Astronomy 102 Laboratory

How the Lab Works

Goals
Time Commitment and Time Budgeting for the Labs
Types of Labs
The Observing Facility
What To Bring To Lab
Lab Partners
Attendance
About the Weather
Open Lab on Thursday
Grading of the Labs
- A note on the honor code
The Observing Log

Goals

To learn about the night sky; to learn how to use your eyes and a portable telescope to make observations of celestial objects.

During this semester, you will:

learn to set up, point and use these telescopes,
learn to identify stars, constellations, and planets, and
carry out observing programs of the Moon, selected planets and celestial objects, with and without the telescope.

Time Commitment and Time Budgeting for the Labs

Astronomy 102 is a 4-unit course; the labs represent one of those four units. As with a usual one-unit lab, this should correspond to approximately three hours a week worth of work. If it is clear every single night the lab meets, and you are able to make observations, then there should be enough time during the lab meetings for you to complete all of the necessary work– including the calculations and write-ups. However, that's a very big if. We know that it will be cloudy at least some weeks, and after the first few weeks of the term the lab will not meet on cloudy nights. Some other nights may cloud up during the night.

Therefore, because we know the lab will get canceled on some nights, we expect you will make up the work outside of lab. Consequently, you will be expected to perform some of the observations which do not require the telescope on your own time outside of lab. (Indeed, the Sunset and Moon Orbit labs require observations which will often be impossible to do during lab meetings.) Additionally, there are write-ups and calculations which we expect you will do outside of the lab period. Finally, if too many nights get clouded out, you will be assigned one or more web-based labs, which use current astronomical data available over the Internet.

The time you spend outside of lab working on these things is effectively making up the time that you would have spent during lab were it clear every night and were no sessions canceled. You should be careful, however, to avoid putting off all the calculations and any web-based labs until the last minute. Some labs (orbits of planets and the moon, sunset) require observations spaced out over several weeks; obviously these cannot all be done at the last minute. But even if you leave everything that can be done at the last minute until the final week of the semester (or the final week before an observing log due date), you will find that you've left a tremendous amount of work for yourself, too much to complete all at once. If, for example, four lab sessions were missed, that means that you should expect to have 12 straight hours of work left to do. You do not want to have this much to do the last week of the term, when you are also trying to complete homework assignments and study for exams for this and other courses. (It is likely that even more than four lab meetings of any given section will be missed!) Plan ahead, and do the calculations and write-ups for your labs as you are able, rather than waiting for the due date. Not only will this save you from overwhelming yourself, but it will give you more of a chance to talk to the instructor or the TAs if you have questions, or if something in the lab is confusing.

Making the Best Use of Your Time

This lab course is different from most other general science lab courses you will take. In particular, it is impossible to schedule a given lab to be performed on a given night. Two things hamper this. First and foremost is the weather; we are not sure when it is going to be clear. Second, things in the sky move. We can't say "do the moon lab on the next clear night", because we can't be sure if the moon will be up on the next clear night!

What this means is that you will be working at your own pace, and getting the labs done as you are able. You will make observations for many of the naked-eye labs outside of the regular lab meetings. During each lab meeting, you should be sure to get done whatever you can get done. Do not leave the lab meeting early, figuring that you will have future nights on which to complete a given lab. If all the rest of the nights are cloudy, but you could have completed a given lab on an earlier clear night, you will receive no sympathy for an incompleted lab when it comes time for grading. Take advantage of the time you have with the telescopes. In the ideal situation, you may be able to get everything done early, and have extra time to do some of the labs better at the end of the semester.

Particularly in the fall semester, the weather tends to be worse towards the end of the semester. This means that you need to take full advantage of any clear nights you get at the beginning of the semester!

The TAs will provide some direction as to which labs you ought to be doing next, if you want it; however, you can do them in any order you wish. You just need to make sure that you will be able to complete all of the assigned labs; if the moon is up, it would be a good time to work on the moon lab, for example, because the moon won't be up every week the lab meets. Additionally, some of the labs will be due earlier in the semester. Which labs need to be completed when is covered on Labs To Do This Semester.

