[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]
[Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences]
[12.409 Observing Stars and Planets]

Handout 0, 2002 Sep 4

12.409/12S23 Staff List & Course Information, Part 1 of 2

UPDATED FOR 2002 FALL

[ OVERVIEW | SECTION ASSIGNMENT RITUAL | MEETING TIMES and Time Management | CLASSROOM | GRADING | TEXTBOOK | EXPECTED STUDENT PREPARATION | PHOTO SUPPLIES ]

OVERVIEW

This seminar covers background for and techniques of visual observing and imaging with a small telescope. As the physics and math involved are elementary, 12.409 does not make the brain-bashing problem-set demands characteristic of many other MIT courses.

However, you will need to invest a fair amount of time and care in your work for the course, and the time investment tends to collide with some of your prime homework-time. Clear nights in Cambridge are rare enough that we must take full advantage of each one: sometimes we're extremely fortunate, with a section getting 5 to 7 clear nights during the term. Sometimes we're extremely UNfortunate, and a section gets only 2 or 1 (or less?) useful nights. As any given class night may be an `observing night', you must be prepared to devote one entire evening each week to 12.409.

12.409 uses six 8-inch reflecting telescopes; you'll be paired off and work two persons per scope. We set up the telescopes on campus until you've had enough experience to be able to take full advantage of a darker locale. Sometime after Spring Break we'll move our observing to Wallace Observatory in Westford, MA (less interfering lighting) as soon as we've got our transportation arrangements squared away.

SECTION ASSIGNMENT RITUAL:

MEETING TIMES and Time Management:

Each section will meet once a week at the same time every week, 7:00 pm .
Take special note: IF THIS SEEMS TOO EXTREME A TIME COMMITMENT PLEASE RECONSIDER NOW WHETHER THIS SEMINAR IS REALLY THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOU!
Keep in mind also that when we get to imaging you'll be spending some non-class time processing your images.

Each section of 12.409 begins officially at 5 minutes past the published start time (as is traditional for all classes at MIT); it's to your advantage to be on time for class, to obviate loss of observing time or having to make it up by ending later than usual. (`Missing the van to Wallace' is a very demoralizing way of losing a clear night while at the same time chalking up an unintended unexcused absence...) If you know ahead-of-time you have a time-conflict on some particular class night which might delay your arrival 5-10 minutes, please contact your instructor beforehand so that he/she knows to wait.

GRADING:

Your pass/fail grade will be determined using two criteria:

CLASSROOM:

Our laboratory classroom is Room 37-562. To get there, first be aware that the Bldg. 37 ground-level doors may actually be locked at 6pm as advertised: if so, you'll need to come inside through the second floor of 35 or the third floor of 39. Once you manage to get in, take one of Building 37's two elevators to the 5th floor. Turn left as soon as you exit the elevator; the first door past the elevators on the same side of the corridor is marked as being Rooms 37-552, 556, & 562. Behind the door is a small corridor with 4 doors off it; 37-562 is at the far end, directly in front of you. Stay on path; avoid land mines.

TEXTBOOK:

Most of the ``material'' (such as it is) for 12.409 is distributed as a set of handouts. However, if you don't yet know the major constellations and bright stars you should also purchase The Stars by H. A. Rey, which is available at the Coop as a 12.409 "text". Even if you already know your way around the sky, but learned to picture the constellations by a method other than Rey's method of showing them, you might want to get yourself the book since we'll many times describe locations of stars by where they fit into Rey's pictures (e.g. ``Perseus' left armpit'').

EXPECTED STUDENT PREPARATION

Expected student preparation for an evening of observing includes coming to class on-time, awake, fed, and warmly dressed (see next paragraph).

A few words about ``Evening Attire for the Sensible Observer'':


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