Extra Credit
Keep a log of your observations explaining where you were, what time it was, what direction you were looking and what you saw or did not see. Record enough information so that I can tell you actually went out at night and tried to see something. Noting the location and phase of the Moon can be useful. For each object, give a brief summary of why the object you are observing is important and relevant to the class.
Keep an eye on Betelgeuse in Orion. Also locate Sirius A, the Crab Nebula, Cassiopeiae A, Cygnus X-1, Sagittarius A, and other objects we talk about in class. Some of these objects can be seen with the naked eye and some cannot, but you can locate the region in the sky where they are.
Some things we will talk about can be seen now but not later in the term, some can be seen only later in the term and not now. You need to check when various things can be seen at what time of night and when in the season. For orientation, check out the web site Whole Sky Chart from the link on the class web site. This allows you to enter a time and find what is observable then. It does not name all the objects, so it is only a starting place.
Due on Monday after each hourly exam. You can only get credit for each object once, but it is never too late to try.
All reports must be typewritten on 8-1/2x11 inch paper.
Credit: up to 5 points added to term average (one half a letter
grade; equivalent to 25 points on a single exam!). Each report
will be graded on a scale of 0 to 5 and then the four reports
averaged to determine the final extra credit score.
International Year of Astronomy:
Participate in one function related to the International
Year of Astronomy. Write up a brief (one page) description
of the function and your activity.
All reports must be typewritten on 8-1/2x11 inch paper.
Credit: up to 1 point added to term average (equivalent to 5
points on a single exam).