Types of Labs

There are three types of labs: naked-eye labs, telescope labs, and web-based labs.

Naked-Eye Labs

Some labs will be done outdoors using only your eye for observations. These can be done during the regular scheduled lab time AND as a laboratory homework assignment, i.e., on your own time. Why? We cannot count on the weather always being clear and enough for us to work outside; bad weather on your assigned lab night, however, does not excuse you from conducting astronomy observations for this class. Thus, we have planned some lab activities that you can do outside of the normal laboratory hours. The time it takes to do these observations is part of the time that will be missed due to cloudy or rainy nights; see Time Commitment and Time Budgeting above.

Telescope Labs

The labs will take place outdoor using 20 cm (8 inch) diameter telescopes. In teams of two, you will set these up on each of your lab nights at the observing facility. (7-10 PM).

Web-Based Labs

Depending on the weather conditions during the semester, you may be assigned web-based lab activities to do on your own time. These labs will use data available on the Internet from current astronomical observatories and/or space craft, or they will use archival astronomical data.

The Observing Facility

Labs will normally be held at the observing facility. It is located at the top (11th) floor of the 25th Avenue Parking Garage that is between the VA Hospital (big white building) and the tennis courts. Check out the campus map. The facility is located near the southwest corner of the garage. There are stairs or elevators in each corner of the structure. There are no restrooms in the garage, however, so plan accordingly. The top floor lights will be turned off during the astronomy labs. If you are concerned for your safety, please make sure you are accompanied by a classmate when you walk over. Do not plan to drive and park by the facility on the top floor. Moving cars are a major source of vibrations and college permits are not valid on the upper floors.

What to Bring to Lab

Come prepared for the lab!

The time you will spend outdoors will be much better used if you come prepared for the lab. The TAs will keep you informed of the upcoming lab activities and observing projects. Read the appropriate sections of this lab manual before your lab night. Print the relevant pages and bring them with you! Everything takes longer to do in the dark and outdoors, so do the reading comfortably indoors and spend your precious observing time observing! Your lab work will go much more smoothly and it will ease the job of the TAs who are quite busy during the outdoor labs.

Bring this stuff on Lab Nights

With each telescope, we will provide you with a laboratory tool kit that includes a red-light flashlight for outdoor labs. You should bring a pencil, paper, your observing log, your star charts (provided by us), a calculator (important!), and printouts of the relevant lab pages to all lab sessions. You may find a clip board useful for taking notes outdoors.

Note that there is no printed lab manual. All of the lab descriptions exist only on these web pages. Read the labs before you come, and bring print-outs of the descriptions of any lab you will be doing!

Lab Partners

Each student will have assigned one and only one lab partner, with whom he or she will share the telescope. Note that while you will work together with your partner, all the work that goes into your observing log must be your own! (For one lab, there are specific exceptions for sharing drawings with your lab partner. Unless the lab explicitly permits this, you may not do it.)

Lab Attendance

You must attend the lab on your assigned night. Your attendance in lab contributes to your grade; if you miss too many lab sessions, you will fail the lab, and therefore the entire course. Each time you miss the lab on your assigned night you will be marked as having an absence. Showing up on another night (e.g. on "open Thursday") will not erase that absence from your record, unless your absence was excused (see below). Note that even if you can't have an absence removed from your record, you are advised nonetheless to make up the missed lab; you will still be required to complete all of the lab activities, and will need the time with the observing facility.

There is an open makeup lab on Thursday; this is provided in case you want extra time with the equipment to make observations. You can not substitute Thursday attendance for regular attendance at the lab. If you have a valid reason, scheduled ahead of time with your TA, to miss your lab meeting, you should arrange with the TA to come on another night, or to come on Thursday. You may always "just show up" on Thursday without arranging it ahead of time; later in the semester, we may run out of telescopes, but this is usually not a problem early in the semester.

You may not come on a night other than Thursday which is not your scheduled lab without clearing it with the TAs ahead of time. We do not have room for more than one or two "extra" people showing up on any given lab night. If you miss a lab, and cannot come on Thursday, arrange with your TA ahead of time which other day you will show up.

