Lab objective: PSci 21 laboratory is designed to give students the opportunity to learn and recognize the constellations, deep-sky objects, planets, lunar phases, and stars with the unaided eye and with telescopes. We will also study the basic concepts of astronomy through in-class labs. We want you to succeed in this course and we want you to have fun learning about the night sky. Some of the topics introduced in lab may be difficult to understand so please feel free to ask questions both in and outside of lab.

Attendance: The dates of the field trips can be found on the lab schedule handed out in class (as part of the Course Syllabus). The dates of the field trips are subject to change due to bad weather. Please check Dr. Ringwald's web page (http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/psci21.html) or voicemail (278-8426) after noon on the days of the labs, for any last-minute changes due to bad weather.

We do not cancel labs for bad weather. If the weather is bad, we will meet in the regular classrooms (McLane 258 and 264) at the regular times (5:30 and 7:30 p.m.).

Attendance to all labs is mandatory. If you miss a lab, you will receive a zero for the lab. If you miss three or more lab sessions, you will receive an F in the course. If you are ill or an emergency arises beyond your control and you cannot attend lab please call or e-mail Dr. Ringwald.

All PSci 21 lab instructors discourage students from attending any lab sessions other than the one in which they are registered, to make up missed labs. We tried this in the past, and we found it just isn't possible to keep accurate records, for classes as large as PSci 21.

The Department of Physics cooperates with the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with physical, perceptual, or learning disabilities (cf. Americans with Disabilities Act and Section of 504, Rehabilitation Act). Students with disabilities should present their written accommodation request to Dr. Ringwald within the first two lab sessions.

Safety: These lab sessions necessarily take place after dark, since the object of study is the night sky. If safety becomes a concern, the Campus Police provide an escort program. Radio-equipped, uniformed, trained escort officers will accompany persons to their destinations on campus during hours of darkness. Call 278-2132, or pick up an emergency phone to request an escort officer. Be sure to check their badges, before going anywhere with them. The Campus Police also provide car battery assistance and other services, and can be reached in an emergency by calling 911.

Assignments: At the end of each night's lab, turn in your completed work for credit. Each lab is worth 20 points, and you will receive full credit only if all work is shown, correct, and complete. If the lab requires calculations, show your work! Sometimes, it may take more than one week to complete the lab assignment. You will still be held responsible for showing the lab instructor your work before you leave each night. If you finish the assignment by the following week, you will be responsible for turning it in for complete credit.

You may, and are encouraged, to work together in small groups. However, this must be genuine collaboration: not one person doing all the work, and the others copying. Therefore, do your write-ups separately: identical write-ups are a form of plagiarism. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to the terms stated in the University Catalog.

Quizzes: There will be a quiz at the beginning of most of the labs (see the schedule, below). The quizzes will cover the previous classroom lab (not at the Range) and also the material that we are covering the week of the quiz. Each quiz will be worth 10 points.

Lab final exam: On the next-to-last lab (December 4 or 5), there will be a lab final exam, worth 40 points. This will be comprehensive, covering all the material covered by all the previous quizzes and labs.

Grade: The points earned in the lab will be used by the lecture instructors, Dr. Ringwald or Dr. White, to calculate your final grade in the course. The laboratory counts for 10% of the course grade. Letter grades are not assigned in the laboratory.

Please note: Every student must register for a lab section, separately from the lecture section.

A flashlight will be required for map reading at observing sessions. Flashlights with red filters are recommended, being superior for night vision. Red plastic and rubber bands for making filters will be available at the Range. A scientific calculator and a clear plastic ruler will be required as well. In addition to the activities in the lab manual, students will become familiar with the constellations, asterisms, and bright stars. We will also learn how to use a telescope to view the Moon, the planets, star clusters, gaseous nebulae, and galaxies. I expect that, by the end of the course, you will be able to locate even faint, hard-to-find objects, using the telescopes while working from your maps.

