Physics 232: Observational Astrophysics
Fall 2007

Instructor: Professor Gordon Richards  Lecture: M 10-11:30am Disque 704; W 1-2:30pm Disque 919
Office: 914 Disque Hall Phone: 215-895-2713
e-mail: gtr@physics.drexel.edu (subj: PHYS232) Office Hours: M 2-3pm, Th 11am-12
Text:, Bill Romanishin's "Book" http://www.physics.drexel.edu/~gtr/teaching/phys232/
TA: Rachael Kratzer TA e-mail: rmk55@drexel.edu or rachael.m.kratzer@drexel.edu

Announcements
Course Meetings
Syllabus
Course Description and Philosophy
Prerequisites
Textbook and Reading Assignments
Outline of Lectures
Safety
Grading
Observing
Observing Links
Homework Assignments
Exams
Homework Solutions
Course Schedule

Announcements

Welcome to the home page for Physics 232: Observational Astrophysics. Watch this space for important announcements and useful hints. I also plan on trying to make use of the BbVista4/WebCT page to post information as it allows a bit more flexibility.

Course Meetings

Lecture times: Mondays 10-11:20am in Disque 407 and Wednesdays 1-2:20pm in Disque 919. Days that we are in Disque 704, we will be working on the computers. Days in 919 will be either lecture or telescope practice.

Syllabus

This web page is the syllabus. If you're reading a printed copy, you can find the web page at http://www.physics.drexel.edu/~gtr/teaching/phys232/. You should check this for updates!

Course Description, Philosophy, and Organization

This course is an introduction to the observational side of astrophysics. A fundamental rule of astrophysics is that you can ``look but don't touch.'' We learn about the composition and dynamics of celestial objects by studying the light detected at the back end of our telescopes -- in the form of both images and spectra -- then infer their origin and evolution by interpretation of these phenomena. In this course you will learn how telescopes and astronomical detectors work and you will make your own observations, using telescopes on the Drexel Campus. Available telescopes include a Meade 16 inch (in the dome of the Joseph Lynch Observatory on the roof of Curtis Hall), a Meade 8 inch, and a computer-controlled Celestron 5 inch. You will do both visual observing (through the telescope eyepiece) and digital imaging using a CCD camera. You will analyze the CCD data to quantify your measurements.

Observing (at night!) is a significant required component of this course. For astronomers, long hours under the night sky are fun. If it will be difficult for you to be on campus at night, you should not take this class. There will be only a few clear nights and you must use them. Components of the course include lectures, observing nights, and analysis of observations. The amount of time spent at the telescope will vary depending on the weather.

Observing sessions will be scheduled when the skies are clear enough to observe (see ``Observing'' below). The teaching assistant, Rachael Kratzer, will be available for help during the observing sessions. After you obtain an ample set of observations, you will analyze these measurements and write up reports on your results.

Prerequisites

We will assume familiarity with Freshman-level physics and calculus. Physics 111 or 113 and Math 121 are prerequisites. Students should also be comfortable using the linux operating system, such as implemented on the Department of Physics computing cluster. Knowledge of Python will be a huge plus, though is not necessary. Rather than using professional astronomy software (which you'll never need again), we will be using more general Python tools that have more practical applications for beyond this class.

Textbook and Reading Assignments

Required reading for the course is the book An Introduction to Astronomical Photometry Using CCDs being developed by Bill Romanishin at the University of Oklahoma. We will also occasionally reference one of the more traditional observing books such as You are also encouraged to purchase the October 2007 issue of Sky & Telescope. This is the first issue in a new format and has a lot of good stuff. Astronomy magazine is also a good resource. For data processing, we will be making reference to

For help with operating our computer controlled telescopes and CCD camera, their manuals may come in handy.

Also helpful is Norton's Star Atlas or other star charts. Plus tons of great on-line references (for example Nick Strobel's Astronomy Notes, Michael Richmond's PHYS301 class at RIT, John Oliver's AST3722 class at Florida). And, of course, the material posted on the Lynch Observatory web site.

Please read the assignments before class and prepare to ask questions.

See the Course Schedule below for the weekly reading assignments.

Outline of Lectures

Following is an outline of the topics covered, not necessarily in this order. The Course Schedule below details when we will cover these topics and the assigned readings. Some of these topics will be covered in parallel, so that you will learn some background and some practical topics each week.

Safety

Operating heavy equipment in the dark on a rooftop is dangerous. Observing in the dome requires you to stand on a ladder in the dark, while electrical cables dangle from the telescope. Don't try this at home. You may not operate the 16inch telescope by yourself; you must operate on the "buddy system."

I will hand out a list of procedures for safe telescope operation. You will be tested on these procedures.

If you have any questions, ASK FOR HELP.

You must sign out the keys on a nightly basis.