Valid reasons for arranging an alternate lab night include (a) religious holidays; (b) university sponsored extracurricular events in which you are a participant (e.g. orchestra concerts, athletic competitions, theater productions, debate team events). All such events are planned well in advance; thus, you should obtain permission prior to the missed class and have documented evidence of your participation from the music or athletic departments, or from the faculty sponsor, as appropriate; (c) illness– accompanied by a note from student health. The TAs have the authority to determine the validity of these requests. Note that even if you are excused from lab for a valid reason, you still need to make up the lab session!

Invalid reasons for missing lab or wanting to switch to a different lab night include, but are not limited to: (a) you have a test (paper) tomorrow; (b) you have out of town family or friends visiting; (c) you have a meeting (ASB, fraternity, sorority, freshman programming); (d) you are supposed to attend a movie (lecture, cultural event) for another class; (e) you have concert (theater, basketball game) tickets.

In summary, your attendance is determined as follows:

For each of your scheduled lab meetings you miss without a valid excuse arranged ahead of time, you are counted as having one absence.
For each of your scheduled lab meetings you miss with a valid excuse, you are not counted as having an absence if you make up the missed lab meeting either ahead of time or at a later date.
Attending "extra" nights on Thursday can help you do well in the lab by giving you additional time with the telescopes and TAs, and (if weather during the semester is poor and you get especially far ahead) may even result in extra credit (although this is not guaranteed). However, it does not affect your attendance record, unless you are making up an excused absence.

About the Weather

Dealing with uncontrollable weather conditions is an integral part of astronomy. It frustrates amateurs and professionals alike. This is why this lab is more loosely structured than any other lab you have probably taken. There is not a preset list of weekly labs to do. We do not know how fast you will be able to progress because of unpredictable weather. One thing we know is that there will be a limited number of clear nights for each section. Different sections will enjoy different numbers of clear nights. We cannot tell you in advance how much you will have to do during the semester and adjustments will be made as we go along. This apparent lack of organization is can be frustrating. We will do our best to make the astronomy labs an enjoyable learning experience. We ask you to bear with us regarding the weather and to make an effort to get the most out of the clear nights we have.

Expect the weather to be good through most of September and October (Fall semester) and March and April (Spring semester). The months of November through February are typically cloudy and cold. Due to the predictability of overcast skies in late Fall and early Spring, this lab is heavily "front-loaded" in the Fall and "back-loaded" in the Spring. But if the skies are clear, we will work outside regardless of the temperature. Therefore...

What if it's cold?: Even when the days are warm, you may need warm clothes, including gloves, at night. Some nights are very cold but crystal clear and wonderful for telescope work. Dress warmly enough. We can help with the telescopes but you've got to figure this one out yourself! It is better to wear too much clothing than not enough. Try the "layered look". Many students have been very cold on lab nights because they showed up in their daytime attire. Lack of warm clothing is not an excuse for missing lab or leaving lab early.
What if it rains or is cloudy?: Each lab night, by 6 PM, the TAs in charge will decide whether the weather permits doing a telescope lab at the facility. Lab may be canceled or your TA may have material to discuss with you, or may want to work outside without the telescope, depending on how good or bad the sky conditions are on a given evening. Classroom meetings (in SC 1320) may be held for those purposes. Consult the Announcements page before coming to lab (but after 6PM) to find out if there will be a lab on any given night. Do not make your own decision! If you decide it's "too cloudy", but the TAs have not decided that, then you will be considered absent when you do not show up for the lab.

Open Lab on Thursday

To make up for cloudy nights on regularly scheduled lab nights, there will be an "Open lab" on Thursdays (only when clear, check the main course page or the lab announcements page to find out if there will be a lab on a given night). Attendance on Thursday is purely voluntary, although the TAs may strongly advise a section to show up on Open lab nights to make up for unusual bad luck with weather. You can use the Open lab to get your lab projects done faster, to do more observing if you are so inclined, or to get extra help with your observations. This is also an opportunity to make up a lab missed for a valid reason. If for some reason Open lab nights are very popular, we will limit the attendance to 40 students on a first-come, first-served basis.

