Latest SOHO Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope Fe IX,X 17.1 nm solar image Latest SOHO Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope Fe XII 19.5 nm solar image Latest SOHO Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope Fe XV 28.4 nm solar image Latest SOHO Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope He II 30.4 nm solar image Latest soft X-ray solar image in the titanium-polyimide (

{Tiny solar photospheric magnetogram thumbnail image} {Tiny 1083.0 nm solar thumbnail image} {Tiny solar chromospheric magnetogram thumbnail image} {Tiny groundbased coronagraph image} {Tiny pseudo-continuum solar photospheric thumbnail image}

(Above) Solar images, from various telescopes and spacecraft. Click on them for more detail.

PHYS 151 Observational Astronomy
TuTh 6:00-7:15 (lecture), in-person in McLane 167
Tu or We or Th 7:30-9:20 (lab),
in the Campus Observatory.

2022 Fall Course Syllabus:
Please read carefully 		Instructor: Professor Ringwald
E-mail: ringwald[at]csufresno.edu and replace [at] with @
Phone: (559) 278-8426
Office: Room 11 in the J wing (Building J) of McLane Hall.

Office hours (in-person, between August 23 and December 8):
TuTh 5:00-5:50 p.m. and We 4:00-7:15 p.m.
  • Health Screening: For COVID-19 information, see below.

  • Safety Measures: Social distancing will be quite impossible in the Campus Observatory, since it is only 3 meters in diameter. Masks and gloves will therefore be required whenever in the Campus Observatory. Disposable face masks and either neoprene or latex gloves will be provided to students free. Please also see below for additional information.

    Course description: (4 credits) Prerequisite: PHYS 4C. Celestial coordinates, time, stellar motions, constellations, star charts, catalogs, astronomical sources, observational limits, telescopes, detectors, atmospheric effects, digital image processing, photometry, and spectroscopy. (3 lecture, 2 lab hours)

    Required Course Texts:

    Recommended Course Equipment:
    Recommended Course Texts (copies of all are in the Campus Observatory and in McLane 220):
    If you want to be a professional astronomer, or a research scientist in any field, read this entire book,
    which is so good I give copies to students who register in Phys 190 or 290 (Independent Study) to do research with me:


    TENTATIVE list of topics to be covered (updated 2022 October 23):
    Week Date Topic Date Topic Read by Wednesday of next week
    1 8/23 Introduction;
    Astronomical Computer Resources     		8/25 Position and Time Web Power Tools article and the entire Class Syllabus; Chapters 4 and 5 of Gallaway (Position and Time);
    The Stars, by H. A. Rey (the whole book);
    Section A of the Class Notes (Classical Astronomy).
    2 8/30 Position and Time 9/01 Position and Time Section B of the Class Notes (the Friendly Manuals).
    3 9/06 Using the Telescope 9/08 Constellations, star charts, and star catalogs Chapter 6 of Gallaway (Names, catalogs, and databases).
    4 9/13 Astronomical coordinate systems 9/15 Spectroscopy Chapters 2 and 13 of Gallaway (Light and spectra);
    Chapter 9 of Berry & Burnell (Spectroscopy).
    5 9/20 Spectroscopy 9/22 Astronomical Sources:
    thermal (blackbody) radiation     		Section C of the Class Notes (Astronomical Sources).
    6 9/27 Astronomical Sources:
    line radiation (the H atom)     		9/29 Astronomical Sources:
    planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies     		Chapter 3 of Gallaway (Optics and telescopes)
    7 10/04 Telescopes and Optics 10/06 Telescopes and Optics Section D of the Class Notes (Telescopes);
    Section E of the Class Notes (Seeing and Weather).
    8 10/11 Telescope mounts 10/13 Detectors Chapter 7 of Gallaway (Detectors);
    Chapter 11 of Gallaway (Statistics);
    Chapters 1 and 2 of Berry & Burnell;
    Section F of the Class Notes (CCDs).
    9 10/18 CCDs 10/20 CCDs Chapter 8 of Gallaway (Imaging);
    Chapter 3 of Berry & Burnell (Imaging Techniques);
    Section G of the Class Notes (Practical Digital Imaging);
    Section H of the Class Notes (Detectors).
    10 10/25 CCDs 10/27 Digital Image Processing Chapter 9 of Gallaway (Digital image processing);
    Chapter 4 of Berry & Burnell (Image Calibration);
    Chapter 5 of Berry & Burnell (Image Analyis software).
    11 11/01 Digital Image Processing 11/03 Digital image processing Chapter 10 of Gallaway (Photometry);
    Chapter 8 of Berry & Burnell (Photometry).
    12 11/08 Digital Image Processing 11/10 Mid-Term Exam 1 Chapters 17 and 18 of Berry & Burnell (Color and Advanced Imaging).
    13 11/15 Imaging and Photometry 11/17 Imaging and Photometry
    -
    14 11/22 Imaging and Photometry 11/24 Holiday
    -
    15 11/29 Advanced imaging 12/01 Advanced imaging;
    Take-Home Mid-Term Exam 2 due
    -
    16 12/06 Advanced imaging; Projects and printed recipes due on last day of instruction, Tuesday, December 6. 12/08 No class
    -


