Astronomy 105: Lab Section M02
TUESDAYS 4:30 - 6:30 pm

Lab Instructor: Jacqueline McCleary
Office: Astronomy 107A
Contact Information: 646-5816, mccleary [at] nmsu.edu
Office Hours: Monday 10:30 am - 12:00pm (or by appointment)

Hello all! My name is Jacqueline, and I'm the lab instructor for section M02 of your astronomy class. Our lab meets Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 pm in WH302. A schedule of the labs for this semester is on page 5 of the syllabus Dr. Murphy handed out to you. I hope you kept your copy, but if you didn't it's here. I've also organized a schedule below. I will generally start our labs with a brief lecture on the week's experiment; they will appear on this page over the course of the semester. As the spirit moves me and for your edification, I will also add links to cute demos, movies, pictures and astronomy information.

My office is in the Astronomy Building, just across the parking lot from your classroom in the Biology Annex. Got questions about lab or class? Come visit me!

Because it's best for all of us if you see this up front, here are my laboratory policies:

  • Attendance at all labs is MANDATORY. No make-up labs may be scheduled. I'll be taking attendance, so show up!
  • If you know in advance that you will be missing a lab, talk to me beforehand. We can try and schedule you into Malynda's or Adam's section. I repeat, contact me beforehand, don't just turn up somewhere and expect credit.
  • Our lab meets at 4:30 pm. Not 4:45 pm, not 5:00 pm, but 4:30 pm. Please bear this in mind as you plan your day.
  • Read the manual on the week's lab BEFORE we meet. Seriously. I reserve the right to administer quizzes at the beginning of class. The manual may be found, organized by experiment, here but I've also linked to them below.
  • A scientific calculator is a good idea for most of the labs. Your cellphone's piddly little one will probably not be enough.
  • You'll be working in groups during the lab, so please make sure everyone's name is on the group work you turn in to me after lab.
  • Your take-home questions are due one week after the experiment. Contact me in advance if you know that you will have issues turning them in on time. Please do your own work on these! On the topic...
  • PLAGIARISM: just say no. Copying someone's work without giving due credit is cheating. Not only will plagiarism garner you (and whoever you may have copied from) a zero on the assignment, I would have to refer you to Dr. Murphy and you may be subject to disciplinary action by the University. Like I said, do your own work!

    Schedule

    Week
    		 Lab Name
    Date
    1
    		 Lab # 1: Tools for Success
    8/25
    2
    		 Lab # 7: Density (Lab #1 due)
    9/1
    3
    		 Lab # 2: Scale Model of the Solar System (Lab # 7 due)
    9/8
    4
    		 Lab # 3: Phases of the Moon (Lab # 2 due)
    9/15
    5
    		 Lab # 4: The Origin of the Seasons (Lab # 3 due)
    9/22
    6
    		 Lab # 6: The Orbit of Mercury (Lab # 4 due)
    9/29
    7
    		 Lab # 5: Kepler's Laws (Lab # 6 due)
    10/6
    8
    		 Lab # 8: Estimating Earth's Density (Lab # 5 due)
    10/13
    9
    		 Lab # 11: The Surface of the Moon (Lab # 8 due)
    10/20
    10
    		 Lab # 13: Surface Water Flow Features on Mars (Lab # 11 due)
    10/27
    11
    		 Lab # 12: Heat Loss from Io (Lab # 13 due)
    11/03
    12
    		 Lab # 15: Building a Comet (Lab #12 due)
    11/10
    13
    		 Lab # 17: The Sun (Lab # 15 due)
    11/17
    14
    		 No Lab; Happy Thanksgiving!
    11/24
    15
    		 Review for Final Exam (Lab # 17 due)
    12/01

    Pre-Lab Lectures
    (ppt links to a powerpoint 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

    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

    Because it's cool: Sixty Symbols