Grading of the Labs

Lab grades are an integral part of your total grade for Astronomy 102. The lab does not appear as a separate grade on your transcript. For Astronomy 102, the lab will make up 25% of your course grade. However, no matter how well you do in the 75% of the class that accrues from the lecture portion of the course, you must pass the laboratory portion of the course in order to earn a passing grade. If you score A's on all tests and homeworks, but miss too many lab meetings, you will fail the course.

There are a total of 500 points available in the lab. They come from the following scores:

Telescope Practical (50 points)

Early in the semester, you will be required to demonstrate proficiency with the lab telescopes. After a few weeks to learn how it works, each student will be required to set-up the telescope, identify the parts, align the guider, find a bright star, and focus the telescope. Each student will be tested individually so don't rely on your lab parter to "know the scope". You may volunteer to be tested as soon as you feel ready. Unless we have a streak of bad weather, every student will take the telescope practical by the fourth week of the semester.

Constellation Practical (50 points)

One of the goals of the course is for you to learn the night sky– specifically, the chance alignments of bright stars we call constellations. To begin learning the constellations, see A Tour of the Sky. The Constellations and Bright Stars lab will help you learn the constellations.

The Constellation Practical will be given sometime during the second month of the course. Each student will be asked to identify ten constellations and five stars by name. These tests will be done one-on-one by the TA. Not all students will necessarily be tested on the same night.

Attendance (100 points)

You are expected to attend all scheduled labs for your section. This includes all clear night labs, and even cloudy or rainy night labs when the TAs have indicated that the lab is meeting at the observing facility or in the backup classroom. Each unexcused absence from your assigned lab meeting night, or each excused absence which is not made up, will result in a 20 point penalty. If you miss more than 4 labs during the semester, you will automatically fail the lab. For more information on attendance, see "Attendance" above. You are also expected to stay for all three hours of the lab, unless the TAs dismiss you early. You will lose 4 points for each half-hour you arrive late to the lab, and for each half-hour you leave early (again, unless the TAs dismiss you early, in which case you will not be penalized).

Observing Log (300 points)

You will keep an observing log of all of your observations during the semester. The log will contain your observations, notes, sketches, comments, calculations, and answers to questions for various lab activities. The log will be collected and graded three times during the semester. Which labs need to be done by a given date and the number of points available will be announced as the due date draws near.

In Fall, 2003, the lab will be collected and graded on the following dates:

Friday, October 3
Friday, October 31 (boo!)
Friday, December 4

Absolutely no late observing logs will be accepted for any reason. If you won't be able to turn it in the day it's due, turn it in early!

Labs will be returned the week following the due date. The total number of points out of which labs are graded may differ from 300. (For instance, if it is too cloudy to complete all the labs, we may grade out of 270 rather than 300 points to reflect the fact that you simply didn't have enough telescope time to make the necessary observations for all labs.) In this case, your total observing log score will be rescaled to 300 points for purposes of determining your lab grade. The three lab gradings will not necessarily each be worth 100 points; how many points are available at each lab grading will depend on how good the weather has been during the previous 4-5 weeks. We will let you know how many points are available for each lab grading as the due date approaches.

No portion of the lab grade will be curved. The lab will be graded according to:

Score Range	Grade
<60%	F
60%-63%	D-
63%-67%	D
67%-70%	D+
70%-73%	C-
73%-77%	C
77%-80%	C+
80%-83%	B-
83%-87%	B
87%-90%	B+
90%-93%	A-
93%-100%	A

Note: this table is only for the labs; it does not necessarily apply to the lecture portion of the course. This lab grade will contribute 25% of your total grade for Astronomy 102.

A note about the honor code

We expect you to converse with, share ideas and assist your partners and classmates during laboratory exercises, in learning to identify stars and constellations, and in carrying out labs in general. Most labs will be done with partners. However, use your own words in all assignments, and make your own drawings. Copying your partner's lab notes to any extent constitutes a case of plagiarism. This is true whether you photocopy, trace diagrams, or copy words. In all cases, observations on which you report must be your own. When looking for stars and constellations, it can be helpful to work with others who can point out things you didn't see, or help you find things, but once you make a log entry you must only be reporting on what you saw. The only exception is the Moon Telescope Lab, where (as described there) you may share some sketches with a lab partner. Pretending another's observations are yours, or making up fake observations is definitely an infringement of the honor code. Be aware that several students have been caught reporting fake observations in the past. Be smart and do not jeopardize your academic standing to save yourself a bit of work.

