Astro 109
Spring 2022 Syllabus
ASTRONOMY 109: ASTRONOMY LABORATORY
Section 85868 : On Campus Wednesdays 7:10PM to 10:10 PM and online temporarily until Feb 22 2022
Instructor Contact Information
· Instructor: Sina Sadjadi
· Email: Canvas Inbox (preferred method of contact) or ssadjadi@sdccd.edu
· Class Zoom Room: Sina’s Zoom Room open at 7:10 PM on Feb 2 Feb 9, Feb 16 until Feb 23 when we meet at Mesa room MS109 at 7:10 PM
· Office Zoom Room: Sina’s Zoom Room. office hours 4 to 6 PM on Tuesdays.
Prerequisites and Recommended Preparation
Completion of, or concurrent enrollment in: ASTR 101 with a grade of "C" or better, or equivalent.
Required Materials
1. Textbook is not required. I’ll supply hand outs when necessary.
2. A computer. Windows, IOS, chromebook or a cell phone to attend temporary online classes
3. SDCCD email account
4. Software to read or save documents in Microsoft Word (.docx)—Get Office 365 free with your SDCCD email address!
5. Stellarium Software. We’ll download it in class. It should work on Window and Apple Computers. Online Version works on Chromebooks
6. Temporarily Reliable, high-speed Internet access on a desktop, laptop computer or a cell phone.
7. A webcam. (Cell phone works too)
8. A 40 page note book. To write down your work.
9. A red Flashlight : Please make or buy a Red flashlight. This one is a necessity. Please bring it to the class with you every time
How to make a Red Flashlight: All you need is a normal flashlight, a rubber band, and a piece of red cellophane. I suggest you pick a darker shade of red so that you won't need that many layers. Fold the red cellophane over cell phone two or three times so that you will cover the lens completely and fasten it with the rubber band.
Using my Google Drive:
I have a Google drive in case you need to pass me large files. Please go to my Google Drive Find your Class Folder, Open it and make a New Folder using LAST NAME, FIRST NAME. You will be using this folder for Note Books and some Home Work Projects. You Drag and Drop files into your Folder.
This is the Link : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZlzNkcndrt_hvXddAL1aXotHtpj9Ht8Y?usp=sharing
· Online (via Canvas Inbox and Zoom video conferencing): Sina’s Zoom Room Tuesdays 4:00-6:00 p.m.
· Questions outside of office hours? I will respond to your email message in CANVAS within 24 hours, M-F. If you do not get a response after 24 hours, please resend.
Course Location & Technical Support
This course is taught in MS 109, This is in the Mesa Science building on the first floor, on Canvas and On Zoom.
To access our course, log in via : Log in to your CANVAS course
To get on Zoom Click on this link : Sina’s Zoom Room
For Help regarding Online Support Please use the Mesa College Support services.
Here you’ll find everything on one page, from Disability support services to the Library to Lap top check out to Veteran’s services to just about any service you need in one place.
STUDENT ONLINE SUPPORT SERVICES :
Student Support Services
Student support services are available both on campus and online. For a complete list of services, including the library, tutoring, and counseling, visit the For Help regarding Online Support Please use the Mesa College Support services.
Here you’ll find everything on one page:
STUDENT ONLINE SUPPORT SERVICES :
Mesa Journey’s Tool
The Mesa Journeys tool ( http://www.sdmesa.edu/mesa-journeys/ ) provides free access to over 30+ support programs and services to help you succeed. The “Mesa Journeys” tool is a short survey asking various questions about your demographics and educational goals. Based on your responses, the application will then provide you a list of recommended programs and services that may help you with your educational journey here at Mesa College. Please complete it today at: http://www.sdmesa.edu/mesa-journeys/
Remember to click on the “email button” to send a copy of the results to yourself. This will also opt you in to receive more information about the services you may be eligible for, as well as our Mesa Journeys Newsletter!
Video Tutorial of Mesa Journeys
Students with Disabilities
If you have a learning disability, physical disability, or any other circumstance that needs special accommodation, please discuss it with your instructor, in person or via email. I want you to be successful and am happy to work with you. Here is additional information provided by our college’s DSPS office:
San Diego Mesa College recommends that students with disabilities or specific learning needs contact their professors during the first two weeks of class to discuss academic accommodations. If a student believes that they may have a disability and would like more information, they are encouraged to contact Disability Services
Course Description
This is a laboratory field experience course in general astronomy. Emphasis is placed on the constellations, celestial cycle interpretation and observations of astronomical objects and events with and without the use of telescopes. This course is for all students interested in field experience in general astronomy. In this course we use the Telescopes on the Roof of the Science building at Mesa College.