Three times this semester, we will be observing the sky at a dark site a half-hour drive from campus called the CSUFresno San Joaquin Experimental Range. There are directions to the Range on the last page of the blue PSci 21 Lab Manual, and in the Class Notes for Dr. Ringwald's lecture section. It is therefore essential for all students to plan their schedules accordingly, at the beginning of the semester. Evenings this semester to set aside for Range labs are: October 2 or 3 (or October 9 or 10, in case of bad weather), starting at 5:30 p.m.; October 16 or 17 (or October 23 or 24, in case of bad weather), starting at 7:30 p.m.; and November 13 or 14 (or November 20 or 21, in case of bad weather), starting at 7:30 p.m.

You may, and are encouraged, to bring friends and relatives to the Range. Be sure to dress warmly, even if the weather does not look cold that night. You may also bring chairs, and blankets, but be sure to clean up after yourselves, before you leave.

TENTATIVE Lab Schedule (updated 2006 May 13). Always read the lab description (in the blue Lab Manual) before lab and be ready for a quiz.

Week	Dates	Moon	Lab
1	August 28-29	New (Aug 23)	No Lab
2	September 4-5	First Quarter (Aug 31)	No Lab
3	September 11-12	Full (Sep 7)	No Lab
4	September 18-19	Last Quarter (Sep 14)	Lab 1, Star Names, Maps, and Constellations. Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 and 264). Bring flashlights!
5	September 25-26	New (Sep 22)	Lab 2, The Mystery Constellations: Meet in the lab classrooms.
6	October 2-3	First Quarter (Sep 30)	Meet at the Range at 5:30 p.m. and do: Lab 3, Introduction to Telescopes. In case of poor weather: Meet in the lab classrooms, and do: Lab 4, Spectra, Fingerprinting the Elements.
7	October 9-10	Full (Oct 6)	Lab 4, Spectra, Fingerprinting the Elements: Meet in the lab classrooms. (or Range, if cancelled last week: do Lab 3, Introduction to Telescopes.).
8	October 16-17	Last Quarter (Oct 13)	Meet at the Range at 7:30 p.m. and do: Lab 5, Dark-Sky Observing Lab A. In case of poor weather: Meet in the lab classrooms, and do: Lab 6, The Basics of Optics and Telescopes.
9	October 23-24	New (Oct 21)	Lab 6, The Basics of Optics and Telescopes: Meet in the lab classrooms. (or Range, if cancelled last week: do Lab 5, Dark-Sky Observing Lab A).
10	October 30-31	First Quarter (Oct 29)	Lab 7, The Revolutions of the Moons of Jupiter: Meet in the lab classrooms.
11	November 6-7	Full (Nov 5)	Lab 8, The Hunt for Micrometeorites: Meet in the lab classrooms.
12	November 13-14	Last Quarter (Nov 12)	Meet at the Range at 7:30 p.m. and do: Lab 9, Dark-Sky Observing Lab B. In case of poor weather: Meet in the lab classrooms, and do: Lab 10, The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram.
13	November 20-21	New (Nov 20)	Lab 10, The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram: Meet in the lab classrooms. [NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: Please grade all labs, record the grades, and return the labs to all students during the November 27 and 28 labs.]
14	November 27-28	First Quarter (Nov 27)	Lab 11, Life beyond Earth: Meet in the lab classrooms. After briefing in the lab classrooms, we will see Search for New Worlds at the Downing Planetarium. [NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: brief your classes first, then bring them to the planetarium at 6:15 p.m. (for the 5:30 labs) and at 8:15 p.m. (for the 7:30 labs).]
15	December 4-5	Full (Dec 4)	Lab Final Quiz (covering all labs, except for Lab 12) and Lab 12, Classification of Galaxies assigned: Meet in the lab classrooms.
16	December 11-12	Last Quarter (Dec 12)	Lab 12, Classification of Galaxies due; Return and discuss the Lab Final Quiz: Meet in the lab classrooms.

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