    Class Objectives (also known as Learning Outcomes):
    (1) To introduce physicists and other scientists to interesting techniques, particularly using telescopes and digital imaging.
    (2) To provide teachers with a practical background for their science classes.
    (3) To prepare astronomers for the research problems of the future, by getting them to the research frontier as quickly as possible.

    Course grades will be awarded for the following final percentages:

    85.000-100% = A; 70.000-84.999% = B; 55.000-69.999% = C; 40.000-54.999% = D; 0-39.999% = F.

    These percentages will be computed with the following weights:

    10% Homework, due in class during the first five minutes of class on dates to be annouinced. Sorry, but no late assignments will be accepted.
    40% Four projects and recipes at 10% each (see below), due by email Tuesday, December 6.
    15% Mid-Term Exam 1 (in class, closed book and closed notes) on Tuesday, October 18.
    15% Mid-Term Exam 2 (take-home, due in class on during the first five minutes of class) on Thursday, December 1.
    20% Final Exam (open paper notes to be prepared by each student and no collaborating), 8:00-10:00 p.m. Thursday, December 15 in McLane 167.

    Sorry, but I don't give make-up exams. Any student who misses either of the mid-term exams for a valid reason (job interview or illness documented by a physician's note) will have the exam grade voided and the remainder of the grade counted as 100%. Any student who misses the final exam will get a grade of I (Incomplete) for the course, to be made up when the next Final Exam for Phys 151 (Observational Astronomy) will be given.

    Concerning exams: it is the student's responsibility to make sure all pages of the exam, as well as the student's answers for all of the questions stated on them, are present in the copy that the student turns in by the end of the time the exam is given. If any questions or answers are missing from the copy the student has turned in, no credit will be given for the missing items.

    Course webpage: http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/phys151.html

  • Central Valley Astronomers meetings (public welcome) will be at 7-9 p.m. in East Engineering 191 (in-person), on:
    September 10, October 8, November 5, and December 3.

  • Star Parties: Phys 151 students are encouraged to get as much observing experience as they can, with the Campus Observatory, and under a dark sky with the Central Valley Astronomers:

  • DO NOT EVER observe the Sun, with the Campus Observatory or any other equipment belonging to Fresno State, unless under Professor Ringwald's direct supervision.

    Some students treat doing their homework as a dreadful chore. This isn't right. Astronomy is an elective course, and it's a competitive profession. If it isn't fun, you may be happier in an easier, more lucrative field. One can make more money for less work doing just about anything other than astronomy, especially with a physics degree.


