Astronomy

Astronomy 101: Descriptive Astronomy (M4), Section/CRN# 47012 , Fall 2018, Mesa College Instructor: David E. Coleman Time: 7:10-10:10 pm, Tuesdays, Room: MS102 (Math/Science Building)

Contact by: Email [email protected] No phone. Class Census Date: Sep 4.

Office Hours: Office hours at MS115C on Mondays and Wednesdays 9:25-10:25 am between 8/20 and 12/10.

Notable Dates: Aug 31 (Fri) - last day to add, and last day to drop without a W. Oct 26 (Fri) - last day to drop with a W.

New Moons: 9/9, 10/8, 11/6, 12/6.

Meteors/Eclipses: Orionids Oct 21 (Moon almost Full), Leonids Nov 17 (Moon sets 2am) and Geminids Dec 13.

Description: 3 hours lecture, no lab hours, 3 units. An introductory survey course to develop the appreciation of cont emporary

astronomy. Topics include the solar system, stars and stellar evolution, the Milky Way galaxy, and cosmology.

The student is NOT required to take a lab class to get credit for this course. Transfer Credit: UC, CSU.

This syllabus is subject to change if unforeseeable circumstances occur (e.g. teacher out sick).

Texts: (1) Discovering the Essential Universe, 6 TH

edition only (2015), by Comins and Kaufmann. Ebook is OK.

The library probably does not have copies on reserve. Internet orders/rentals: Expedited shipping required!

(2) “Descriptive Astronomy” packet of notes by D. Coleman – available only at the school store (2018 edition!)

Required items: The above texts, #2 pencils, and 3 green half-sheet Scantrons (4¼”×11", code 882-E) from the campus bookstore.

Readings: Reading assignments are due by the days listed below. Bring class notes packet to class (not textbook).

Reading Due Lecture EC=Extra Credit Dates By Each Date Notes Sec. Likely Topic QS=Homework Announcements & Assignments Due 8-21 N/A 1A Scientific Notation Reading assignment #4 has some of the 1A The Universe material for later homework (QS#2). 8-28 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 1B Birth of Astronomy QS #1 due (online homework) – see next page 2 Star Patterns Enter your answers on Blackboard! for these ID’s That ONE assignment can still 9-4 7 3 Kepler, Newton, Gravity be input up to one week late. 8 4 Seasons, Phases, Precession 9-11 9 and 10 5A Forces and Light QS #2 due (homework) 9-18 11 5B Atoms and Spectra 9-25 EXAM #1 (on lecture note sections 1-5A) – If teacher misses any day of class, an exam might be postponed. 12 6 Telescopes 10-2 13 and 14 7 The Sun QS #3 due 8 Stars & Their Spectra 10-9 15 8/9A Stars on the HR Diagram, Earth 16 9A/9B Climate/Tides, Merc/Venus Reminder to watch your total number of absences! 10-16 17, 18, 19, 20 9B Mars QS #4 due 9C Debris 10-23 21, 22, 23 10B Exoplanets EC #1 & MU #1 due 11 Origins (EC = Extra Credit Assignment) (MU = make-up paper for an exam) 10-30 EXAM #2 (lecture note sections 5B-10B) – If teacher misses any day of class, an exam might be postponed. 24 11/12 Origins, Stellar Evolution QS #5 due, but I’ll give you extra week! 11-6 25 13 Nova and Supernova Explosions 26 and 27 13 Neutron Stars & Black Holes 11-13 28, 29, 30, 31 14 Milky Way QS #6 due 15 Galaxies NEXT WEEK OFF (THANKSGIVING) 11-27 32 and 33 16 Active Galaxies *Watch your attendance!* 16/17a Galaxy Collisions 12-4 17a Cosmology EC#2 & MU#2 due 17b Cosmology QS #7 due (Answers visible 6

TH at 4 am)

12-11 EXAM #3 (lecture sections 11-17) e-grades: https://sdccd.blackboard.com/ and http://studentweb.sdccd.edu

