ASTR 377: Experimental Astronomy
Section 1, Fall 2025
Lecture: Tuesday
and Thursday
Location:
RITA room 385
Time: TR 7:00
pm-10:00 pm
Instructor: Dr.
George Chartas
Office: RITA
307
Office
hours: TR 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Phone: (843)
953-3609
Email: chartasg@cofc.edu
Pre-requisite: ASTR 231 or permission of instructor. It is
the student-s responsibility to satisfy pre-requisites.
_____________________________________________________________
Syllabus
Required materials:
There is no textbook for this course. I will be distributing reading material from
different sources throughout the semester.
You should also take it upon yourself to acquire a broader background in
basic astronomy and observational techniques.
Schedule:
Regular class period will
be a mixture of lecture, discussion, group activities, observing and in-class
computer work. There is no strict
schedule for when different topics will be covered. To some extent, we will be developing as we
go, depending on student experience levels, progress, and interests. Below is an approximate list of topics
covered. Many of these topics/programs
will be overlapping.
-- General Introduction
to Observational Methods
--Statistical Techniques
-- Python Programming
-- Data Analysis
-- Photometry, Imaging,
and Spectroscopy
-- X-ray Astronomy
--Telescope Observing
--Final Project
Syllabus Statement Regarding absence due to illness
Students who are absent due to illness may use the
online recordings and lecture notes provided on OAKS and my course website to
complete assignments and will be granted an extension to submit their
work.
If a student has the flu or COVID, they should not
attend any classes until they are no longer contagious. I will provide
reasonable accommodations for students who become ill or indicate a need to
isolate themselves.
If a student is absent from class for an extended
period, a withdrawal (W) before the deadline should be strongly considered.
Grading
There will be various, perhaps weekly assignments
to teach the experimental techniques. These may consist of
worksheets or programming exercises and some will require a written
report.
Each person will present one mini-lecture on their
final project. Throughout the course, I ask that you document all your
activities and assignments in README files, at a level sufficient enough that
someone else could reproduce your work.
Each student will prepare a proposal for an
independent project involving new observational data or use of archival
data. All observations and analysis must be completed in time to
prepare a final paper before the end of the semester. The final
paper will be modeled on a journal paper. There is no final exam.
The following weights apply in determining your
final grade:
|
Participation
in Class / Observing Skills |
10% |
|
Lab
reports/Worksheets/Programming Assignments |
50% |
|
|
|
|
Final
Project Presentation |
10% |
|
Final
Project Report |
30%
|
Your
number grade will be converted into a letter grade as follows.
|
>85% |
A |
|
80-84% |
A- |
|
76-80% |
B+ |
|
72-76% |
B |
|
68-72% |
B- |
|
64-68% |
C+ |
|
60-64% |
C |
|
56-60% |
C- |
|
52-56% |
D+ |
|
48-52% |
D |
|
44-48% |
D- |
|
<44% |
F |
Attendance
Requirement:
Attendance is mandatory and will be taken for
each lab.You are expected to
attend all classes. There are no make-up
labs. Worksheets, reports and
programming assignments are turned in on an assigned date. Extensions will be
granted in special cases.
Missing 5 or more
labs (undocumented) will result in a letter grade of F. Your attendance level will also be included as part of the class participation
portion of your grade. Please turn your cell
phones off or to silent mode during class.
Weather Closure of CofC
If the College of Charleston closes and members of
the community are evacuated due to inclement weather, students are responsible
for taking course materials with them in order to continue with course
assignments consistent with instructions provided by faculty. In cases of
extended periods of institution-wide closure where students have relocated,
instructors may articulate a plan that allows for supplemental academic
engagement despite these circumstances.
Learning Outcomes:
In
this course you will review concepts and experimental techniques in astronomy including
imaging, astrometry, multi-wavelength instrumentation, and data analysis techniques.
In doing so, the following will be achieved:
-- You
investigate and explore topics in observational astronomy in a manner akin to working
in a professional research group.
-- You
develop skills in writing professional-quality science proposals and publications.
-- You
establish expertise in carrying out scientific computing and programming.
-- You
develop your skills in statistical analysis in experimental science.
-- You
learn how to collect data on optical telescopes, analyze and interpret the
data, and present your findings in a written report.