Transfer Credit: UC,CSU
Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:
· Recognize and interpret motions on the sky.
· Learn and Use astronomical laboratory equipment (such as telescopes, Astronomical Cameras, lenses, mirrors, spectrometers, maps, and computers) to gather experimental data. Please touch everything and learn.
· Learn image processing and prepare and analyze graphs of experimental data.
· Categorize and interpret spectra.
· Evaluate and interpret astronomical observations.
Spring 2022 CLO. Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successfully completing this course :
Students will display the ability to use proportional reasoning and graphical analysis to establish and analyze relationships between measured quantities.
· Attendance and Participation
· Regular attendance and class participation is vital in an Observational Astronomy class. Your presence will be counted by taking roll in our class and or in the Zoom Room.
· Students who do not Attend the first 2 week’s of online meeting or are absent without a valid excuse for 4 weeks or more of this 16-week course may be dropped so please keep in touch with me if you have any difficulties attending class. However, if you choose to drop the course you will need to do so officially through Admissions and then notify your instructor.
Instructor Communication: Regular Effective Contact
I am looking forward to working closely with you this semester, and you can expect me to play an active role in our course. Please try to ask me questions, you will find me very friendly.
· Instructor: Sina Sadjadi
· Email: Canvas Inbox (preferred method of contact) or ssadjadi@sdccd.edu
· Office: Zoom Room: Sina’s Zoom Room
Please let me know when you need help—that’s why I’m here!
For most weeks, this will be your work flow:
1. Class meeting from 7:10 PM Until 10:10 PM on Wednesdays in MS 109 and until Feb 22 in Sina’s Zoom room. Sina’s Zoom Room
2. Please check your email at least once a day.
Grading
Each student's final grade is calculated by the percentage of total points possible earned by that student, using a standard scale: 90-100%=A, 80-89%=B, 70-79=C, 60-69%=D, 0-59%=F. The instructor reserves the right to add/change/delete points during the semester.
Assignment
Points
% of Total
5 Projects completed
70
70%
Final Exam
15
15%
Participation
15
15%
Total Points Possible
100
100%
How Projects are Graded and Late Work
Assignments for this course should be completed on time so that we are all moving through the class together.
The best way to plan for the unexpected is to get an early start on each assignment. Sometimes, though, life gets in the way of learning. In unexpected situations leading to late work, please no worries, contact me or come to the Zoom Office hour for help.
Projects are graded on correctness of images (No Saturated images, keeping some background except for Lunar and planetary images, Image sharpness, correct positioning of multiple images, dark subtraction and flat fielding of images except for Lunar and planetary images)
Academic Integrity
Academic dishonesty of any type by a student provides grounds for disciplinary action by the instructor or college. The academic integrity of the students in this course and Policy 3100, the San Diego Community College District Student Code of Conduct, require that all student work including, but not limited to, discussion postings, assignments, essays, papers, Quizzes and exams be free of plagiarism. Students must fully cite any text, graphics, or others’ ideas they include in that work. For additional details, please review AP 3100.3—Honest Academic Conduct.
As part of my commitment to academic integrity, student work in this course may be submitted to an online plagiarism checking service.
Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing will be subject to the disciplinary procedures given in District Policy 3100, which may include receiving a failing grade for the assignment. Any cheating or plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Student Affairs. Specifically, the following behaviors are examples of cheating/plagiarism (this list is not exhaustive).
Copying directly from the textbook. Note: you’re welcome to summarize the information from when completing homework assignments, but please phrase homework answers in your own words!
Using unauthorized notes while taking an exam, or copying another student’s work.
Sharing exam answers or collaborating with another student during an exam.
Turning in homework that contains large blocks of text that are identical or nearly identical to another student’s (both parties will receive zero score).
Copying from any source (including the Internet) without citing the source.
Turning in work completed for another class (unless pre-authorized by the instructor).
Passing off any work as your own that is not. This includes the use of work completed by other students.
In order to avoid any possibility of someone else plagiarizing your work, I highly recommend that you not share any content-specific material (such as exam answers, homework, or field trip reports) with any other students.
Please note that if I receive any course work from two or more students that is identical or strikingly similar, I reserve the right to assign any and all such students a score of zero for the assignment in question.
Please note that if I suspect academic dishonesty on an assignment or an exam, I reserve the right to schedule a one-on-one Zoom meeting to give you the opportunity to demonstrate that you understand the answer(s) you supplied. In the event that a student is unable to demonstrate their understanding of an exam/assignment answer, I reserve the right to assign the student a score of zero for that exam/assignment.
