Lab Period and Investigations  Spring 2012
   - Each lab period involves the investigation of an overall topic that includes a number of different activities and experiments
   - Lab Guidelines (grading, notebook requirements, attendance, Physics contacts)

	Astronomy lab
2012 Jan 17	1a Variable Stars - part 1 - introduction to Physics labs - calibration with standard stars - uncertainties (mean deviation) 1b 1st period student sign-in
Jan 24	2a Variable Stars - part 2 - light curve of variable star No. 42 - Note: there are PreLab questions for this period 2b SkyGazer software introduction
Jan 31	3 Celestial Sphere - part 1 - building & using a Celestial Sphere
Feb 7 current	4a Celestial Sphere and Planisphere - part 2 - using a Celestial Sphere continued - building and using a Planisphere - note: there is also a PreLab for this period 4b SkyGazer software introduction continued

----- The labs below here are under development. Note: these labs can and will change ----- ----- Current labs are moved to above this area, usually by the Thursday before the lab period -----

Feb 14	5a Parallax - determining distance and size of a distant object - comparison of value (percent difference) 5b SkyGazer software introduction completion
Feb 21	6 Reading Break - no lab, university closed
Feb 28	7a 1^st Quiz - quiz is open notebook, notebook to be left in the lab after the quiz - quiz is expected to take an hour 7b SkyGazer software: Pole Stars & Transit of Venus - 2nd hour of the period will be SkyGazer software1hr Exercises - * Note: there are PreLab questions for this period *
Mar 6	8 Mass of Earth - measuring the Earth's mass
Mar 13	9 Mass of Jupiter - determining Jupiter's mass using Kepler's 3rd law
Mar 20	10a Telescopes - lenses and telescopes 10b Telescopes displayed in the lab - For the two telescopes setup in the lab, describe what you see. - Determine the magnification of each telescope from estimating the image and object sizes. 10c SkyGazer activity - Open and run each of the settings files for Cassini spacecraft under "Spacecraft and Missions" directory (open from menu File/OpenSettings...). Summarize in your notebook what you observed with each of these files. - In your own words comment on the "slingshot" misconception and what you observed with SkyGazer. A common misconception of the "slingshot effect" is that the boost to the spacecraft comes from gravity. Gravity is just the means by which some orbital kinetic energy of the planet (Earth, Venus, Jupiter) encountered by the spacecraft is transferred to the spacecraft - a "collision" of sorts. While this kinetic energy is a negligible fraction of the planet's kinetic energy, it is a significant fraction of the spacecraft's kinetic energy. If the planet were stationary, the spacecraft would speed up on approach and slow down when leaving, which would transfer zero energy.
Mar 27	11 Spectroscopy - observing Continuous, Line and Absorption spectra
Apr 3	12 Extra Solar Planets - planets orbiting stars
Apr 10	13a 2^nd Quiz *be sure to bring your notebook!!!* - quiz is open notebook, notebook to be left in the lab after the quiz - quiz is expected to take an hour 13b H-R Diagram - 2nd hour of the period will be on plotting a Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) Diagram - there is no prelab for this period
The End

--- Resources ---
- ISS Timelapse Video - T Legault Astrophotography - ISS and shuttle

--- Pool of experiments ---
SkyGazer software xx SkyGazer activity - Open SkyGazer Explore/Eclipses - Record the eclipse start and completion date and times for the various types of solar and lunar eclipse examples xx SkyGazer activity - Use SkyGazer to observe the orbits of planets Mercury, Venus and Mars in relation to Earth Record an example date for when Mercury is closet and furthest from Earth. Record an example date for when Venus is closet and furthest from Earth. Record an example date for when Mars is closet and furthest from Earth. Record which outer planet, in its orbit, comes close to Earth in Sept 2010 xx SkyGazer activity - Open and run each of the settings files for Cassini spacecraft under "Spacecraft and Missions" directory (open from menu File/OpenSettings...). Summarize in your notebook what you observed with each of these files. - In your own words comment on the "slingshot" misconception and what you observed with SkyGazer. A common misconception of the "slingshot effect" is that the boost to the spacecraft comes from gravity. Gravity is just the means by which some orbital kinetic energy of the planet (Earth, Venus, Jupiter) encountered by the spacecraft is transferred to the spacecraft - a "collision" of sorts. While this kinetic energy is a negligible fraction of the planet's kinetic energy, it is a significant fraction of the spacecraft's kinetic energy. If the planet were stationary, the spacecraft would speed up on approach and slow down when leaving, which would transfer zero energy.
	xx Inverse Square Law - observing intensity of a light bulb with distance
	xx Extra Solar Planets - planets orbiting stars

Astronomy 107 Lab