Syllabus
ABCD Voting Card

How are we able to learn about the universe around us? All information astronomers gather about the universe comes to us in the form of light. Sensing this light can be as simple as looking up at a nearby star or as complex as pointing a computerized telescope with a state-of-the-art digital detector at a distant galaxy. This class will focus on observing with a focus on using digital detectors to measure astrophysical properties of distant objects. We will cover celestial coordinate systems, the design and operation of telescopes, digital detectors, and how modern astronomers extract scientific results from telescopic observations. Work for this course will consist of problem sets, exams, and observing labs, with a self-designed observing project serving as the culminating work. A significant component of this course will involve nighttime observing at Stickney Observatory, which can only be accomplished on clear nights. Because of changeable New England weather, students who enroll in this class will need to have flexible nighttime schedules.

Our textbook for the class is: To Measure the Sky

We will meet:
Mondays and Thursdays 1:30pm – 3:20pm for Lecture and Discussion (Dickinson 232)
A (TBD) Evening for practical observing experience

Tentative Schedule (Likely to Change)

Week of	Topic	Reading	Problem Set	Lab
September 2	Light & Photometry	Ch 1 & 9.5		Variable Star Lab (Pt. 1) Observing Signup Shared Data Sheet
September 9	Photometry & Coordinates	Ch. 9.5 & 3
September 16	Coordinates & Time	Ch. 3	Problem Set 1
September 23	Spherical Trigonometry	Ch. 4	Problem Set 2	Variable Star Lab (Pt. 2) Archival Algol Data Our Data
September 30	Catalogs	Ch. 4
October 7	Photometry	Ch. 10	Problem Set 3
October 14	Review + Exam #1 Equation Sheet DRAFT
October 21	Light + Photometry (No Class Monday)	Ch. 1 & 10	Problem Set 4
October 28	Detecting Light + CCDs (No Class Thursday)	Ch. 7 & 8
November 4	Detecting Light + CCDs	Ch. 7 & 8	Problem Set 5
November 11	Image Analysis	Ch. 9 & 10		Lab 2 Python Code File (Right-click and select “Save Link As…”)
November 18	Optics and Telescope Design	Ch. 5 & 6
November 25	Exam #2 (No Class Thursday)
December 2	Spectroscopy	Ch. 11
December 9	Final Projects