – Each week there will be a PowerPoint for students to go through. There will be a 10-question quiz based on the topic. Students will have one attempt on each quiz and unlimited time to complete the quiz. These weekly quizzes are worth 15% of the final grade. The lowest score from the quizzes for the semester will be dropped. Weekly Observational Exercises – Each week students will complete an observational astronomy exercise. This will essentially be an “online lab” and it will all be done through Canvas. There will be no time limit and students are given one submission. This will be worth 30% of the final grade. The lowest score from these exercises will be dropped. Monthly Observational Research – Each month students will complete a short Canvas assignment that involves researching current astronomy events. These will be short answer format and there will be no time limit. This is worth 5% of the final grade and no submissions will be dropped. There will be a total of 4 monthly observational research assignments. Midterm and Final – A multiple choice midterm and final will be posted on the dates shown on the attached course schedule. The final and midterm both have 100 questions. Students have 3 hours to take the exam from the time the exam is opened. You must complete the exam when it is opened (forced completion). If you do not complete the exam during the allotted time, Canvas will automatically submit the exam for you. The midterm will cover material from the first half of the course, and the final will cover only material from the second half of the course. They are both worth 25% of the final grade, and no make-ups will be given. Missed Quizzes and Assignments – You have one week to complete the lecture quiz, observational astronomy exercise, and the observational astronomy research. They will be taken off of Canvas at the indicated time. The quizzes and assignments will not be turned on for individuals not following the due date and time. The only time quizzes and assignments will be left-on is when there is a server problem. Do not wait until Monday morning to complete your assignments. All assignments will always be due at 11:59 PM on Monday. 2 What Happens if a Student Fails to Complete an Assignment or Quiz? – Each student is allowed to miss (1) weekly lecture quiz and (1) observational astronomy exercise. The lowest scores will be dropped. There will be no make-ups or extensions given. 7. Cheating Policy Student's caught cheating on an exam, quiz or assignments will be subject to college policy. The student should read the catalogue of classes to familiarize themselves with this policy. 8. Make-up Exams Given the nature of the course, no make-up exams or extensions will be given. 10. Computer and Software Requirements This course is administered online using the Canvas program. It is assumed that the student has available a computer and the required software (see the web page for software requirements). It is the student’s responsibility to make sure a computer is available. There are computers on campus. However, the campus computers may not be available in a timely fashion. Canvas is optimized for Google Chrome, but I found other browsers work fine. 11. Emails and Chat Rooms (Discussion Board) The student may communicate with the instructor by email. There is a chat room for students enrolled in this course. Only material related to Astronomy should be posted in the chat room. Posting of inappropriate material will be handled according to the College policy. All students are given an email account. This email account will be used for communications. Students have access to email via MySite. The instructor communicates with students using their Saddleback email. Students are strongly encouraged to post questions and comments in the chat room. 12. Attendance Per school board policy, the instructor may (at their discretion) drop a student who has missed 6 hours or more of class. Six hours corresponds to 2 consecutive missed assignments or quizzes. Ultimately it is the student’s responsibility to drop from the class. Students are dropped at the discretion of the instructor. There are cases where the instructor does not drop students even though they missed more than 2 consecutive assignments and quizzes. In such cases, the student may receive a failing grade. 11. Dropping/withdrawing from the class: • Drop without a W before 9/7/2020 • Drop with a W before 10/30/2020 • After 10/30/2020 neither the student nor the instructor can drop a student 13. Academic Dishonesty Policy Please refer to the college catalogue for the dishonesty policy or go to the following link: http://www.saddleback.edu/la/acts-academic-dishonesty 3 Observation Astronomy Course Outline Due at 11:59 PM on the following dates Week Topic Observational Astronomy Exercise 8/17 Introduction to Observational Astronomy The Evening Sky: August August 31 (extra week given for first assignments) 8/24 History of Observational Astronomy Research a Local Observatory August 31 8/31 Constellations Observing Constellations September 7 9/7 Telescopes Part 1 The Evening Sky: September September 14* 9/14 Telescopes Part 2 Using a Telescope September 21 Research a Telescope September 28 Telescopes Today October 5 9/21 9/28 Equatorial Coordinates Part 1 Equatorial Coordinates Part 2 10/5 Midterm The Evening Sky: October October 12* 10/12 The Moon Observing the Moon October 19 10/19 Planets Part 1 Research a Space Mission October 26 10/26 Planets Part 2 Observing Planets November 2 11/2 Comets and Asteroids Research a Comet November 9* 11/9 Stars Part 1 The Evening Sky: November November 16 11/16 Stars Part 2 Understanding the HR Diagram November 23 11/23 Deep Sky Objects Researching Deep Sky Objects November 30 11/30 The Milky Way Observations of Distant Galaxies December 7 12/7 Final Exam None December 14* *Monthly Observational Research Assignment Is Due 4
