Please note: All students must register for a
lab section, separately from the lecture section.
Lab objectives: 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 basic astronomical concepts in labs held in classrooms.
We want you to succeed in this course and to have fun learning about the
night sky. Some of the topics may be difficult to understand so please
feel free to ask questions both in and outside of lab. In addition to
the activities in the lab manual, students will become familiar with the
constellations, asterisms, and bright stars.
PSci 21 lab instructors should discourage students from attending any
lab sessions other than the one in which they are registered. We tried
this in the past, and we found that it just isn't possible to keep
accurate records for classes as large as PSci 21.
Most in-person labs will be due as paper copies, to be filled out and
torn out of the PSci 21 lab manuals, by the end of each lab time each
week (which would be 7:20 p.m. for labs meeting at 5:30 p.m., and 9:20
p.m. for labs meeting at 7:30 p.m.).
Digital Campus Synchronous (also called Virtual Synchronous)
labs for PSci 21 are essentially homework assignments. Each week
during which PSci 21 labs are scheduled (see
the lab schedule below), each student will need to fill out the
worksheets at the end of the assigned lab writeup for that week in the
PSci 21 Lab Manual. Each student will then need either to scan or to
photograph their completed worksheet, and then attach this (preferably
as a single pdf-format file) to an email. Each student will then need to
send this email to the student's PSci 21 lab instructor, by 11:59
p.m. on Thursday of the week during which the lab will be run. Labs
with answers simply typed into email will also be accepted, for labs
that have answers can be typed into email. For example, drawings such as
the star maps at the end of the lab on the Mystery Constellations can't
be typed into email, so they need to be sent as email attachments.
Attendance:
For in-person labs: attendance to all labs is
mandatory. You must attend the labs in the lab section in
which you are registered: exceptions will be made only by written
consent in advance of the instructor of the lab section in which you
are registered, and even then, only for compelling reasons (such as a
job interview or an illness documented by a physician's note).
For Digital Campus Synchronous (virtual) labs: Attendance to labs
is NOT mandatory for students registered in a Digital Campus Synchronous
(virtual) lab section. However, all Digital Campus labs must be
completed, either scanned or photographed, and emailed to each students'
PSci 21 lab instructor by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday of the week in
which the lab is scheduled.
For BOTH in-person and Digital Campus (virtual) labs: If for a
compelling reason (such as a job interview or an illness documented
by a physician's note) you must miss, or cannot complete a lab, the part
of the lab grade that lab would have counted will be voided, and the
rest of the lab grade will be counted as 100%. If you miss a lab
without a compelling reason, or without written consent in advance from
the instructor, or if you attend a lab other than the one in which you
were registered without prior written consent of the instructor of the
lab section in which you are registered, you will receive a zero for the
lab. Any student with three or more unexcused absences from lab will
receive an F in the entire PSci 21 course, which includes the
lecture section.
Range labs:
Field trips, also called Range Labs: One time this
semester, in-person PSci 21 labs are scheduled be observing the sky at a
dark site a half-hour drive from campus called the CSUFresno San Joaquin
Experimental Range. There are GPS coordinates and driving directions
to the Range on the last page of the blue PSci 21 Lab Manual.
All labs at the Range will meet at 7:30-8 p.m. during Spring 2024 semester, regardless of whether you are in a lab that meets at 5:30 or 7:30 p.m. while meeting on campus. 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: March 4-7 (or March 11-14 in case of bad weather).
For Spring 2024 semester:
All labs held at the Range during 2024 Spring semester will start at 7:30-8:00 p.m., regardless of whether you are registered for a 5:30 or 7:30 p.m. lab. Sorry, but we can't make the Sun set any earlier or later, to suit anyone's schedules. Plan to stay for two hours for all labs. All students are responsible for their own transportation to these field trips: the university cannot guarantee it can provide transportation to Range Labs.
These dates are subject to change due to poor weather. After noon on the days of the labs, before going out to the Range, check the weather report on the PSci 21 voicemail (at 559-278-8426) or web page ( http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/psci21labsyllabus.html), in case there have been any such last-minute changes.
We do not cancel labs for bad weather. If the weather is bad, we will meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264) at the regular lab times (5:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.).
Be sure to dress warmly for Range labs, 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.
We can't give make-up or advance labs, even for compelling,
excused absences. This is because many labs use equipment (or views of
the ever-changing sky) that will only be available for the week they're
scheduled to be used. Labs missed for compelling, excused absences will
be voided, and the rest of the lab grade will be counted as 100%.
Lab Safety: In-person astronomy 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: For in-person labs, 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!
