Cococubed.com AST 114 Online Astronomy Laboratory II Spring 2011
Home Teaching materials ... Solar Systems Astronomy ... Stars, Galaxies,Cosmology ... Astronomy Laboratory I ... Astronomy Laboratory II ... Geometry of Art and Nature ... Calculus ... Numerical ... Life in the Universe ... Algebra Astronomy research Astronomy codes Astronomy talks Astronomy images Outreach Bicycle adventures Artwork Contact: F.X.Timmes, my vitae	Spacetime Coordinates: Online on Tuesdays from 1:00pm to 2:00pm and Wednesdays from 9:40am to 10:20am between 20Jan and 03May. You are not required to be available during these time slots. Instructors: Either Professor Frank Timmes fxt.teaching@gmail.com, Teaching Associate Karen Knierman karen.knierman@asu.edu, or Teaching Associate Angel Fuentes agfuente@asu.edu, will be avaliable Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the times given above via the course blackboard site, the live lectures delivered via Adobe Connect, email, or telephone 480 965 4274. Online Course: This is an online introductory laboratory on stars, galaxies, and cosmology. It is your responsibility to complete the reading online laboratories, and particpate/listen to the online lectures. It is assumed you have suitable hardware, software, internet connectivity, and know how to administer your machine. Our goal for this course is to communicate the excitement of modern astronomy. Some algebra will be used because obtaining quantitative results is an essential part of science. However, it is equally important for you to be able to give clear explanations of physical phenomena. This course could be one of your most rewarding courses, if you learn the material. We will move quickly and each new topic will build upon concepts covered previously. If you fall behind, you will find it difficult to catch up. Stay ahead of the game. Getting your Blackboard account established: First, you must purchase a "blackboard code" from the ASU bookstore. After you do that point your browser to myasucourses.asu.edu and navigate to the AST 114 blackboard site. This blackboard area is your springboard to anything you need in this course. Click on the Labs and Quizzes link on the left-hand side menu. A window should pop-up that looks like this screenshot. If you don't see this window, disable the pop-up blocker on your browser. Enter the "blackboard code" you purchased from the ASU bookstore. It should start with the letters TQ. Getting your Virtual Astronomy Laboratories (VAL) account established: I have sent each of you a "VAL code". From the Labs and Quizzes page click on the Virtual Astronomy Lab link. Click on the Students Register link. Enter the "VAL code" I sent you. When prompted enter the Course ID 2353. Your account should be set-up now. If you are still having problems, disable the pop-up blocker on your browser and/or call the help number provided at the end of VAL_account_instructions.pdf. Online Lectures: Live, interactive lectures will be given via Adobe Connect on Wednesdays from 9:40am to 10:30am. You are not required to be available during this time slot, as the lectures will be recorded for viewing at your convenience. To join a lecture, click on one of the lecture links below, choose to enter as a "guess", type your name, and click the "enter room" button. The first time you attempt to join an Adobe Connect meeting, it will automagically configure your machine. Here is a set-up guide in pdf format for Adobe Connect, and here is a video tutorial on what to expect in a Adobe Connect meeting. You do not need a camera or a mirophone to participate, as you can type your questions and comments into a chat window. If you want to ask questions verbally, then your computer needs to have a microphone and I strongly reccomend the use of headphones to prevent feedback and other sounds. Oneline Labs: There are 14 assignments, one per week. Each assignment starts on a Wednesday and is due the following Wednesday. Each assignment is usually composed of a VAL lab worth 50 points and a Blackboard Quiz on the lab worth 50 points. The lab grades will be based on completion of all the lab exercises (35 points) and correctness of the answers (15 points). Each assignment will take on average about 1 hour to complete. You must complete the labs and tests by yourself. Late labs will not be accepted, except for verified medical reasons or ASU sponsored activities. Claiming your computer or internet went down is not a valid reason for a late assignment. Extra Credit: There are no extra credit or honors projects for this course. Grading: Final grades are based on the number of points you earn on the labs. You can view your percentage of the total points avaliable to date from the course blackboard site. Final grades for the course are generally based on a curve; that is, relative to your colleagues. However, I allow for absolute scores - 90% or better will get an A, 80% a B, 70% a C. In general, I allow for "+" but not "-" grades. Cheating: Just don't. Please familiarize yourself with ASU's Student Academic Integrity Policy and Student Code of Conduct. Evidence of cheating on any online lab - sacrificial lambs, drones, dummy accounts - will result in you failing the entire course, as well as being referred to the appropriate Dean. Don't cheat. Schedule This following schedule is a guide that is subject to changes that depend in part on the class' progress. Week Date Day What Week 1 19Jan Wed 1. Find the AST 114 blackboard site 2. Purchase your Virtual Astronomy Laboratories (VAL) registration number 3. Get your VAL account activated 4. Get your Adobe Connect software rolling for the live lectures Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 01 - VAL Unit 1, Measurements Ask questions about this week's lab here 21Jan Fri Listen to one of the Stardate radio & podcasts for the current month. Week 2 24Jan Mon Explore Google Sky 25Jan Tue TA avaliable online 26Jan Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 02 - Introduction to Night Sky, Star Charts, Coordinate Systems, and Telescopes Ask questions about this week's lab here 28Jan Fri Watch movie of 100 From Earth to the Universe Images Play with the Ptolemaic Model Simulator Play with the Seasons and Ecliptic Simulator Week 3 31Jan Mon Play with the Rotating Sky Explorer Explorer 01Feb Tue TA avaliable online 02Feb Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 03 - VAL unit 16, Distance Scales Ask questions about this week's lab here 04Feb Fri Play with the Motions of the Sun Simulator American Museum of Natural History YouTube video Week 4 07Feb Mon Play with the Planetary Orbit Simulator 08Feb Tue TA avaliable online 09Feb Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 04 - VAL Unit 6, Tides Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 01 on VAL Unit 1 + Blackboard Quiz 01 are due by 11:59pm 11Feb Fri Play with the Lunar Phases Simulator Explore the Astronomy Picture of the Day Lab 02 + Blackboard Quiz 02 are due by 11:59pm Lab 03 on VAL Unit 16 + Blackboard Quiz 03 are due by 11:59pm Week 5 14Feb Mon Play with the Blackbody Simulator 15Feb Tue TA avaliable online 16Feb Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 05 - VAL Unit 2, Properties of Light Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 04 on VAL Unit 6 + Blackboard Quiz 04 are due by 11:59pm 18Feb Fri Visit the Arizona Science Center in-person Watch the quirky Blackbody Radiation video Week 6 21Feb Mon Explore the geometric optics of a Lens 22Feb Tue TA avaliable online 23Feb Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 06 - VAL Unit 3, Doppler Shift Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 05 on VAL Unit 2 + Blackboard Quiz 05 are due by 11:59pm 25Feb Fri Track the light through the Faulkes Telescope Adaptive Optics animation Week 7 28Feb Mon Play with the HR Diagram Explorer 01Mar Tue TA avaliable online 02Mar Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 07 - VAL Unit 11, HR Diagram Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 06 on VAL Units 3 + Blackboard Quiz 06 are due by 11:59pm 04Mar Fri Play with the Eclipsing Binary Simulator Simulator Week 8 07Mar Mon 08Mar Tue TA avaliable online 09Mar Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 08 - VAL Unit 12, Binary Star Systems Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 07 on VAL Unit 11 + Blackboard Quiz 07 are due by 11:59pm 11Mar Fri Look at some Unusual Auroras from Nationa Geographic Enjoy this YouTube video on the The Structure of the Sun Week 9 14Mar Mon No Class Spring Break 15Mar Tue No Class Spring Break 16Mar Wed No Class Spring Break 18Mar Fri No Class Spring Break Week 10 21Mar Mon Enjoy this NASA video on star formation 22Mar Tue TA avaliable online 23Mar Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 09 - VAL Unit 13, Explosions Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 08 on VAL Unit 12 + Blackboard Quiz 08 are due by 11:59pm 25Mar Fri Peruse the Wikipedia entry on the Interstellar Medium Week 11 28Mar Mon Build your own Star 29Mar Tue TA avaliable online 30Mar Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Histogram of total scores through Lab 07 is here. Start Lab 10 - VAL Unit 14, Neutron Stars Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 09 on VAL Unit 13 + Blackboard Quiz 09 are due by 11:59pm 01Apr Fri Watch these videos of stellar evolution Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Week 12 04Apr Mon Watch these videos of stellar evolution Part 4 Part 5 05Apr Tue TA avaliable online 06Apr Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 11 - VAL Unit 15, Black Holes Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 10 on VAL Unit 14 + Blackboard Quiz 10 are due by 11:59pm 08Apr Fri Explore Astronomy magazine online NASA's modern cosmology explained Week 13 11Apr Mon Play with the Distance Ladder Simulations 12Apr Tue TA avaliable online 13Apr Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 12 - VAL 17, Dark Matter + Galaxy Morphology Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 11 on VAL Unit 15 + Blackboard Quiz 11 are due by 11:59pm 15Apr Fri Video discussing Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Whimsical Video of the Universe in 60 seconds Week 14 18Apr Mon Play match the Chandra Image 19Apr Tue TA avaliable online 20Apr Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 13 - VAL 19, Hubble Law Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 12 on VAL Unit 17 + Blackboard Quiz 12 are due by 11:59pm 22Apr Fri Explore the Hubble Deep Field at Hyper-speed Portal to the Universe Week 15 25Apr Mon Interactive Tour of the Milky Way 26Apr Tue TA avaliable online 27Apr Wed Online lecture via Adobe Connect Start Lab 14 - VAL 20, Fate of the Universe Ask questions about this week's lab here Lab 13 on VAL Unit 19 + Blackboard Quiz 13 are due by 11:59pm 29Apr Fri Build your own Universe Hubble Space Telescope's Revelations video Week 16 02May Mon Lab 14 on VAL Unit 20 + Blackboard Quiz 14 are due by 11:59pm Histogram of the final scores and grades is here.