You are responsible for the eyepieces, camera, and laptop computer.

There is no phone in the dome. Bring your cell phone.

Again, be sure to follow the opening/closing procedures.

Grading

Grades will be based on the following weighting of different components of the course:
Observer's test: 20%
Observing projects: 40%
Homework: 20%
Final Exam: 20%

The following sections of the syllabus describe each of these components.

Observing

To fulfill the significant ``lab'' component of this course, you must successfully pass the ``observer's test'' and complete two observational projects in the ten weeks of this course. Be warned: weather is fickle, so don't plan to leave your observing until late in the term. We will keep track of when conditions are/are not suitable for observing. A safe plan would be to attempt observations on every clear night until you complete the projects.

In the observer's test, you must demonstrate that you understand how to operate the telescope and camera. This test includes opening the dome, setting up the telescope, checking that the telescope correctly points and tracks, obtain the target, take an image with the camera, and transfer the data back to a computer in the department for analysis. Knowledge of telescope safety and common sense will be tested. You will have to show that you understand how to open/close up the telescope.

The observing projects will involve photometric observations of stars and, possibly, planets and nebulae. For the stellar observations, you will obtain digital images of a set of stars, calibrate those images using observations of standard stars, and analyze these data to produce. For each project, you will submit a written report that details both your observations and your analysis.

In addition to the project reports, you must keep an ``observer's log'' that details when and for how long you observed, what you observed, the conditions, and any other relevant info (e.g., was there a problem with the telescope?). Make careful notes! Start by buying a small hardcover notebook. Write down everything; don't trust your memory.

Observing teams:
For the sake of safety and huddling together for warmth when it gets cold, you will work in teams of no less than two and no more than four. Organize yourselves into groups by the end of week two and let me know what you have decided. I will assign students to groups after that.

Observing projects:

  1. Observer's Test
  2. Project 1: point source photometry
  3. Project 2: creating three color mosaic images

Here's a page of useful observing links.

Technical details about observing are discussed on the Observing at Drexel web page.

Once you have data, you'll want to analyze it. See the Data Analysis web page for links to software and helpful hints.

Homework Assignments

There will be four homework sets, which will test your knowledge of properties of celestial objects and principles of observation. Late homework will not be accepted. There will be no ``dropped homeworks.''

Solutions to the homework will be handed out in class on the due date (and posted on the web page), thus late homework will not be accepted. Please strive to present your answers in a neat, workmanlike fashion; the clarity of your solutions will count toward your grade.

Science is a collaborative enterprise and you are encouraged to discuss the homework problems. But you and you alone are responsible for the work that you turn in. Please write up your own solutions to the problems. Serious breaches of this policy will result in homework scores being divided by the number of ``participants.''

Exams

There will be no midterm exam. Final Exam structure is TBD.

Homework Solutions

Problem set solutions will appear here shortly after the homework is due.

Course Schedule

Please note the following schedule of readings (in Telescopes and Techniques) and assignments. This schedule may be updated, so check the web page!

Week Date Topics Reading Homework Observing Deadlines
1 Sep 24 Intro to Astronomy
Constellations		 Sky & Telescope (October 2007)
Birney Ch.3
1 Sep 26 Coordinates & Time Romanishin Ch.26
Birney pp.1-10,Ch.2		 HW 1 assigned
2 Oct 1 Lynch Observatory Demo Meade 16inch Manual
pp.6-11,16-20
2 Oct 3 Telescopes Romanishin, Ch. 5+6
Birney, Ch. 6
Kitchin pp.44-89		 Teams formed
3 Oct 10 (no class on 10/8) Telescopes II HW1 due Start Observer testing
4 Oct 17 (no class on 10/15) HW2 assigned
5 Oct 22 Photometry I Romanishin, Ch. 1-4
Birney, Ch. 5
Kitchin, pp. 276-284
5 Oct 24 The Atmosphere Romanishin, Ch. 7-10
Birney, Ch. 7
6 Oct 29 Detectors Romanishin, Ch. 11+12
Birney, Ch. 8 (pp.145-148,159-162)
Kitchin, pp.1-7,15-26		 HW2 due
6 Oct 31 Observation Planning Romanishin, Ch. 27
Birney, Ch. 2		 HW3 assigned Finish observer testing by 11/2
7 Nov 5, 7 Data Reduction Romanishin, Ch. 13,14,16
Birney, Ch. 9
Kitchin,pp.270-275
8 Nov 12, 14 Photometry II Romanishin, Ch. 17-18,20,23-25
Birney, Ch. 10		 HW3 due Project 1 Due
9 Nov 19 (no class on 11/21) HW4 assigned
10 Nov 26,28 HW4 due
11 Dec 3, 5 Project 2 due
12 Dec 10-15 Exam Week

Last update: 24 October 2007