Instructor: Prof. JAMES NEFF, 144 SCIC, 953-5325, neffj@cofc.edu
Office Hours: 4:00
to 5:00 Mondays, Tuesdays, &
Wednesdays
Course Materials/Website: https://neffj.people.cofc.edu/ASTR377/
Catalog Description: A course designed
to emphasize the concepts, principles, and experimental techniques of modern
observational astronomy and astrophysics. Topics include astrometry, multi-wavelength
instrumentation and imaging, and data analysis techniques. Hands-on projects plus lecture.
Observatory work will be required. Scientific report writing will also be
required.
Assumed Background: You have all completed at least Modern Physics and Calculus II. Most of you have taken more upper
level physics and math classes, but only a few of you have taken the
Introductory Astronomy courses. On
the other hand, you have all taken ASTR311 and 312, so I will only review basic
astronomy concepts if absolutely necessary. By now, you should have read an Introductory Astronomy
textbook, even if you did not take ASTR129 and 130.
Learning Outcomes: This is an
upper-division laboratory class.
Most of the work will be on your own "in the lab". I will introduce some concepts and
provide an overall context in mini-lectures (primarily on Tuesdays), and I will
be available at all hours to provide encouragement and help. But it expected that the learning in
this course will come primarily from "hands-on"
experience. After taking this
course, you should
· Possess the basic skills to carry out a senior
research (PHYS420) project in any field of astronomy with with
minimal supervision.
· Be proficient with IDL, IRAF, Talon, and various Unix
operating systems. This will allow
you to engage in creative research, using computers as tools to address
scientific questions. You will
also know how to use the large astronomical databases and archive repositories.
· Understand critical aspects of telescope and instrument design, operation,
and calibration. You will obtain
and analyze data using the instruments at our campus observatory.
· Be able to translate this knowledge into a coherent,
convincing proposal to obtain observing time necessary to carry out a significant,
original astronomical experiment using state-of-the-art astronomical
facilities.
· Understand the overall context of modern astronomical
research to an extent that allows you to fully comprehend how much more there
is to learn, but confident that you have the basic tools at your disposal to
take on research in any field.
Text and Required Materials: There is
no single required textbook for this class. Useful books and documents will be placed on a reference
shelf in 145, and much of the documentation is on-line or built-in to the
software packages you will be using.
I will recommend several useful references for you to purchase if you
plan to pursue a career in experimental astronomy. You should assemble a loose-leaf notebook to hold all
of the materials from this class.
Some of the assigned reading material will be internet-based. You should regularly check the course
web site for announcements and updates.
[continued on reverse side]
Schedule: The course will consist of lecture/discussion during
the beginning of the regular class period. Generally new material and context will be presented on
Tuesdays, and Thursdays will be a short group meeting at the beginning of class
followed by individual or small-group lab work. To perform at the A-level will require at least 12 hours per week, so budget at least this much time and
be aware that much of it will be outside of the scheduled hours. There will be individual observing
projects that might require late nights in the observatory. If you prepare carefully, the actual
observational work can be carried out in 2 or 3 half nights. Caveat: This
is still a new course, and we are developing it as we go along. Check the schedule on-line regularly
for updates.
Grading: There will be several, perhaps weekly, assignments to
teach the experimental techniques.
These might consist of worksheets, programming exercises, or on-line
tutorials. Some will require a
short written report.
We will start the semester
with two group projects. Each
individual will contribute to these projects and will prepare a standard lab
report. Following this,
there will be one or two individual lab projects requiring standard lab
reports.
Each student will prepare a
proposal for an independent project involving new observations or use of
archival data. Proposals will be
peer reviewed. All observations
and analysis must be completed in time to prepare a poster and final paper
before the end of the semester.
This final report for this project will be modeled on a journal paper,
and the results will be presented in a poster session (modeled on a poster
presentation at a AAS meeting).
Everyone will present one
mini-lecture and might be called upon to present experimental techniques and results
to the rest of the class.
All activities must be
meticulously documented. It is
not science unless it is reproducible!
It is my intention to
structure the course so that the following weights apply in determining your
final grade:
Group Work/Peer Activity 20% Demonstrated/Documented Effort 40% Finished Products (Reports, Papers, Presentations) 40% You should take it upon
yourself to acquire a broader background in basic astronomy and observational
techniques. Everything you
do to broaden your knowledge base "counts" in this course, so long as
you can document your activity. Notice
also that a substantial portion of your grade involves collaborative work. Anything you do to help others learn
counts, but again only if it is documented.