This is where you can find more in depth details on the current labs going on. If you require more information or help please, email me as soon as you need to.

    Lunar Lab -  As we have talked about in lab class, you will need to take observations about 3 times a week to see the data work. Please be careful in taking  measurements. Make sure your date and time are recorded. Face due South and measure the angle from the meridian east or west depending on the moon's position. Use a protractor to do this and make sure you note if it is east or west of the meridian. By holding the protractor out in front of you you can determine the angle from the meridian with reasonable accuracy. Take at least 2 observations before next lab session and we will do the math part together.
 

    Celestial Sphere Lab - This part of that lab concerns your observation of Jupiter and Saturn. You will really need your planisphere for this. Folks, if you decide to bluff your way through this, your grade will reflect it. On your planisphere at the bottom of the outside edge is the right ascension scale. If you look closely at the middle section you will find the declination scale as well. If you have trouble reading this, make a good sketch of the area around the planets and bring it in and we can determine the RA and DEC together. Again note the date and time of your observation. We can do this at the observatory as well if you have not done so already. Try to do this yourself first if you can. For a more detailed discussion on the celestial sphere click here:  Celestial sphere
 

    Horizon Calendar - This lab will require observations every 7 to 10 days. What we are trying for here is not the time of day the sun rises or sets yet we are plotting where the sun rises or sets. Make sure you use the same spot to make every observation. Make a good drawing of your immediate horizon, such as prominent trees, power poles. You get the idea here. Anyway, when the sun is about to set you will make a tick mark on you r drawing where the sun sets, making sure again to note the date and time. Measure the angular distance with your hand from a land mark on your horizon and record it in the table. Try to use the same landmark for all of the angular measurements. Click on the right arrow below to get to the table for recording your data. Bring the table up and just print the page, it will print out just right for you.
 

    Kepler's Law and the Mass of Jupiter - Here is where the labs start to get harder or rather more in depth. We will be calculating the mass of Jupiter based on the angular separation and orbital periods of each of the 4 primary moons of Jupiter. We will have used the table that is in the Astronomy magazine to determine certain things such as the orbital period in years for each moon and the distance in AU (astronomical units) from Jupiter.

I am going to work through an example using data obtained for 09/1996. I will be doing all of the calculations right here so you can see it in action. Click on the underlined title above to go to the lab excercise.
 

    Solar Gnomon - This lab will involve setting up a gnomon board during the noon hour so you can plot the shadow of the Sun. Doing this will help you determine the maximum altitude that Sun will reach on that particular day. You will need a compass, a 12"x12" sturdy piece of plywood, a sharpened dowel or pencil, another pencil for marking and a watch. Click on the above underlined title to link over to the solar gnomon excercise. Please read carefully the lab manual on this particular section.
 

   Optics and Spectroscopy - In this lab we will be using and learning about simple lenses and combinations of them as well as spectroscopy. Download and read carefully for this week.
 

   Stellar Spectroscopy - We will be discussing spectra of stars and the unique properties of each type. I would advise you to read up on this in your text book. It will help to have some prior knowledge. Topics to be covered are: star types or classifications, temperatures, visible and non-visible wavelengths of the spectrum. I will supply the handout to you. This lab is involved and has alot to cover. We need to get with it when we start this. Read up on this stuff so I will not have to spend a whole lot of time explaining the basics.
 

Please note that there is now a search engine that you can use on my site to locate information that you may need to find. It is located on the introduction page. It works pretty cool and I think you will find it useful. Click on the hypertext word "introduction page" to go there. It will help you find stuff that we have covered so far. I am going to expand it to cover information that seems to pop up often.

Here is the tables of times for the Sun and Moon, print them in "landscape" mode.

  Sunrise and Sunset Table for year 2000

   Moonrise and Moonset Table for year 2000