ASTRONOMY 105 LABORATORY

Fall 2008

Online Lab Schedule

 

 

Lab Exercise Re

port Forms

 

Lab

 

 

Lab

Due Date

 

(html version)

 

(MS WORD version)

Page

Prep

Video

Power Point

Notes

1

Sep 02

Measurements

Lab 1

1

Video 1

Set 1

Lab 1

2

Sep 08

Constellations

Lab 2

7

Video 2

Set 2

Lab 2

3

Sep 15

The Moon

Lab 3

15

Video 3

Set 3

Lab 3

4

Sep 22

Kepler's Laws

Lab 4

21

Video 4

Set 4

Lab 4

5

Sep 29

Emission Spectra

Lab 5

29

Video 5

Set 5

Lab 5

6

Oct 06

Earth's Orbital Velocity

Lab 6

37

Video 6

Set 6

Lab 6

7

Oct 13

The H-R Diagram

Lab 7

47

Video7

Set 7

Lab 7

8

Oct 20

Distance to the Pleiades

Lab 8

55

Video 8

Set 8

Lab 8

9

Oct 27

Star Clusters

Lab 9

65

Video 9

Set 9

Lab 9

10

Nov 03

Hubble’s Law

Lab 10

79

Video10

Set 10

Lab10

11

Nov 10

The Rotation of Saturn

Lab 11

87

Video11

Set 11

Lab 11

 

Each entry in underlined blue in the table above is a hyperlink. Click on the title to jump to that feature. There are 11 labs plus one night lab at the SFA Observatory. The due dates of the labs are listed in column two. The lab report forms are in the column labeled Lab Exercise Report Form. Choose the form of the report that you like (either html or WORD) and copy it into your word processor. Fill in your answers, and send a copy to me on myCourses email. Page is the page number in the lab manual (available only in the BPSC bookstore). Lab Prep Videos have been prepared in the Real Video® format. Please look at these before attempting a lab. The Power Point® slides used in the lab prep videos are linked separately in the next column. The last column contains notes on each of the labs and should be read after the lab prep video is viewed.

                      

 OutDOOR Night Lab Calendar

Please read the following guidelines carefully, as they concern

your grade and require your input to work properly.

 

»   Students are required to attend one night lab.  The lab for the online section is listed below.

»   Please do NOT use the night lab web site to sign up for a night lab.  Your night lab is already scheduled.

»   If you are enrolled for a face-to-face lab section, use the guidelines for that section instead of these.

»   If you are so far from Nacogdoches that visiting the Observatory is impractical, please contact me for an alternate assignment.

»   The night lab (or alternate exercise) is a required component of AST 105 and will not be dropped.

»   On your assigned night, meet at the temporary commuter’s bus stop (located behind the Steen Library) a few minutes before the scheduled time.  A bus will provide transportation to and from the SFA Observatory.  The bus will leave promptly at the scheduled time - don’t be late!

»   The night lab will be cancelled if it is raining or the sky is completely overcast.  I will make a decision by 5 PM and post an email on the myCourses lab course page.  We will pick another night if the weather causes a cancellation.  Don’t get discouraged!

»   Observatory night lab exercises generally require three hours to complete.  This is the time from leaving to arriving back on campus.

 

Night Lab

Sep 25 @ 8:00 pm (Thursday)

 

            SUPPLIES FOR NIGHT LAB

                        Each student MUST bring the following supplies to the night lab session.

 

1.      Pencil and eraser

2.      Clipboard or other hard writing surface

3.      Flashlight with RED filter

(anything that will make the light come out red – red cloth, plastic, etc.)

4.      Clear ruler with centimeter scale

5.      Laboratory Manual

6.      Star Chart (print pages 1-3 at the Chart link here)

7.      Calculator

 

                        The red filtered flashlight is required for the night lab.  Please don't forget to bring it!

            LAB POLICIES

1.      You may submit your lab by turning it in to my office (Science 322F),

as an email attachment (preferred), or FAXing (936-468-4448).

Be aware that faxing can produce poor results.

2.      Due dates are more than merely suggestions. Labs are due by midnight

of the day listed. A point deduction of 5% per day will be assessed late work.

3.      The two lowest grades are dropped, but I advise that you not automatically

skip two labs. Emergencies do happen!

4.      You are responsible for missed lab material on the lab exam.

            ASTRONOMY 105 COURSE GRADING POLICY

•         Astronomy 105 (Lecture) and Astronomy 105L (Lab) are averaged into one grade

and THE SAME GRADE WILL BE RECORDED FOR BOTH LECTURE AND

LABORATORY. The FINAL COURSE GRADE is explained in your lecture syllabus.

 

•         There are 12 grades that will be used to determine a lab average (11 indoor labs

and the night lab). The two lowest indoor lab grades will be dropped.

The night lab is a required lab and cannot be dropped. The lab exercises will count

75% and the Lab Exam 25% of the FINAL LAB AVERAGE. The Lab Exam will be

given as part of lecture exam four. The FINAL LAB AVERAGE will be computed

as follows:

 

            FINAL LAB AVERAGE = (Average of Lab Exercises X 0.75) + (Lab Exam X 0.25)