Physics/Astronomy 135: Advanced Astrophysics Lab
From P135
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Syllabus
Physics 135A: Fall 2007 Course Syllabus
Observing
- Observing Calendar (http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=d0bkpngodcocl06tlb1cu89slk%40group.calendar.google.com)
- Weather Forecast (http://www.wunderground.com/US/CA/Santa_Cruz.html)
- Tonight's Weather Details (http://cleardarksky.com/c/BsknEnObCAkey.html)
Lecture Notes
Winter 2008
Lecture 1: Antennas & Receivers (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/w08_1_smaller.pdf)
Lecture 2: Milky Way Experiment (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/w08_2_radio.pdf)
Lecture 3: Bits & Pieces (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/w08_3.pdf)
Fall 2007
Lecture 1: Overview (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/f07_1_intro.pdf)
Lecture 2: CCD Observing (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/f07_2_CCDobs.pdf)
Lecture 3: Intro to Photometry (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/f07_3_photometry.pdf)
Lecture 4: Photometry Data Reduction (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/f07_4_photometry_reduction.pdf)
Lecture 5: Photometry Error Analysis (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/f07_5_err_anal.pdf)
Lecture 6: Writing an Effective Lab Report (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/f07_6_writing.pdf)
Lecture 7: Introduction to Spectroscopy and Computer Experiments (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/f07_7_other_expts.pdf)
Lecture 8: Spectroscopy (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/f07_8_spectroscopy.pdf)
The Celestial Sphere (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/MISC/cel_sphere.pdf)
Astronomical Timekeeping (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/MISC/timekeeping.pdf)
Experiments
Experiments for Physics 135 come in three basic varieties:
- Optical observations (not readily available in 135B)
- Photometry: Variable Stars or Star Colors
- Spectropscopy: Basic Stellar Spectroscopy
- Radio observations
- Radio Observations of Jupiter -- Not currently (10/07) available because of Jupiter's position in the sky.
- The Long Wavelength Milky Way
- Computer experiments -- Do only one over the course of 135A/B.
Over the course of Physics 135A/B you should do at least one optical experiment, and no more than one radio or computer experiment. You may subsitute an experiment from Physics 134 for one of the Physics 135 experiments with permission of the Physics 134 instructor; the Cavendish experiment, and the experiments on gamma ray absorption and spectroscopy, muon lifetimes, and Compton effect are particularly relevant to astrophysics.
Announcements
Monday 3/17:
Radio analysis advice: A number of people have asked about what they should be trying to do with the radio data (once its calibrated etc) in the lab report, and I realize that this lab is significantly less quantitative than the others -- there isn't a single number with error bars that you can point to as your "answer."
The overall goal is to decide how well the data supports the hypothesis that the plane of the Milky Way galaxy is a stronger radio source than regions off the plane.
You can get an idea of what signal you'd expect by looking at the contour plots on the web site. To make it a bit easier to do this I used Starry Night to figure out about where the off-source beams were in the sky, compared to the zenith. The "North-East" pointing is about 4:15 minutes later in right ascension, and at a Declination about +55 degrees; the "South-West" point is about 2 hours earlier in RA and at a Declination of about +2 degrees.
The first thing to look at with the data is whether there are any consistent patterns in the data. The next question is whether those patterns are consistent with the signature you expect from the Milky Way. And then are they more consistent with that signature than other plausible patterns -- some to consider would be 1) a signature that depends only on direction in local (alt-az) coordinates, 2) a signature that depends only pointing direction and local time, or 3) a signature that depends only on pointing direction and time past sunset.
Things I will be looking for are 1) an understanding of the signature you're looking for, 2) an honest assessment of the evidence that the data provides, and 3) a convincing argument in support of your conclusion.
You should focus first on your own data, and then look at whether data from the whole class supports (or strengthens) the conclusions you would draw from your data.
Finally, think about what advice you'd give to next year's class to improve on this year's results.
Sunday 3/16:
Class radio data (dates are UT dates):
February 6 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Feb_6.pdf) (calibration tweaked to be more consistent with other data sets)
February 9 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Feb_9.pdf) (includes plot w.r.t. UT)
February 15 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Feb_15.pdf)
February 16 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Feb_16.pdf) (calibration tweaked to be more consistent with other data sets)
February 27 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Feb_27.pdf) (some calibration tweaking for internal consistency)
February 28 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Feb_28.pdf)
February 29 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Feb_29.pdf)
March 1 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Mar_1.pdf) (calibration tweaked to be more consistent with other data sets)
March 5 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Mar_5.pdf)
March 6 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Mar_6.pdf)
March 7 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Mar_7.pdf)
Useful Links
Equipment Manuals:
- Meade LX200GPS telescope manual (http://astro.ucsc.edu/~dewey/P135/ManualsEtc/LX200GPSmanual.pdf)
- SBIG ST-7E camera manual (http://astro.ucsc.edu/~dewey/P135/ManualsEtc/ST7EManual.pdf) (the "old" camera)
- SBIG ST7-XME camera manual (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Manuals/ST7-XME.pdf) (the "new" camera)
- CCD chip specifications (http://astro.ucsc.edu/~dewey/P135/ManualsEtc/kaf0401e.pdf)
Software Manuals:
- CCDSoft manual (http://astro.ucsc.edu/~dewey/P135/ManualsEtc/CCDSoft_Manual.pdf)
- Manual for CCDOps Version 4 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/MISC/opsman4.pdf)
- Manual for CCDOps Version 5 (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/MISC/opsman5.pdf)
Miscellaneous
- Greg Spear's Telescope Setup Guide (http://binary.ucsc.edu/dewey/p135/Telescope_Setup.pdf)
- Baskin Weather Conditions (http://cleardarksky.com/c/BsknEnObCAkey.html)
- Google Calendar (http://calendar.google.com)
Instructor Contact Info
Rachel Dewey, ISB 269, dewey at astro dot ucsc dot edu (mailto:dewey@astro.ucsc.edu), 9-3081
E-mail is (by far!) the most reliable way to get in touch with me.
Derek Larson, tek at physics dot ucsc dot edu (mailto:tek@physics.ucsc.edu)
Chris Paulson, cpaulson at ucsc dot edu (mailto:cpaulson@ucsc.edu)
Overview
Physics/Astronomy 135 is an advanced lab course designed to fulfill the requirements of the Astrophysics major, and aiming to provide a solid introduction to the basic techniques of astrophysics research. In the course you will have a chance to become familiar with fundamental techniques of optical astronomy (CCD imaging, photometry, spectroscopy) and radio astronomy. The course also has a strong focus on experimental design, quantitative data analysis, and effective presentation of results.
This year Physics 135 has been split to cover two quarters; in the fall Physics 135A will focus primarily on optical observing and in the winter quarter Physics 135B will focus primarily on radio observations.
For more information please read the Physics 135A: Fall 2007 Course Syllabus.
