This course was developed by Josh Barnes and has been
nurtured by many, but most notably by Mike Nasser. It consists of a series of exercises or
workshops which are offered in no particular order and are most often dependent
on the weather. The topics (and links to
the worksheets etc. which are handed out each week) are (so far):
Dobsonian
telescopes basic study guide
In the
Field - Telescope Practice includes worksheet
Major
Constellations and Stars (spring) must be learned over the term. We are concentrating on…
Orion and Canis Major
includes worksheet on magnitude estimation.
Parallax in
the Lab nifty little experiment for those with the ability to separate
their eyes…
Parallax
Worksheet workup of the lab.
Basic
Telescope Optics includes review
questions and report assignment.
Wacky
Planets includes the Stellarium Introduction.
Orientation notes on
celestial coordinate systems – this will soon contain the Hawaiian system of
directions
Observing the Phases of the Moon
This week (04/19/2007) nothing is due, but we
will have a special quiz – you cannot prepare for it so just come in thinking
astro. The weather is predicted to be
rainy – again bad since we would like to finish our dark sky stuff. If we get to go out, we will continue open
clusters, the variable star, and double stars.
If a miracle occurs and the weather is good, we will try to observe
3C273 in Virgo – it’s a hard object and we will have to “hop” to it, but it
will be the oldest light you will ever see with your eyes (its ~ 3 billion
light years away).
Next week, We have an opportunity to go to
the Imaginarium at