Observational Astronomy

A laboratory-based course dealing with modern astronomical techniques. The course work will involve primarily nighttime observations with a 20-inch telescope and computer analysis of the data. Techniques covered include CCD observations, sky subtraction, spectroscopy, and photometry. Student projects may include determination of the distances and ages of star clusters; measurements of the variability of stars and of quasars; measurements of the masses of Jupiter, binary star systems, and galaxies; and determination of orbits of asteroids.