READING ASSIGNMENTS – Parts of your large textbook

READ THIS: Reading assignments on the first page of the syllabus are listed with simple ID numbers. Below you see a chart describing what parts of your textbook you need to read for each reading assignment ID number. When I say below that a particular reading assignment includes particular sections of a chapter (instead of the whole chapter ), you will notice that where some of these sections begin, there is a small blurb of text right before that section of the textbook begins. You should read that too. So some of these reading assignments start one paragraph earlier than what I have listed below. It should be obvious. Just make sure you are starting each reading assignment where it is clear in the book that a new topic is starting. An example is in Chapter 1, where Section 1 really starts a bit above the Section 1 label in the book. Also, a lot of the sectio ns on planets in chapters 5 through 8 have this same behavior. ID number Chapter Parts of Chapter Topics Relevant homework assignments

1 Chapter 1 Section 14 Scale of the Universe

2 Chapter 2 Section 1 Scientific Method

3 Appendix A1 At back of book Scientific notation

4 Chapter 2 Sections 2 to 7 Early Astronomy (Not on QS1. It is on QS2)

5 Chapter 10 Section 1 Parallax

6 Chapter 1 Section 1 to 13 Sphere, Constellations, Moon (QS1 is through this point here)

7 Chapter 2 Section 8 Orbits and Gravity

8 Chapter 12 Section 11 Curved Spacetime

9 Chapter 3 Sections 1 to 4 Radiation & Temperature (Sections 1 to 4, 12, and 13)

10 Chapter 3 Sections 12 to 18 Spectra and Atoms (Sections 14 to 18) (QS2 goes to here)

11 Chapter 3 Sections 5 to 11 Telescopes

12 Chapter 9 All sections The Sun

13 Chapter 10 Sections 2 to 6 Stars & Their Spectra

14 Chapter 10 Sections 7 to 12 HR Diagram & Binaries (QS3 now goes to here)

15 Chapter 6 All sections Earth (1 to 5), Moon (6-10), Merc/V/Mars (11-25)

16 Chapter 7 Sections 1 to 13 Jupiter and Saturn

17 Chapter 7 Sections 14 to 17 Uranus and Neptune (QS4 now goes to here)

18 Chapter 4 All sections Planet formation (Sections 1 to 4 and 10) and Debris (Sections 5 to 9)

19 Chapter 8 Sections 3 to 13 More on Debris of the Solar System

20 Chapter 8 Sections 1 to 2 Pluto

21 Chapter 5 All sections Exoplanets

22 Chapter 11 Section 1 The Interstellar Medium

23 Chapter 11 Sections 2 to 6 Stellar Evolution I: Formation of Stars

24 Chapter 11 Sections 7 to 11 Stellar Evolution II: Evolution of Low-Mass Stars (QS5 goes to here)

25 Chapter 11 Section 15 Stellar Evolution III: Mass Transfer

26 Chapter 12 Sections 1 to 5 Deaths of Stars

27 Chapter 12 Sections 6 to 18 Neutron Stars (Sections 6-10), Black Holes (Sections 12 to 18)

28 Chapter 11 Sections 12 to 14 Variable Stars

29 Chapter 13 Sections 1 to 7 The Milky Way (QS6 goes to here)

30 Chapter 13 Sections 8 to 12 Galaxy Types

31 Chapter 13 Sections 13 to 15 Galaxy Clusters (Sections 13 & 15), Galaxy Collisions (Section 14)

32 Chapter 13 Sections 16 to 22 Hubble’s Law (Sections 16 to 18), Active Galaxies (Sns 19-21), Lenses (S. 22)

33 Chapter 14 All sections Cosmology (QS7 goes to here)

ELECTRONICS: Please turn off cell phone, pagers, and other audible electronic devices during class or change to silent or vibrate

mode. Use of laptop during class is not permitted, even to take notes. But it is okay to record the class. Water is allowed, NO food.

PLEASE READ THE REST OF THE SYLLABUS. You are responsible to follow all guidelines described in the syllabus.

THE REST OF THIS SYLLABUS IS AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY, unless you specifically request a printed copy be made.

EXAMS: These are not cumulative. The final exam only includes new material from the last fraction of the course. Each

exam has a study guide. Every exam question relates to something on the study guide. Each exam contains 60 multiple choice

questions during 60 minutes. IF YOU WILL MISS EXAM 1 or 2: If you miss an exam (other than the final exam) and qualify for a

make-up exam, you may take that make-up exam during the final exam week. This will either be at the same time as your final exam

(if you are taking a 3-hour-per-day class) or during the final exam of another of this instructor’s classes. If you miss the final exam

for an acceptable reason, you will likely be provided an “incomplete” in the class (but unlikely if 2 exams are missed). If t his class is

at Southwestern College, then a zero will be given with conditions for a later change of final grade formulated.