Astronomy stands apart from the other physical sciences in that the evidence (or data) is obtained mainly by observations rather than by experimentation. In the same vein, the introductory astronomy lab is different from other science labs you may take at Vanderbilt: it is based mostly on observations of the sky, most of them done at night. The purpose of the Astronomy 102 labs is to become familiar with the night sky, to learn how to use a telescope, to help you develop skills in scientific observations, and to directly experience simple astronomical phenomena. During the semester, you will compile your naked eye and telescope observations in an observing log, a diary of sorts. Keeping a log brings continuity to your lab work, which is not neatly parceled into weekly, independent experiments, but much more flexible in nature. It will also allow you to see your skills in visual observations improve during the semester.

Format

Use a 3-ring binder (1.5" thick will do) with pockets inside the covers. Use dividers to present each lab in a separate section. Use pencils rather than a pens. Since the log will be handwritten outdoors and at night, please make an effort to write legibly, don't be messy and maintain a decent level of organization. A log which we can't make sense of will get a poor grade.

What Goes In The Observing Log

Your logbook entries should include a record of what you did and what you observed. Each logbook entry should have a date and time, as well as a location where you performed the observations, and the conditions of the sky. Each lab should have the names of any partner(s) you worked with. Entries should include the difficulties you encounter and your personal impressions as you first use the telescope and look at celestial bodies. Most of the entries in your log should be observations (what you see), both with the telescope and with the unaided eye. A variety of projects (observing the moon, planets, constellations, double stars, the sun, sunsets, spectra of stars, etc.) are described on the course website. Everything you observe is to go in your log, in the form of sketches/drawings, notes, comments, measurements, etc., as appropriate for each type of object and project. The key is to pay attention to what you see! Your personal impressions about what you see and comments about the lab activities are also an important part log.

Anything else that seems important or relevant should be noted; it may help you reconstruct your observations later.

Examples of Log Entries

8/12/2000, 9:35pm CDT on Branscomb Quad (naked eye observation). The night is cloudless but hazy. Bright first quarter moon lights up the sky and only the brightest stars are visible. I spotted the Summer Triangle (Vega, Altair & Deneb) easily. The triangle is very large and overhead and it points "downward" (i.e. towards the South). Vega is the brightest star of the three and shines with a bluish-white light. It twinkles a lot. Using these three bright stars, I spotted several constellations: Cygnus, Aquila, Hercules. Constellations are sketched below. I couldn't see any of the stars in Lyra, except for Vega (haze + moon + light pollution?). I should try again on a better night.

[Your sketch here]

9/22/00, 8:23pm CDT on Library lawn. Lab night. The night is quite clear with a few scattered clouds. It is rather windy and the telescope shakes quite a bit. Observation of Jupiter with the telescope. With the 25mm eyepiece, Jupiter is a bright little ball with two gray bands straddling the equator. Three bright "stars" are located more or less in a line about the planet (see sketch below) and there are several fainter stars in the field. If these three stars are moons of Jupiter, I wonder where the 4th bright moon is (to figure out later). The view is much bigger with the 10mm eyepiece and more details can be seen on the surface. The image is somewhat blurry, however and details come and go. Our plan: make a sketch of the planet now [You will find templates for the planets in Appendix A3], go observe something else and come back for another sketch at the end of the lab period to see how much the planet has rotated in the meantime. Sketching is hard! Details are difficult to see. The sketch below is the most I could see with certainty. [Make a sketch of the planet. An example is given in the Jupiter lab ]. There is an interesting oval shape, like an "eye". TA says it is the famous Red Spot. Cool! Clouds moved in before my lab partner could sketch the planet again, so we can't figure out the rotation. Bummer.