Diversity Statement and Respectful Conduct
I would like our class to be a supportive learning environment that values and builds on the richly diverse identities, perspectives, and experiences of our group. Please help me develop this environment by honoring the diverse identities of your classmates and letting your instructor know (via anonymous surveys or email, for example) if an assignment, comment, etc. makes you feel uncomfortable.
Both in the readings and in discussions, you will likely encounter cultures, ideas, and values that differ from your own. These are valuable opportunities to learn more about different perspectives and where they intersect with yours. We all see the world from a point of view informed by our experiences and backgrounds, and what we read and discuss can open new windows through which to understand both our texts and world around us. You are encouraged to contribute your ideas about our readings freely, but please remember to demonstrate respect for the works as well as your classmates and instructor. We all have unconscious biases that stem from our experiences, and recognizing and discussing them can lead to unexpected insights.
Conversely, disrespectful or threatening responses tend to shut down conversation and insight, and so these kinds of comments will be promptly addressed by your instructor. To keep our interactions safe and productive, please know that anyone who repeatedly engages in disrespectful or otherwise inappropriate behavior will be locked out of the discussion for the week and/or face student misconduct charges. Please join me in creating a comfortable and productive learning environment for us all.
Netiquette
Netiquette is a set of guidelines for respectful behavior in an online environment. It is etiquette for the Internet, and knowing these social rules can help you have a more rewarding semester. The netiquette guidelines here are ones that are especially important in our online classroom.
1. Participate. Reading the posts of others is helpful for you, but you must also do your part to be helpful for the group. Share your ideas to strengthen our discussion, and don’t wait until the last minute to contribute. Encourage others to participate by responding to their ideas. Be involved, but do not dominate a discussion with too many posts.
2. Remember the human. This common Internet mantra means that even though we may not be face to face, there is a real person behind each discussion post. Do not write something that you would not feel comfortable saying in a face-to-face classroom setting. Discuss ideas, not people. In other words, do not attack a classmate for expressing his or her opinion; instead, discuss your position on the ideas that have been presented. Be kind and understanding with your classmates to keep our environment positive and productive.
3. Help others. We will be working together all semester, so let’s try to be a good team. If you can help a classmate with a question, please do! Your efforts will be appreciated by both students and instructor.
4. Respect other people’s time. Your posts should be focused, organized, and clear so that your classmates can quickly see your point and evidence. Another way to respect people’s time is to look for answers before asking for help. For example, if you can’t find something or you don’t remember when an assignment is due, look through the syllabus and other course documents for the answer. Only ask for help when you truly need it.
5. Edit and proofread before posting. We have lots of posts to read, so yours needs to be as clear as it can be. It should be organized and written in standard English. Unfamiliar abbreviations or easily fixed misspellings may tell your readers that you don’t value their time, and this does not build good will.
6. Don’t shout. TYPING IN ALL CAPITALS MEANS YOU ARE SHOUTING AT US! Don’t do it. The same can be said of repeated exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!
7. Use emoticons sparingly. Social networking and texting have given us lots of fun keyboard shortcuts to add tone to a message. Because a smiley face or wink can help to establish the intended tone of a comment, you are welcome to use common emoticons occasionally. Too many emoticons can make your writing look more casual than academic, so don’t overdo it. :-)
8. No flaming. “Flaming” is an angry message, often directed at another person. When another person responds in anger, we have a “flame war” taking over the discussion. Personal attacks are unacceptable in the classroom, whether in person or online. If you see a conflict developing, try to calm things down if you feel comfortable doing so. If you feel attacked, contact your instructor rather than responding to the flaming student. We all have biases, and sometimes we are not aware of how what we say may be viewed by others, so let’s all try to be generous and kind in our responses to one another. Everything we do in Canvas is permanent, so please think very carefully about your tone before submitting a post. If you don’t, that mistake might haunt you for the rest of the semester.
Emergency Plan
If our course or instructor unexpectedly becomes unavailable, continue following the schedule to complete assignments, which will be submitted when access is restored. In emergency situations, college updates will be provided via the emergency notification system and social media.
Course Map
Here is an overview of the key areas of the course, each of which can be accessed from the course menu:
· Announcements houses—you guessed it!—my announcements.
· Syllabus contains course information that you will use throughout the semester. A list of course assignments with due dates can also be found here.
· Modules contains everything you need for each week of our course. Simply click “next” to move from one item to the next in the week’s module.
· Quizzes provides one-click access to Exams and quizzes.
· Assignments offers a list of essay and project assignment as well as other graded assignments. You will find each of these items in its module as well.