MISSING AN EXAM, no matter the reason, requires writing a make-up paper simply to qualify to take the make-up exam on a

later date. That paper is due at the same time as the next extra credit assignment is due. The topic for making up exam #1 will be

from the MU#1 list of topics which is found later in this syllabus, and for exam #2 the make-up would be from the MU#2 list. The

paper will follow the same format as the extra credit papers and logically will be Credit/No-Credit graded essentially on your

following the proper instructions for the paper. There are guidelines for how to write these papers on the extra credit page of this

syllabus. The teacher will allow you rewrite or fix the paper if it does not follow the guidelines (unless the paper was turned in late!).

Failure to turn in the paper on time means the grade on your make-up exam will be docked 5% and may also mean there is no

opportunity to make revisions if the paper was inadequate. A make-up exam likely will be on the same day as the final exam, right

after the final exam. Missing two exams results in an F in the course, unless an actual doctor’s note, evidence of a car accident on the

exact date of the exam, or evidence of a religious holiday is given for both exams.

COURSE GRADE BREAKDOWN:

Exams 66% On some exams, a curve will be added.

Question Sets 24.5% The student is responsible to study material from the lectures for exams and to complete the reading

Participation 9.5% assignments and accompanying question sets (homework). Exam curves will include the exception that

Extra Credit 0-6% no grade will go above 100% after a curve. Extra credit assignments are due as shown (EC#1, EC#2)

Question Sets (QS1, QS2, etc.) are due on dates indicated on page one. There are two optional

extra credit assignments (see special handout for rules). See below for how attendance can affect grades.

FINAL COURSE GRADES – A = minimum of 90.0% course average over all assignments, as weighted by the above “course grade breakdown” B = minimum of 80.0%. C = minimum of 70.0%. D = minimum of 60.0%. Pass/Fail option = minimum of 70.0%.

BLACKBOARD: Please try signing on to Blackboard immediately, since you will enter your homework answers into Blackboard

by the due date for each so that they can be graded. In Blackboard, you can access printable copies of your homework, grades,

announcements, and Powerpoint slides from lectures. The slides have fewer words than your class notes material, but they have more

numerous images and diagrams. https://sdccd.blackboard.com/ password and user name instructions are found on that page.

ABCD cards are provided in your class notes packet and can also be reprinted from Blackboard. Do not text during these exercises!

BLANKS IN THE CLASS NOTES PACKET: Each section of your class notes has various blanks to be filled in. The answers will

be revealed during class. They are not homework or graded. It is important that you fill in these blanks before you study for each

exam. If you miss a class, get answers from another student before class begins, during any break time (if there is one), or after class.

For the last blanks covered before an exam, I put answers in tiny text at the bottom of Powerpoint slides on Blackboard.

DURING CLASS: Bring your class notes to each class. Inability to participate in class due to missing class for unexcused absences

naturally affects your participation score. Roll is taken during each class. If a class meets for over 2 hours at a time, then there are

TWO rolls taken each class (not one), one very close to the beginning of class and another during the last 20% of class time. The

first two roll sheets missed automatically count toward a running total, no matter the legitimate reasons for the absences. For any later

absences, it is possible to get absences excused and subtracted from the running total. No more than six roll sheets missed in the

running total will be tolerated. Six is OK. Seven is not OK. Only documentation can excuse absences. The reason I allow the above

six unexcused roll sheets is simply because sometimes a student has a good reason to miss class or arrive late but is unable to

document it. No more than two roll sheets can be excused for job-related reasons. The student is expected to withdraw from the

course if unable to consistently attend due to conflicts with jobs, transportation, baby-sitting, etc.

Do not leave class in the middle of lecturing as it is distracting to everyone. If a student is tardy or leaves the class early before it is

fully over, the student will miss a roll sheet and will be counted as not participating. Missing three classes in a row without warning

may result in being dropped from the course without warning. Talking during classes at inappropriate times may result in being asked

to leave the class or re-seated. Use the bathroom during break time, if there is a break, or use it before or after class.

