Astronomy 105G:

Lab Section M06: Monday 2:30 - 4:30 pm

Lab Instructor: Candace Gray
Office: Astronomy 107A
Contact Information: candaceg [at] nmsu.edu
Phone: 646-5816
Office Hours: Monday 11:30 am - 12:30 am (or by appointment)

Welcome to astronomy lab M103! This class will meet Mondays from 2:30 - 4:30. We will use the entire two hours. In this class we will be applying what you have learned in your astronomy class. Since astronomy is the physics of the sky, we will be doing quite a bit of mathematics. Our first lab will go over all the mathematics that will need for the course. You will be referring to your first lab throughout the semester so don't lose it! If ever you need help please come see me during office hours.

You will be working in groups of 3-4 for the length of the semester. While you only need to turn in one lab for the group work section, everyone must turn in their own summary or end-of-lab questions. You are required to turn in FOUR observation sheets for your observatory notebooks from each of your visits to the observatory. The last dates to observe each half are as follows:

First half:  TBA

Second half:  TBA

The observatory is open Monday and Thursday from 9:00-9:50 (weather permitting). The observatory web page is found at: http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/astro/observatory/ If you wait until the last night of the half to go to the observatory and the weather is cloudy then you will receive a zero. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY! In addition to having to deal with weather, you will also have to deal with your fellow classmates. Only so many people can look through the telescope in the time provided. You may not be able to see the objects if there are too many students present.

Lab policies are as follows::

  • Attendance at all labs is MANDATORY. No make-up labs may be scheduled.
  • Come to class ON TIME.
  • Labs (including in-class and take-home) are due the following week on the next lab day.
    Contact me in advance if you know that you will have issues turning them in on time. You are required to do your OWN work on these questions.
  • The In-class portion of the lab is done as a GROUP.
  • The Take-home portion is done ON YOUR OWN
  • Late labs WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
  • Non-typed lab summaries WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.Since you are required to type your labs, it is a good rule of thumb to email them to yourself. That way, if you lose them or your home printer doesn't work, you can retrieve them on campus and it won't be late.
  • If you know in advance that you will be missing a lab, talk to me beforehand. We can try and schedule you into another lab
  • Read the manual on the week's lab BEFORE we meet. This will save you confusion later on and you will know ahead of time what question to ask me. Also, I WILL give quizes to make sure people have read.
  • A scientific calculator is required . Your cell phone will likely not have a scientific calculator built in and, furthermore, cell phones are NOT allowed! I don't care if you have an app for that, don't use your cell phones. If I find you texting or talking during class your cell phone will be confiscated and I have the right to eject you from the classroom.
  • You'll be working in groups during the lab, so please make sure everyone's name is on lab before turning it in to me. If a member of your group is not present and you write their name, this is considered plagiarism and you will ALL receive zeros.
  • UNITS: do not write a number down in your lab without writing down the appropriate units as well. I will take off credit for unitless numbers. Also, write your steps! If you are asked to do a calculation and no steps are show, no credit will be given.
  • PLAGIARISM: i.e. cheating. If you copy off someone else, that is cheating! If you obtain information from a website, book, person, etc. and do not site your source, that is cheating! Even if you write something in your own words but obtained the information from another source, you are cheating if you don't site your source. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. If you cheat, you will receive a zero for the lab (and any one you cheated off of) and be referred to Dr. Jackiewicz and the Dean which can lead to your ejection from the university. I have sent students to the Dean beforeand I don't mind doing it again.

    Special note: If you have, or believe you have, a disability that you wish to self-identify, you can do so by providing documentation to the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office located in Garcia Annex (646-6840). If you are already registered with the SSD office, and need accommodations, please provide your "Accommodation Memo" from the SSD within the first 2 weeks of class. If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit from the premises in case of an emergency, you are encouraged to discuss this with your instructor (or SSD Coordinator). If you have general questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) call 646-3333.

    Schedule (subject to change)

    Week
    		 Lab Name
    Week of...
    1
    		 Lab 1: Tools for Success Takehome (No Class due to MLK Day but you still have to do the lab on your own)
    Jan 17
    2
    		 Lab 2: Density (Lab 1 Due)
    Jan 24
    3
    		 Lab 3: Scale Model of the Solar System.
    Jan 31
    4
    		 Lab 4: Phases of the Moon
    Feb 7
    5
    		 Lab 5: The Origin of the Seasons
    Feb 14
    6
    		 Lab 6: The Orbit of Mercury
    Feb 21
    7
    		 Lab 7: Kepler's Laws
    Feb 28
    8
    		 Lab 8: Estimating Earth's Density
    March 7
    9
    		 Lab 9: Suface of the Moon
    Mar 14
    10
    		 Lab 10: Surface water flow features on Mars
    Mar 28
    11
    		 Lab 11: Heat Loss from IO
    Apr 4
    12
    		 Lab 12: Building a Comet
    Apr 11
    13
    		 Lab 13: The Sun
    Apr 18
    14
    		 Lab Review
    Apr 25

    Pre-Lab Lectures courtesy of Michael Sussman
    (ppt links to a Powerpoint 2008 version of the lecture, pdf is a pdf version)

    Tools for Success: ppt pdf
    Density: pdf
    (no Scale Model of the Solar System lecture)
    Phases of the Moon: ppt pdf
    The Origin of the Seasons: ppt pdf
    The Orbit of Mercury: ppt
    Estimating Earth's Density: ppt pdf
    The Surface of the Moon: ppt
    Surface Water Flow Features on Mars: ppt
    Heat Loss from Io: ppt
    Building a Comet: ppt

    Discover the Cosmos! See the Astronomy Picture of the Day!

    Interesting Links

    For Lab 1: Powers of Ten
    For Labs 2 and 3: Comparing Masses of Planets
    For Surface Water Flow Features on Mars: Liquid water found on Mars!!!
    For "Building a Comet" Lab: Stardust finds building block of life in comet Wild 2

    Because it's cool: Sixty Symbols