· Grades lists your scores and the points possible for all assignments. You can access your graded work and my feedback by clicking on the item and/or rubric. You will also see your current total points and percentage.
· Inbox (global menu) is where you can send messages to me and receive responses.
· Help (global menu) connects you to the Canvas Guides, our support hotline, and a variety of other support options.
Course Calendar and Learning Objectives
On every clear night we will observe the sky with telescopes and cameras. On cloudy nights we do processing of our observed images.
The Omicron version of Covid has forced us to use Zoom for 3 weeks. We come back to school on Feb 23 at 7:10 PM.
That is not that bad because I was going to introduce you to the SKY, the Telescope and our Observing equipment the first couple of weeks. I can show you online images and we will start taking images online using NASA telescopes in Arizona and South America the first couple of weeks.
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WEEK 1
Feb 2 : Sky and Telescope:
Learning Objectives : Class Orientation and Introduction to the Telescopes and the night sky. Learn all about telescopes and how they are used. Learn about Telescope Optics, Telescope mounts and why Astronomical imaging should include Guiding the telescope. Learn how the sky moves. (or how the earth rotates) We will also choose Astronomical targets using Nasa’s telescopes in Arizona.
We will all request variety of images from the Nasa station which will be mailed to us.
Week 2
Feb 9 :
Introduction to Astronomical Imaging:
Learning Objectives: Learn all the important information about digital imaging. Learn all about Astronomical cameras, their pros and cons. (Cooled scientific cameras, High speed planetary cameras and DSLR cameras)
WEEK 3
Feb 16 :
We will process the images that we requested two weeks ago from Nasa’s telescopes in Arizona.
These are our warm up images but they will show the challenges of observing the universe from the surface of the Earth.
WEEK 4 (Last Q)
Feb 23 :
Narrow Band Imaging:
Learning Objectives: We will learn how to use the imaging Refractors with cooled CCD cameras and Narrow band filters (Ha, OIII and SII filters) to image the Orion Nebula.
WEEK 5 (New)
Mar 2 :
Narrow Band Imaging:
Learning Objectives: We will learn how to use the imaging Refractors with cooled CCD cameras and Narrow band filters (Ha, OIII and SII filters) to image the Orion Nebula.
WEEK 6 (First Q)
Mar 9 :
Lunar imaging:
Learning objectives : We will use high speed planetary cameras to image the moon. (Lucky Imaging). We will process the images using the Auto stakkert! And registax programs.
WEEK 7 (2 days before Full)
Mar 16 :
Narrow Band Imaging:
Learning Objectives: We will learn how to use the imaging Refractors with cooled CCD cameras and Narrow band filters (Ha, OIII and SII filters) to image the Orion Nebula.
WEEK 8 (Last Q)
Mar 23 : Photometry :
Learning objectives : Learn how to measure the brightness of stars by using a V and a B to image the stars. We will use the Maxim-dl program to measure the magnitude of stars in V and the B band.
WEEK 9
March 30 :
SPRING BREAK
WEEK 10 (2 days before 1st Q)
Apr 6 :
Lunar imaging:
Learning objectives : We will use high speed planetary cameras to image the moon. (Lucky Imaging). We will process the images using the Auto stakkert! And registax programs.
WEEK 11 (3 days before Full)
Apr 13 :
Lunar imaging:
Learning objectives : We will use high speed planetary cameras to image the moon. (Lucky Imaging). We will process the images using the Auto stakkert! And registax programs
WEEK 12 (3 days before Last Q)
Apr 20 :
Narrow Band Imaging:
Learning Objectives: We will learn how to use the imaging Refractors with cooled CCD cameras and Narrow band filters (Ha, OIII and SII filters) to image the Rosette Nebula.
WEEK 13 (3 days before New)
Apr 27 :
Asteroid Observing:
Learning objectives : Learn how to observe Asteroids. We will be observing an Asteroid using the photometric V and B filters.
WEEK 14 (4 days before 1st Q)
May 4 :
Lunar imaging:
Learning objectives : We will use high speed planetary cameras to image the moon. (Lucky Imaging). We will process the images using the Auto stakkert! And registax programs
WEEK 15
May 11
Image processing (I):
Learning objectives : Learn how to use image processing software by doing. Several programs will be used. Start getting your final images together.
WEEK 16
May 18 :
Image Processing (II)
REVIEW OF THE FINAL EXAM and processing all our images.
WEEK 17
May 25 :
FINAL EXAM and Final Image processing Session:
This is our last night, we will take a quick exam and then put the finishing touches on all our projects.