HOMEWORK: These assignments are called Question Sets. Print out these assignments from Blackboard under “Printable

Homework.” Use the print-outs to write down preliminary answers. Later, answer the same questions online on Blackboard under

“Homework.” This is the only way I accept your assignment as completed. Homework is due at class time. If you have any computer

issues when attempting homework, you should be able to contact me during the class that it is due or earlier through my other contact

methods on the syllabus. Blackboard will actually still allow you to enter answers past the class time as late as midnight. Homework

assignments are extra study material for your exams, and each study guide sometimes points to this material. After the next Saturday

night after the due date has passed, go to the “Grades” section in Blackboard, then pick a graded question set too look at, such as

QS1. On the next screen, your grade will appear again but in a blue color this time. It is a link. If you click it, you learn the correct

answers. If you never did the assignment, Blackboard might not allow you to see the correct answers ever, so you may need to ask

another student before your class begins to help correct your answers. Don't skip homework assignments!

The instructor will hold onto any unreturned papers and Scantron exam score sheets for only six months following the final

exam date. If you want your final exam score-sheet and final assignments returned to you, you must provide a self-addressed stamped

envelope to the instructor at latest on the last day of class. If you want to learn your final exam score and course grade early, you can

provide either a self-addressed stamped postcard (available at the bookstore) or envelope.

COURSE-LEVEL STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Critical Thinking: Students will display the ability to use proportional reasoning and graphical analysis to establish and analyze relationships between

measured quantities.

2. Communication: Students will display the ability to clearly communicate scientific principles, experimental results, and their implications. 3. Problem Solving: Students will display the ability to apply conceptual and mathematical tools to correctly predict the future state of physical systems.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to: 1. Explain the apparent motions of objects in the sky from an objective viewpoint. 2. Explain why the Sun, Moon, and planets move through the constellations of the Zodiac. 3. Identify and name the phases of the Moon and calculate the Moon's rising and setting times. 4. Explain why stars appear to revolve around the North Star each day and explain how the Sun, Moon and planets move relative to the stellar background. 5. Describe the relative sizes and distances of objects in the universe. 6. Trace the development of astronomy from the early earth-centered view to our modern view of the earth's place in the universe. 7. Describe the physical characteristics of the sun and planets, and summarize the current theories about the origin and evolution of the entire solar system. 8. Describe the measured or inferred characteristics and the internal structure of stars and summarize current theories about st ellar evolution and star death. 9. Apply some of the basic laws of physics as tools to elucidate the true motions of and explain the observed characters of celestial bodies. 10. Explain the observed expansion of the universe in terms of one or more of the popular cosmological theories. 11. Distinguish between that which is factually known by application of the scientific method, and that which, due to observational or theoretical uncertainty

is merely a model that may or may not represent reality.

Campus Escorts: The San Diego Community College Police Department provides a safety escort service, available to all students,

staff, and visitors to the College. The service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and furnishes an escort to and from

any point on campus. The purpose of the safety escort is to assist students and others in getting safely to their intended destination on

campus. Safety escorts can be arranged by calling our Police Dispatch at 619-388-6405.

Responsibility to Add, Drop, or Withdraw: It is the student's responsibility to add, drop, or withdraw from classes before the

deadlines stated in the class schedule. Petitions to add, drop, or withdraw after the deadline will not be approved without proof of

circumstances beyond the student's control which made him/her unable to meet the deadline. Lack of money to pay fees is not

considered an extenuating circumstance. Students anticipating difficulty paying fees before the add deadline should check wit h the

Financial Aid Office about sources of funds or other alternatives for which they may be eligible. If you fail to withdraw from a class

by the withdrawal deadline indicated in the class schedule, a final grade (A, B, C, D, or F) must be assigned to you.

Cheating/Plagiarism: Students are expected to be honest and ethical at all times in the pursuit of academic goals. Students who are

found to be in violation of Administrative Procedure 3100.3 Honest Academic Conduct, will receive a grade of zero on the

assignment, quiz, or exam in question and may be referred for disciplinary action in accordance with Administrative Procedure

3100.2, Student Disciplinary Procedures.

Classroom Behavior and Student Code of Conduct: There shall be no talking during class except when specifically allowed.

Students may ask questions of the instructor, answer questions asked by the instructor, or take part in group discussions set up by the

instructor. There shall be no text-messaging or use of electronic items for non-class purposes during class. If the student believes he

or she has an emergency and needs an exception to this rule (say, for instance, that the student is waiting for a call from the hospital

or for a text message from the baby-sitter if there is an incident at home), the student may raise their hand and alert the instructor of

the urgency of the situation. Group discussions initiated by the instructor are not reprieves of these rules. The instructor may then

make an exception. Repeated violation of these rules or other school policies could result in the student being guilty of misconduct.