Also include the correct units: doing otherwise, or not showing your
work, will be grounds for points being taken off.
Sometimes, it may take more than one week to complete the lab
assignment. If you finish the assignment by the following week,
you will be responsible for turning it in for complete
credit. For in-person labs, lab work will only be accepted as paper
copies, turned in during lab. For in-person labs, lab work will not be
accepted as email, or as paper copies turned in at any time other than
during lab.
You are encouraged to work together in 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.
If there is any concern that an absence from class due to a
university-sponsored event such as sports, theatre, or ROTC, or a family
emergency, or a risk event such as a broken printer, might arise that
would hinder any student from handing in assignments during the lab in
which the work is due, the instructor recommends completing the
assignment early, and turning it in during the lab in which it is due,
or directly to the lecture instructor during class or office hours, at a
time earlier than the due date, and even then only after written
agreement in advance by both the student and the instructor.
Quizzes: There may be a quiz at the beginning
of most of the in-person 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.
The Lab Final Quiz: During last lab,
there will be a lab final quiz, 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 to calculate your final grade in the course. The lab counts
for 10% of the course grade. Letter grades are not assigned in the lab.
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:
TENTATIVE Lab Schedule (updated 2024 February 20).
Always read the lab description (in the blue Lab Manual) before lab and
be ready for a quiz.
| Week | Dates | Moon | Lab |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
January 15-18 |
First Quarter (January 17) | No labs: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday |
| 2 |
January 22-25 |
Full (January 25) | No labs |
| 3 |
January 29- February 1 |
Last Quarter (February 2) |
In-person sections:
Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264), and do: Lab 1, Star Names, Maps, and Constellations. Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do Lab 1, Star Names, Maps, and Constellations. |
| 4 |
February 5-8 |
New (February 9) |
In-person sections:
Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264),
and do: Lab 3, The Basics of Optics and Telescopes. Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do Lab 16, Astronomy versus Astrology. |
| 5 |
February 12-15 |
First Quarter (February 16) |
In-person sections:
Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264), and do: Lab 4, How Many Stars are in the Milky Way? Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do Lab 4, How Many Stars are in the Milky Way? |
| 6 |
February 19-22 |
Full (February 24) | No labs: Presidents' Day holiday |
| 7 |
February 26-29 |
Last Quarter (March 3) |
In-person sections: Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264), and
do: Lab 6, Spectra: Fingerprinting the Elements. Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do Lab 15, Roman numerals. |
| 8 | March 4-7 |
New (March 10) | In-person sections:
Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264) and NOT the Range, and do: Lab 5, Graphing Day and Night. Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do Lab 5, Graphing Day and Night. |
| 9 | March 11-14 |
First Quarter (March 17) |
In-person sections: Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264), and
do: Lab 7, Kepler's Third Law Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do Lab 7, Kepler's Third Law. |
| 10 | March 18-21 |
First Quarter (March 17) |
In-person sections: Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264), and
do: Lab 8, Exponential Growth and Decay. Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do Lab 8, Exponential Growth and Decay. |
| - | March 25-28 |
Full (March 25) | No labs: Spring Break |
| 11 | April 1-4 |
Last Quarter (April 1) | No labs: César Chávez holiday |
| 12 | April 8-11 |
New (April 8) |
In-person sections: Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264), and
do: Lab 9, The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram. Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do Lab 9, The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram. [NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: Be sure to grade all labs, record the grades, and return all labs to the students during the April 8-11 labs.] |
| 13 | April 15-18 |
First Quarter (April 15) |
In-person sections: Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264), and
do: Lab 10, Life from Outer Space. After briefing in the lab classrooms, the in-person sections will see a show at the Downing Planetarium. [NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: For in-person sections, brief your labs 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).] Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do Lab 10, Life from Outer Space. |
| 14 | April 22-25 |
Full (April 23) |
In-person sections: Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264), and
do: The Lab Final Quiz, covering all previous labs. Digital campus (virtual) lab sections: Do the Lab Final Quiz, as a take-home quiz. [NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: Assign Lab 11 (Classification of Galaxies) as homework, to be due during the April 29 - May 2 labs.] |
| 15 |
April 29 - May 2 | Last Quarter (May 1) |
In-person sections: Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264). All students (BOTH in-person and Digtial Campus [virtual]) do in advance: Lab 11, Classification of Galaxies, which will be due at the beginning of the April 29 - May 2 labs, and won't be returned. [NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: Return and discuss the Lab Final Quiz, to prepare all students for the Final Exam.] |
| 16 | May 6-9 | New (May 7) | No labs |
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