  • Projects and recipes: Forty percent of the course grade will be for up to four projects. These projects can be any combination of the following, each of which may be used for more than one of the four projects:

  • Professor Ringwald will allow students to collaborate with each other on homework and projects, provided everyone lists their "co-investigators." Scientists often do this, and the ability to collaborate well and work as part of a team is a good skill to have, in many professions. For a project, first authorship for any CCD image will be for whomever typed the commands into CCDSoft that took that image. Second authorship will be worth 1/2 as much as first authorship; third authorship will be worth 1/3, etc. If there is any doubt about credit, you can make sure you get it by doing one or more additional projects.

    If you do collaborate, it must be genuine collaboration, not one person doing all the work, and the others blindly copying. That's cheating! Therefore, while you may work on homework together, write up the results separately, in your own words. A dead giveaway is when two images are exactly the same: this is very noticeable.

  • Students with Disabilities: Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, contact Services to Students with Disabilities in Madden Library (559-278-2811).

  • How exams are graded:
    If you don't remember the rules for significant digits, the following are four examples.


    The following sections regarding COVID are subject to change given changing circumstances on-campus and in the community. Please check the COVID website for the most up-to-date information at:

    www.fresnostate.edu/coronavirus

    Vaccination: In order to create a safe environment on campus, all students must be vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-02 virus, or obtain an exemption, in order to attend classes on campus or access any services on campus. Documentation of the first dose of the vaccination must be uploaded to the student portal by August 20, and documentation of the final dose by September 30. Students may request an exemption to the vaccine requirement by going to their student portal to complete the COVID self-certification. Students with vaccination exemptions are subject to weekly COVID testing. You are not allowed to come to campus if any of the following is true:
    Health Screening: Students who come to campus and/or are participating in off-campus in-person experiential learning will be required to complete a daily health screening before coming to campus or learning site. You are not allowed to come to campus if any of the following is true:
    If you have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, please complete the campus online reporting form. A campus official will reply to provide guidance and information.

    Safety Measures: Face coverings are required to be worn indoors on-campus and during in-person classes (vaccinated or not), and/or in accordance with learning site requirements if participating in off-campus experiential learning, to reduce the risk of community spread of COVID-19. The Student Health and Counseling Center has complimentary masks available for students who need them. The mask requirement may be modified if/when transmission rates in Fresno Country drop below the threshold identified by the CDC.

    Please remember that the same student conduct rules for in-person classroom instruction also apply for virtual/online classrooms. Students are prohibited from any unauthorized recording, dissemination, or publication of any academic presentation, including any online classroom instruction, for any commercial purpose. In addition, students may not record or use virtual/online instruction in any manner that would violate copyright laws. Students are to use all online/virtual instruction exclusively for the educational purpose of the online class in which the instruction is being provided. Students may not record any online recordings or post any online recordings on any other format (e.g., electronic, video, social media, audio recording, web page, internet, hard paper copy, etc.) for any purpose without the explicit written permission of the faculty member providing the instruction. Exceptions for disability-related accommodations will be addressed by Student Disability Services working in conjunction with the student and faculty member.

  • Students with Disabilities: Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, contact Services to Students with Disabilities in the Henry Madden Library, Room 1202 (278-2811).

    University Policies -- The following University policies can be found at:

    University Services -- The following University services can be found at:

    Questions and Assistance: Contact the Undergraduate Studies office

    Useful Links

  • Contact Information for Chair: If there are questions or concerns that you have about this course that neither you nor I are not able to resolve, please feel free to contact the Chair of the Department of Physics to discuss the matter:

    Professor Douglas Singleton
    Department of Physics
    Email: dougs[at]csufresno.edu and replace [at] with @
    Phone: (559) 278-2523

  • Other astronomy courses at Fresno State include:

  • This syllabus and schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, such as poor weather or pandemics. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements made while you were absent.


    Last updated 2022 October 23. Webpage by Professor Ringwald (ringwald[at]csufresno.edu and replace [at] with @)
    Go to Professor Ringwald's home page
    Department of Physics, California State University, Fresno. Please read this disclaimer.