astronomy observation log

PHSC 111 Introduction to Astronomy John DiElsi

13 September 2012

Sky Observation Guidelines

Excerpt from Course Outline (Syllabus)

• Sky Observation Log (20%): You must record weekly sky observations -- at least one per week -- starting the week

of September 9. Your observations will be recorded on the log form provided in Course Documents under Course

Material in Blackboard and can be done without or with binoculars and/or telescopes. The Observation Log are

provided in pdf format (if you wish to handprint your observations, scan the completed document and attach it to a

Blackboard e-mail for submission) or in Word and Excel format that will allow you to type your comments on the

form and attach the completed forms to a Blackboard e-mail. Completed observation logs must be submitted on

Sunday, October 21 and Sunday, December 9.

The night sky varies from season to season and depends on your observation location. The following websites will

display the night sky for your area. In the two sites listed below, you can enter a nearby city to obtain the sky map for

that city. In other sites, the latitude and longitude of a location is required. For New York City, the latitude is about 40 o

North and the longitude is 74 o West.

Sky Map Sites

Your Sky http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/

Sky View Cafe http://www.skyviewcafe.com/skyview.php

In addition to these sites, I will post a sky map for the New York City area for each week.

Many sky maps use symbols to represent objects in our Solar System.

These symbols also are provided in Course Documents -- see Solar System Symbols.

Course Requirements

You should make at least one night sky observation per week and record your results on the Sky Observation Log (SOL).

(It can be found in Course Documents under Course Material.) Make sure you complete the information at the top of

the form and each column for each observation. Two examples are provided on the form. If you have any questions,

please e-mail in the Blackboard course site.

What to Observe

You can select what to observe. You can observe one object over a period of weeks, for example, the moon as it

changes phases. Or you can select a different sky object each week.

Be specific when completing the Sky Observation Log. (See the example on the form.) You may have to use the text or

other websites -- there are many listed on Astronomy Website in Course Documents -- to look up specific objects (stars,

planets, etc.) or terminology.

Two Types of Observations

You can make either personal observations of sky objects or use the University of Bradford's Robotic Telescope to take

photos of sky objects. You can mix and match which of these you would like to use, as long as you record one

observation per week.

Personal Observations (P)

• can use naked eye, binoculars, or telescope

• enter P in the first column of the SOL and complete all other columns

• see the P example on the SOL

Bradford Robotic Telescope (BRT)

The University of Bradford in England allows guests to use a robotic telescope in an observatory in the Canary Islands off

the coast of Spain. If you would like to use this, just go to http://www.telescope.org and register by selecting a

username and password that can be used for all future visits. If you choose this option for any of your observations,

make sure you provide your username and password on the SOL form. I will select some of the best photos and post

them on the class site in Blackboard.

There may be a delay in receiving results from BRT so plan ahead if you plan to use this option. You will be asked to

enter some data.

• Part 1 - What to Observe

The site will provide you with a list to choose from.

• Part 2 - Telescope Selection

The site will select a telescope for you based on what is available for your object.

• Part 3 - Other Information

The site will ask you to choose a filter, exposure time, whether to have a dark frame or not and provide any

comments. I suggest you submit a few jobs of the same sky object with different settings to see which works best.

Remember the Request ID, filter and exposure to record on the SOL.

When entering data on the SOL for the BRT...

• enter B in the first column of the SOL and complete all other columns on the SOL except weather

• enter the exposure and filter chosen in the Comment column

• see the B example on the SOL

Submission of Logs

Attach complete logs to a Blackboard e-mail with the Subject line containing your first initial and last name following by

Observation Log as in jdielsi - observation log. As specified above, completed logs are due on Sunday, October 21 and

Sunday, December 9. After the October 21 submission, I will send suggestions to improve the logs before the final

submission. The December 9 submission should include all the observations for the entire semester.