- Instructur: Professor Alexander Singh
Introduction
Welcome Message
Hi, my name is Professor Alexander Singh and I would like to welcome you to the Astronomy department here at St. Laudine's.
As your instructor, I would like you to know what you can expect from me throughout our journey together. I hope that you will feel confident in me, not only as a teacher, but also as a peer and confidant. If you should have any questions, or disagree with any information shared within the course please feel free to address them with the whole class.
Through open communication I hope that we can have healthy discussions and grow as individuals and as a school. I will ensure that any concerns you may have are addressed as swiftly as possible. As a Professor I will address you with the utmost respect, however I do expect the same in return. The students here at St. Laudine's have the potential to produce a fantastic body of work, and this as a teacher is exciting. I am looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you and am excited about the journey we are about to embark on.
Observational Astronomy
This class is named "Astronomy" but should have been called Observational Astronomy. We will be spending less time on calculations in this class and more time outside. The goal of this course is to give you the tools to observe the celestial sphere, become familiar with celestial phenomena, record your observations, and draw conclusions based on what you observe. Next year, we hope to add a more in-depth online astronomy course that will include the use of both calculus and physics. I caution you not to make the assumption that this course is an "easy grade", as you students like to say; a practical and successful observer must be both meticulous and consistent, and you will be graded accordingly.
Your Week 1 materials and assignments will be posted in just a moment, and I will post a syllabus in short order as well.
For those of you who live in urban areas and are unable to take regular trips away from the city's light, please make an effort to complete the assignments to the best of your abilities, and discuss any difficulties with me.
Week 1
Week 1: Getting to Know the Sky
During the first week, we will be discussing some of the tools you can use to observe a wide range of phenomena. For many of the exercises I will ask you to complete, you will not even need a telescope.
Even in urban areas, the moon and planets are visible in the night sky. Constellations are easily learned to aid your navigation of the night sky. Your observations will vary according to where you are located on the planet. The inclusion of our online students, I hope, will add a great deal of depth to our class discussions.
Tips and Techniques to begin
Dress warmly. Even if you think you will be warm, remember that observing often means sitting. If your fingers are numb, you won't be able to make accurate drawings, or you may not be able to read your own shaky handwriting in the harsh light of day. Just take my word for it. I was a tough undergraduate astronomy student once.
When going outside to observe the sky at night, carry a flashlight covered with a red filter. Red clingwrap or cellophane wrapped around the end of your flashlight will work just fine. This helps to keep your eyes adapted to the night - yes, even near city lights - so that you don't lose your night vision when shining the flashlight on a page or a chart.
Distances: Astronomers use Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds to measure sizes and distances in the sky. We will learn more about this later, but here is a basic technique that will help when you don't have other measuring devices handy.
— Your hand held at arm's length can approximate some of these measurements. Your hand with fingers spread out (held at arm's length) will cover about 20 degrees of sky from thumb-tip to the tip of your last finger. (Please email me if you have less than five fingers.)
— Your fist at arm's length will cover about 10 degrees.
— Your thumb, likewise, covers about 2 degrees.
If you have either binoculars or a telescope, these tools will be useful to you, but they are not necessary for the class, so please do not go out and purchase equipment if you do not already have it.
If possible, I would like everyone to register (no cost) at Sky and Telescope, which offers free sky charts tailored to your part of the world. You will need sky charts for some of our observing activities. You can use those online, or if you are so motivated, you can visit your local hobby shop or college bookstore and purchase your own. This site also offers many other stargazing and skywatching resources and articles. Please take the time to look, use, and share information with your classmates - and your humble professor - about these and other resources you find useful.
For reference: Online Star Charts from Sky & Telescope You will need to register before using. DO NOT register for anything that requires payment, if you do find such a link.
Please view the next post for your reading assignment and your first observation assignment.
Assignments for Week #1
Reading:
As we do not reinvent the wheel, and as I prefer not to tax the school budget by ordering textbooks for a class in observation, I have compiled a list of online resources from which we will draw our readings. The internet has begun to revolutionize the learning process. We shall use this to our advantage.
Reading #1: Celestial Coordinates by Michael Richmond (we will be using more of his material - feel free to read ahead.)
Reading #2: A Brief History of Astronomy by Gene Smith
These readings are to be completed by the end of the week. Please discuss them. Discussion counts as participation and will positively affect your grade, particularly if your comments bring depth and quality to the topic under discussion.
Student-Guided Learning:
As you are all taking this course on the internet, it can be assumed that you know how to use the internet. This class will have regular assignments in which you students do some of the course legwork by researching methods or information in the library or on the internet. (The library is an amazing resource yet. Be amazed.)
SGL #1: Research and elaborate on how to properly read a star chart. Post your answers and discuss best methods.
Observation Assignment:
Designate a notebook as your observation log. Graph notebooks have proven to be especially useful, but they are not required.
Observation #1: Pick an observation spot to use at sunrise or sunset, where the sun's position can be viewed clearly. Note the sun's position relative to certain landmarks. Make a quick sketch in the observation log. Over time, the position of the sun relative to the landmarks will change as the season - either spring or autumn, depending on your hemisphere - progresses. Please try to make three or four observations per week. You will continue this observation through the entire semester and present a final chart of this phenomenon along with your observation notebook at the end of term.
Feel free to post questions here or email me at gro.senidualts|hgnis.rednaxela#gro.senidualts|hgnis.rednaxela.
