SFA Sky Labs
Excel Exercises
- Excel Familiarization: Phasors, EGR 111 Exercises (Inclass and project one)
- Star Chart Maker and Yale Data, Constellation Boundaries and Constellation Lines, birthdays
- Plot the Number of Stars verus magnitude
- Equations for Spectra Types verus Temperature and Size and Color Index
- Closest Stars and the Radio Bubble
- Spectral Type Population Study
- 3d Model of Orion or Nearby Stars
- H-R Diagram Analysis of Webda Data and Yale Data, Equation of Main Sequence and LifeTime
- Stellar Lifetime from Mass and Lumiosity
- Plotting Messier and NC objects and looking for patterns of clusters, nebulae and galaxies (zone of avoidance)
- Plot the relative motion of stars within a cluster by comparing B1950 data with J2000 data from Webda
- Julian Date and Radio Data
- Daylight Saving Time, Rise and Set Times, Sun Dial
- Retrograde Motion plot of the orbit of Mars (See AST305 lab)
- Extrasolar Planets - Data Analysis
- Radio Bubble
- Retrograde orbit plot of a minor planet from the MPC data online
- Plot of limb darkening for the Sun
- http://home.luna.nl/~arjan-muil/radio/history.html
- http://history.acusd.edu/gen/recording/radio.html
- http://earlyradiohistory.us/
- 1936 US Olympic
Excel Classroom Demonstrations
Indoor Exercises
- Construction of a Scale Model of the Solar System
- Analysis of CCD Photometry of Variable Stars, Flat Field, Dark Frame and Bias Frames
- DSS Galaxy Finder
- Dynamics: Cavendish experiment, Shape of lunar orbit, Satellites of Jupiter.
- Telescopes: Simple lenses, Construction of simple telescopes, Using small astronomical telescopes, Advantages of aperture.
- Cratering: Diameter and depth of lunar craters, Craters in the lab, Stratigraphy demonstration, Relative ages of lunar surfaces.
- Distances: Parallax in the lab, Distance to the Moon, Inverse-square law, Light curve of a Cepheid variable star.
- Spectra: Use of simple spectroscope, Formation of dark lines, Solar spectrum, Classification of stellar spectra.
- Astronomy in Our Lives: Calendars, Songs, Adversing (Subaru, Sirius, Zenith, Orion Pictures), Astronomy and Astrology
- The Story of Aristarchos, Beta
- Tetrabiblios
Outdoor Exercises
- Altitude and Azimuth of Cell Phone Towers on Cloudy nights
- CCD Photometry of Variable Stars, Flat Field, Dark Frame and Bias Frames
- Planets
- Locating Objects
- Field of View Star Drift
- Star Counting
- Meteor Shower Watching
- Bouncing Radio Wave off of the Moon
- Radio Observations of Meteors
- Supernova Images
Lab Exercise Resources
PowerPoint Lectures Resources