Astronomy 102 Laboratory
Spring 2011
Date/Time:
B07: Tuesday 3:30 pm
B12: Thursday 10:00 am
TA: Charli Sakari (sakaricm@uvic.ca)
Office: 404 Elliot building (4th floor)
Phone: 250-721-8845
Schedule:
Date:
Jan. 18/20
Feb. 1/3
Feb. 15/17
Mar. 8/10
Mar. 22/24
Lab:
Spectra
POSS
CMD
Galaxy
Universe
Number:
#4
#3
#5
#6
#7
Due Date:
Jan. 21/24
Feb. 4/7
Feb. 18/21
Mar. 11/14
Mar. 25/28
Lab Guidelines:
Lab Preparation:
 Read the appropriate lab in the manual before you arrive
 Take note of the questions you need to answer
 Always bring your lab manual, notebook, calculator, and pen
During the Lab:
 Be on time as essential instructions are given at the start of a lab
 Talk to your TA about problems and/or questions immediately to avoid falling behind
 Discuss the lab with the students around you, but do your work independently
After the Lab:
 Lab reports are due at either 4:00 pm on the Friday (Section B07) after the lab or at
12:00 on the Monday after the lab (Section B12), in the boxes outside office 408
 Extensions for outstanding circumstances must be requested prior to the deadline
 Late marks are deducted at a rate of one per week
 If you need help, call, email, or visit your TA
Lab Reports:
 In black physics notebooks (from Bookstore) or typed on the computer
 Do not plagiarize (we can tell), and cite all your sources both in the text and in a
“works cited” section at the end
 Follow the lab report template in the beginning of the manual and use the "Tips and
Tricks"
Tips and Tricks for Writing Successful Lab Reports in
Astronomy:
If you are using a black physics notebook:
 Write neatly in pen on the lined pages of your black physics notebook.
 Underline titles and section headings with red ink.
 Use pencils, colored pencils and rulers, and draw large diagrams on the blank pages.
 Use pens, pencils, colored pencils, and rulers to make tables and graphs.
 Make it easy for the TA to tell where the newest lab starts.
 Fold and secure (tape) loose pages so the edges do not protrude.
If you are typing up your report on the computer:
 Keep labs together in a folder to prove your marks if necessary.
 Use spell check every time!
 Use proper "Equation" formatting to show formulae and calculations.
 It is OK to include diagrams, tables of data, graphs, and sample calculations done by
hand.
 Reference any images taken from websites.
In general remember to:
 Do your own work! Do not copy the lab manual!
 Label tables, graphs, and figures so you can refer to them from your text.
 Write in full sentences in the third/first person past tense.
 Compare results to "accepted" values & discuss random and systematic error in your
results.
 Be creative and include additional information or images you find interesting.
 Write a short evaluation to give your TA immediate feedback on the lab and their
teaching.
 If you are confused, just ask to see our sample lab reports or for extra, detail
feedback
 Read the comments written by your TA on your labs for advice on how to improve.
Things you will be graded on:
 Are all the questions in the lab manual answered, and are these answers complete?
 Are your figures and tables carefully drawn and correctly labeled?
 Do you show your work and/or explain your answers?
 Overall, does it look like you have gotten anything out of the lab? Can you explain
why the lab is important? Can you provide a nice summary showing what you have
learned?