ASTRONOMY 14 - Spring 2009

 

GENERAL SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

 

Week

#

Lab

Meeting Days

Topics and Lab Exercises

Textbook

Reading

Field Activity

Moon Phase

1

1/13

1/15

Introduction and enrollment check.

 

Overview of  course and equipment to be used (telescopes, cameras, film, accessories,  CCD’s and software).

Lab –Using the Sky I-A

 

 

 

––

 

Wan. Gib

2

1/20

1/22

Monday Holiday

Telescope set-up and take down, Tel-Rad, eyepieces and

focusing.

 

Lab – Celestial Tools I-B

 

Ch. 1 and  9

 

Telescope use and Sky Tour

Penryn/Rocklin

 

Wan. Cres.

3

1/27

1/29

Cameras, lenses, film, developing and printing.

Astrophotography documentation (the green book).

 

Lab – Intro to film photography II-A

 

Ch. 2 and 10

 

Sky Tour/Star Trails/ Wide Field Film

Penryn/NCC

 

Wax. Cres.

 

4

2/3

2/5

Telescopes, parameters and definitions

 

Lab- The Workings of a Telescope I-D

 

Ch. 3

­­ Telescope use and Sky Tour (if needed)

Penryn/Rocklin

Wax. Gib.

5

2/10

2/12

Friday Holiday

Tracking, polar alignment, barn door tracker

 

Lab –  FOV I-C

 

Ch. 4

Star Trails/ Wide Field Film

Penryn/NCC

 

Wan. Gib

6

2/17

2/19

Monday Holiday

Piggyback imaging

Digital afocal

Lab – Intro to digital astrophotography II-B

 

Ch. 7

Wide field digital and lunar photography

Rocklin/Penryn

 

Wan. Cres.

7

2/24

2/26

Prime focus photography (planets, moon and sun)

Lab – Piggyback / PF photography (solar) II-C

Ch. 8

Piggyback photography

Penryn / NCC

 

Wax. Cres.

 

8

3/3

3/5

Mid-Term

 

 

Digital / afocal photography

NCC

Wax. Gib.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week

#

Lab Meeting Days

Topics and Lab Exercises

Textbook

Reading

Field Activity

Moon Phase

9

3/10

3/12

CCD imaging, focus, calibration (bias, darks, flats). Imaging session planning, data management.

Lab –  CCD Imagery II-D

Ch. 13

Astrophotography / CCD imaging

Blue Canyon / NCC

Wan. Gib

10

3/17

3/19

 

Scanning pictures and Basic Image Processing w/ PhotoShop

Lab -  Image processing  III-A

Ch. 12

Astrophotography / CCD imaging

 

3rd Qtr.

 

11

3/24

3/26

 

More w/ PhotoShop

 

 

 

Astrophotography / CCD imaging

 

New

12

3/31

4/2

MaxIm DL / CCD imaging

 

Lab – Tri-color imaging  III-B

 

Lunar Photogrpahy

Rocklin

1st Qtr.

13

4/7

4/9

SPRING BREAK

 

 

 

Full

14

4/14

4/16

Tri-color imaging, G2V filter calibration, exposures balance.

 

 

 

Astrophotography / CCD imaging

Blue Canyon / NCC

 

3rd Qtr.

 

15

4/21

4/23

Filters, photometry, astro-video

 

Lab – Photometry II-D

-

Astrophotography / CCD imaging

New

16

4/28

4/30

Make-up Lab

-

-

1st Qtr.

17

5/5

5/7

Final – Display Portfolio

 

 

 

Full