Student Code of Conduct: Students are expected to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct at all times. Students who violate the

Student Code of Conduct may be removed from class by the faculty for the class meeting in which the behavior occurred, and the

next class meeting. Incidents involving removal of a student from class will be reported to the college disciplinary officer for follow

up. Make‐up work during removal will not be accepted. For online classes: Student access to class is removed for one week (5 instructional days). The Student Code of Conduct can be found in Board of Trustees Policy, BP 3100, Student Rights,

Responsibilities and Administrative Due Process posted on the District website at: sdccd.edu/public/district/policies/index.shtml

Accommodation of Disability: Students with disabilities, physical or related to the learning process, who may need special

academic accommodations, should notify their professor immediately to discuss how we may accommodate you.

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS

There are two optional extra credit assignments (EC#1 and EC#2). The due dates are on the front page

of your syllabus. If you email or mail EC#1 or EC#2 instead of handing it in personally, this act shall establish

a date of turn-in. But, you will still need to turn in a hardcopy as soon as possible, which is the copy that will

be counted and will be graded. You can perform and hand in an extra credit assignment as early as you like.

(1) EC#1 is worth 3.0% added to your final course grade. There are two options for it:

a. You could do it as a four-page paper. See special list of topics attached to this syllabus. See the rest of the current page below for rules on how to write the paper in the correct way.

b. The instructor may email an option with instructions for attending and writing up notes for a science talk at Mesa College or one of the other colleges.

VALUE: EC#1 awards +3.0% for your final course grade.

(2) EC#2 is also worth 3.0% added to your final course grade. Pick any one option below:

a. If you wish to do a paper, then see the special list of topics attached to this syllabus. Pick one of the topics from the Extra Credit #2 list on that page. See the rest of the current page below for

rules on how to write the paper in the correct way.

b. The instructor may email an option with instructions for attending and writing up notes for a science talk at Mesa College or one of the other colleges.

c. And finally, for EC#2, a third option is to do a one-page write-up on attending a successful local public astronomy event (see the star parties page attached to this syllabus).

VALUE: EC#2 awards +3.0% for your final course grade.

RULES FOR ALL EXTRA CREDIT PAPERS AND “MAKE-UP EXAM” PAPERS:

1. Topic Choice: Topics must be from the approved list found in this packet (next page). You cannot

turn in a paper from another class.

2. Quotations: In the body of any paper, you must include at least two direct quotations of material from

the sources in your bibliography. Use quotation marks or indenting to indicate clearly that these are

quotations.

3. Sources and Sources Page: You must uses at least three sources other than your official class texts. You

can use those too. List all sources on a sources page, which does not count toward the total number of pages

required for this paper.

4. Length of Papers: Must be at least four pages of paragraph-form text (pictures/tables/lists etc. don’t

count) It is OK to leave some blank space on 1 ST

and 4 TH

pages but, combined, those two pages should add

to at least one full page of text.

5. Typing Style: All papers must be typed, double-spaced, no fonts larger than 12, no margins greater

than 1 inch.

6. Copying from Sources: Do not copy groups of sentences off a web site or out of a book or other source

to compose your paper except in places where you put the material in quotes and cite a source. Your paper

must be an original paper written by yourself. All sources must be listed (cited) on your sources page. You

shall not submit a paper that was not written in bulk by you for this class or which you already used for

credit in another class. The instructor reserves the right to give no credit to a paper found to be in substantial

violation of these rules. The school allows additional penalties and disciplinary action for a student who is caught in violation of the school’s rules on plagiarism and cheating. I can easily track down papers copied

off the Internet using Meta-Search techniques and turnitin.com.

Extra Credit Topics List for Extra Credit #1 Paper (EC#1):

Compare the Moon to Mercury

Compare Mars to Venus

Compare Asteroids to Comets

Compare Ceres to Pluto and Eris (all are “dwarf planets”)

Discuss the discoveries of Johannes Kepler and his life (at least half about his work on astronomy)

Discuss the discoveries of Galileo and his life (at least half about his work on astronomy)

Compare Io with Europa (2 of Jupiter’s moons)

Compare Titan with Enceladus (2 of Saturn's moons)

The Methods and Results of Studies of Exoplanets

Discuss the Doppler Effect and Its Uses in Astronomy

Possibility of Life at Mars, Europa, and Elsewhere in the Solar System

Topics List for Make-Up Paper #1 (MU#1) if you miss the first exam:

Topic #1: This topic includes several parts: Phases of the Moon, Lunar and Solar Eclipses,

Phases of Venus, and the “Dark Side of the Moon.”