Syllabus statement regarding the use of generative
AI programs
You are welcome to use generative AI programs (for
example ChatGPT) in this course. These programs can
be powerful tools for learning and other productive pursuits, including
completing some assignments in less time, helping you generate new ideas, or
serving as a personalized learning tool. However, your ethical responsibilities
as a student remain the same. You must follow CofC’s Student Code of Conduct.
If you use a generative AI tool to develop content for an assignment, you are
required to cite the tool’s contribution to your work. In practice, cutting and
pasting content from any source without citation is plagiarism. Likewise,
paraphrasing content from a generative AI without citation is plagiarism.
Similarly, using any generative AI tool without appropriate acknowledgment will
be treated as plagiarism. You may not use AI tools during
midterm tests and the Final Exam.
Here are some specific expectations for your use of
AI generation tools in this course:
· You can
include AI generated content verbatim into a writing assignment with quotations
and a citation.
· You can
paraphrase AI generated content with a citation.
· You can
include non-text AI generated content (images, video, code, etc.) with an
appropriate citation, when expressly permitted in the assignment prompt.
· You will
conduct your own research and generate bibliographies yourself for topics that
you have researched.
· You will
not use or present generative AI content that you pass off as your own work.
· You may
use AI-generated content with a citation to answer questions in
Assignments.
· You may
use AI-generated content with a citation to create your final project
presentation.
· You may
use AI-generated content with a citation to write your final report.
Finally, it is important that you recognize that
generative AI tools frequently provide users with incorrect information, create
professional-looking citations that are not real, generate contradictory
statements, incorporate copyrighted material without appropriate attribution,
and sometimes integrate biased or offensive concepts. Code generation models
may produce inaccurate outputs. Image generation models may create misleading
or offensive content. While
you may use these tools in the work you create for this class, it is important
to note that you understand you are ultimately responsible for the
content that you submit. Work that is inaccurate, biased, unethical, offensive,
plagiarized, or incorrect will be treated as such during the evaluation of your
work.
Special
Needs
If you have any special needs or disabilities that
might require special arrangements to be made for any aspect of this course,
please let me know at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become
aware of them.
1.
Any student eligible for and needing accommodations because
of a disability is requested to speak with the professor during the first two
weeks of class or as soon as the student has been approved for services so that
reasonable accommodations can be arranged.
2.
The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons
with documented disabilities. Students should apply for services at the
Center for Disability Services/SNAP located on the first floor of the Lightsey
Center, Suite 104. Students approved for accommodations are responsible
for notifying me as soon as possible and for contacting me one week before
accommodation is needed.
3.
This College abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have a documented
disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which
you may require accommodations, please see an administrator at the Center of
Disability Services/SNAP, (843) 953-1431) or me so that such accommodation may
be arranged.
College
of Charleston Honor Code and Academic Integrity:
Lying,
cheating, attempted cheating, and plagiarism are violations of our Honor Code
that, when identified, are investigated.
Each incident will be examined to determine the degree of deception
involved.
Incidents
where the instructor determines the student-s actions are
related more to a misunderstanding will be handeled
by the instructor. A written
intervention designed to help prevent the student from repeating the error will
be given to the student. The
intervention, submitted by form and signed both by the instructor and the
student, will be forwarded to the Dean of Students and placed in the student-s file.
Cases
of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported directly by the instructor
and/or others having knowledge of the incident to the Dean of Students. A student found responsible by the Honor
Board for academic dishonesty will receive a XF in the course, indicating
failure of the course due to academic dishonesty. This grade will appear on the student-s transcript for
two years after which the student may petition for the X to be expunged. The F is permanent. The student may also be placed on
disciplinary probation, suspended (temporary removal) or expelled (permanent
removal) from the College by the Honor Board.
Students
should be aware that unauthorized collaboration--working together without
permission-- is a form of cheating.
Unless the instructor specifies that students can work together on an
assignment, quiz and/or test, no collaboration during the completion of the
assignment is permitted. Other forms of
cheating include possessing or using an unauthorized study aid (which could
include accessing information via a cell phone or computer), copying from
others- exams, fabricating data, and giving unauthorized assistance.
Research
conducted and/or papers written for other classes cannot be used in whole or in
part for any assignment in this class without obtaining prior permission from
the instructor.
Students
can find the complete Honor Code and all related processes in the Student Handbook at http://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/honor-system/studenthandbook/index.php