Astr 3005/3006 Observational Astronomy Instructor: Dr. Spencer Buckner Office: SSC B-326 Office Hours: MWF 10:15 – 11:30am and M – F 2:30 – 4:00pm or by appointment Class Meeting Time: Thursday evenings Lecture: 6:40 – 7:35pm in SSC B-310 Lab: 7:45 – 10:30pm at the APSU Observatory

Textbook Observational Astronomy 2nd Edition by D. Scott Birney, Guillermo Gonzalez and Davis Oesper

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Planetarium Test During the semester you will be required to learn the locations of 25 constellations and 30 named stars in the planetarium. The planetarium test is an up or down test, no partial credit. The last day to take the test is Thursday December 13.

Observing Log You will be require to keep a logbook of your observations. The logbook will be collected several times during the semester and at the end of the semester. It will be graded for completeness and number of entries. You should have entries for each observing lab as well as any observations you make outside of class Every log entry should include Date, time and location of observation Sky seeing conditions Instrument used (including focal length or f/ratio) Magnification and eyepieces used Description of the objects observed

Observing Labs There will be at least five observing labs during the semester. Some of the labs will be completed in a single night while others may take observations over several weeks to complete. Each observing lab will require a formal write-up. First Lab: Telescopic Observations of the Moon Multiple night lab…observations over the next four weeks. Lab write-up will be due September 27 Since the Moon doesn’t rise until almost 10pm tonight, we will do a “learning to set-up telescopes” lab. No formal report will be required.

Homework Homework will be assigned from the Review Questions at the back of each chapter. They will be due on the Thursday following the completion of the chapter. Additional problems from other sources may also be assigned to supplement the back-of-chapter questions. First Homework set is due Thursday September 6. Chapter 1 # 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 Answer in complete sentences, where appropriate. Show your calculation on #6

Observing Nights You will serve as set-up and take-down for the 1st Quarter Observing Nights and a Dark Sky Observing Nights. All 1st nights and the last four Dark Sky Nights start at 7:30pm. The first four Dark Sky Nights start at 8:30pm. The nights are We will meet in B-310 approximately 45 minutes prior to the start time. On weeks when there are observing nights, there will be no lab. The class lecture will take place during those weeks with two exceptions. First Quarter Nights Dark Sky Nights Monday September 17 Wednesday September 19 Saturday October 20 Tuesday November 13 Thursday November 15 Wednesday September 5 Saturday September 8 Saturday October 6 Monday October 8 Thursday November 1 Tuesday November 6

Schedule for the next three weeks Tonight after lecture: unpack two new mounts and becoming familiar with how to set-up the various telescopes. Quit early. Next Week: Dark Sky Observing Night on Wednesday and Saturday so no lab. You can make some observations during the evening, though. Class will meet Thursday night Week after: Lunar observations and another lab depending on the skies.

The Celestial Sphere A useful fiction but it has its limitations

Spherical Coordinates On the Earth, the angle f is the latitude while the angle l is the longitude. A third quantity, the altitude, is needed to describe the position in 3D

Alt-Az Coordinates The Alt-Az coordinates are tied to your locale. Azimuth is the angle around from due north (0°) and altitude is the angle above the horizon. Third quantity, distance to object, isn’t used.

Celestial Equatorial Coordinates (Right Ascention) is the angle around from the Vernal Equinox (Declination) is the angle above (+) or below (-) the celestial equator The celestial equator is the projection of the Earth’s equator onto the celestial sphere. The Vernal equinox is the point where the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving northward

Ecliptic Coordinates Useful for specifying the positions and orbits of objects within the solar system

Galactic Coordinates Useful for galactic orbit calculations. Many sky survey star maps use galactic coordinates

Measuring Celestial Coordinates The Meridian Telescope Measure the time when an object crosses the meridian and, given your longitude, you have its Right Ascension

Measuring Celestial Coordinates II Find the angle between the object and the North (or South) Celestial Pole and you have the compliment of its declination

5-Minute Essay My name is ___________. I am a (sophomore, junior, senior, other) My major is _____________. I am taking Observational astronomy because I want to learn_____________. When I graduate, I want to __________.