Topic #2: Compare Neptune to Jupiter

Extra Credit Topics List for Extra Credit #2 (EC#2) If You Are Doing a Paper:

The Function and History of Telescopes

Solar Storms and the Structure of the Sun

Binary Stars - Their Types, Their Study

Evolution of the Sun from Birth to Death

Compare Open Clusters to Globular Clusters

Compare the Spiral Galaxies to Elliptical Galaxies

Compare Neutron Stars and Black Holes

Supernovae

Gamma Ray Bursts

Quasars and Active Galaxies

The Beginning and Expansion of the Universe

Topics List for Make-Up Paper #2 (MU#2) if you miss the second exam:

Topic #1: Gas, Dust, and Nebulae

Topic #2: How are galaxies made?

STAR PARTIES LIST – an option for Extra Credit #2 (See earlier on this syllabus)

You may choose to do Extra Credit #2 as attending a public astronomy event. The event must be open to

the general public, such as a planetarium show, star gazing party, or observatory tour. After the event, just

do a simple one page write-up to hand in. It does not need to be typed. Just briefly discuss what you saw or

heard at the event.

Going to an event with another class does NOT count as extra credit for OUR class. Check the weather on

the Internet before you go to star party events that have telescopes, because cloudy weather causes

cancelations. You don’t get credit just for showing up. You have to actually see something in the sky at these

events for them to count for extra credit! Events you attended prior to the first day of class for this semester

also cannot be used for extra credit assignments. Some qualified events are listed below:

1. SKY TONIGHT SHOW AT BALBOA PARK: At dusk on the first Wednesday of each month, there is a "Sky Tonight" planetarium show in the Space Theater. That event is a bit pricey but it

certainly qualifies for extra credit. After the first show, around 8 pm the SDAA sets up telescopes on

the north side of the Fleet Center building, by the large fountain in Balboa Park, for free public

sky viewing. That is a separate event. You can do either the planetarium show or the public viewing or

both. You receive the same credit regardless. However, if it is cloudy so you don’t see anything in the

telescopes, then you had better do the planetarium show or you will receive zero credit. Though the sky

is not as dark and clear at this location as one might hope, viewers still can enjoy a variety of sights,

especially the Moon, planets, and maybe few other objects. Museum tours (without planetarium show)

are insufficient for extra credit.

Time: First Wednesday evening each month Place: Reuben H. Fleet Center 7-8pm or 815-915. Link: http://www.rhfleet.org/events/sky-tonight

Fee: Non-Members: $16.95 Adults, but less for juniors and seniors. This was the January 2018 price.

If you notice there are other astronomy-related shows listed by RH Fleet, you can email me about

whether they count. However, the focus cannot be rocket science, satellites, or engineering.

2. SDAA STAR PARTIES: SDAA hosts public star parties a few times a month. On the 2 nd

and 3 rd

Saturdays each month there are star parties at either Oak Oasis near Lakeside or their best dark

observing site at Tierra del Sol (TDS), about 70-80 minutes east of San Diego. On 2 nd

, 3 rd

, and 4 th

Friday evenings of each month they typically hold nearby star party events at Mission Trails Park near

the Santee entrance or at Sycamore Canyon (near Poway). Dates for these and other club events are

listed on the SDAA Events calendar. You can view the calendar of events by visiting

http://www.sdaa.org and clicking the Calendar link and Events link on the site.

3. PALOMAR COLLEGE PLANETARIUM SHOWS are on occasional Friday evenings at the San Marcos campus. $6 as of January 2016.

http://www.palomar.edu/planetarium/PUBSHOWS/PublicShows.htm

4. PALOMAR OBSERVATORY: There are occasional Behind-the-Scenes Tours of the Palomar Observatory. Tours are restricted to special times. Do not just show up and expect a tour. Check online

for availability.

5. GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY in Los Angeles hosts planetarium shows and stargazing in the evenings.

6. MIRA COSTA COLLEGE FREE STAR PARTIES. Check out directions and schedule of dates at

http://www.miracosta.edu/home/rfrench/astro/observing/index.html#schedule