AST 113 - Syllabus and Course Rules - Fall 2020

Please stand by for last minute notices on changes to the class rules and schedule as required by ASU to address the COVID19 pandemic. Likely, AST 113 in Fall 2020 will be a mix of ASU Sync Labs via Zoom, and some in-person Labs if and when these can be carried out safely at ASU, or even from your home.

Credits and Pre-requisites: Astronomy 113 or 114 is a one credit-hour laboratory class associated with the lecture classes AST 111 or 112. Every student wishing to take AST 113 or 114 must be currently enrolled in AST 111 or 112, or have previously taken either one of those lecture courses. Knowledge of the lecture course material is assumed in the AST 113/114 curriculum and in the Lab exercises.

NOTE: We thus let you take the AST 113 or 114 Labs with EITHER ONE of the lecture classes AST 111 or 112 as prerequisite. That is, if you have taken lecture class AST 112, you may take Lab AST 113 (or 114), and if you have taken AST 111, you may take Lab AST 114 (or 113). (If your College or registrar gives you flak over this, Prof. Windhorst has a written memo for you that will solve your problem. Please contact him during his office hours for this).

Policy on Overrides for the AST 113 or 114 LABS: There are currently still a few AST 113 sections open, so no overrides will be given until all sections are filled. Overrides are generally only available for seniors who will graduate this semester AND who can show written proof of this. Graduating seniors who get an override must be flexible as to which night of the week they get it for, since all AST 113 or 114 Lab sections are usually at maximum room capacity at the start of the semester, and we cannot overload any of the sections. Overrides can only be obtained from Ms. Becca Dial. Only she can sign off on overrides on behalf of the Instructor, the TA's cannot. Instructor signature is no longer required for course withdrawal. Mrs. Becca Dial can be reached as: Rebecca.Dial@asu.edu , or by calling 480-965-2213 or 480-965 5081.

Policy on switching AST 113 or 114 sections: Since 450-550 students take the AST 113 or 114 Labs and nearly all sections are full at the start of the semester (some are already overfull because of overrides given to graduating seniors), we do NOT allow students to change AST 113 or 114 Lab sections. That is, changing to or attending a different section with a different TA on a different night is not allowed.

Attendance: Laboratory classes require participation. Students are expected to attend all scheduled class periods. Missing three labs/lab reports (as recorded by attendance or by missing lab scores) will result automatically in a grade of "E". Because we drop the lowest lab score in the calculation of the final grade, NO make-up labs will be scheduled, except in documented cases of extreme hardship (see Absences above). A documented excuse for a missed Lab doesn't prevent you from having to make-up that Lab. Please contact your TA or instructor if you must miss a lab.

Policy on Absences, missed Labs or make-up Labs: The Labs will meet, and do indoor exercises, on the nights of inclement weather. In the event of serious illness or death in the family that students can document in writing to their TA, or other exceptional cases approved by your TA or the class instructor, students must get approval from their TA to attend a missed Lab when it is taught during another night that week or the weeks thereafter (check the Schedule button). You must ask the other TA to Email your grade for that missed section to the TA of your own section. [Failure to do the latter will likely result in the grade for that one made-up Lab getting lost in the end]. Information on excused absences related to religious observances/practices that are in accordance with ACD304-04 is on: http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd304-04.html . Information on excused absences related to university-sanctioned events/activities that are in accordance with ACD 304-02 are on: http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd304-02.html .

Drop/Add and Course Withdrawals Dates: This course adheres to a compressed schedule and may be part of a sequenced program, therefore, there is a limited timeline to drop or add the course, see: https://students.asu.edu/academic-calendar :

Consult with your academic advisor and notify your instructor to add or drop this course. If you are considering a withdrawal, review the following ASU policies on: Withdrawal from Classes http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/ssm/ssm201-08.html , Medical/Compassionate Withdrawal http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/ssm/ssm201-09.html , and an Incomplete Grade ( http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/ssm/ssm203-09.html . Please consult the advisor before dropping the course. There are often suggestions for improvement that you might not have considered.

Lab Fee: The AST 113 and 114 Labs no longer have separate Lab fees. As per Arizona Board of Regents' regulations, Lab fees are included in your tuition. In particular, these are used amongst others to support upgrading the AST 113 or 114 Labs materials, including new telescopes and other equipment, new computer Labs and AST software upgrades, as well as overhead projectors. This assures that we can teach the AST Labs more efficiently to more students this semester and in the future.

Required Text and Other Materials at ASU bookstore: http://bookstore.asu.edu/asu/home.aspx or http://bookstore.asu.edu/ASU/SelectTermDept.aspx

Every semester we try to keep your cost as low as possible. All of the Lab scripts are free (see Lab Scripts and Schedule buttons). You only need a few additional items for this Lab:

Additional materials will be necessary throughout the semester that we will not be providing - make sure you have these available to you (also available in the bookstore or elsewhere):

Lab Exercises, Lab Reports and Pre-Labs:

Each student is expected to complete the lab report during the class period that the exercise is performed.

Each student's work is assumed and required to be their own. NO GROUP LAB REPORTS WILL BE ACCEPTED! Any cases of plagiarism will be met with a penalty, and possible assignment of a failing grade for the course.

Each lab section has a different schedule. Make sure you know your schedule! Your class time will not change, but the location where the class will be meeting can change from time to time - so know where you are going to be meeting. Click on Schedule or ask your TA when in doubt. The scripts for each night's lab exercise are posted as printable PDF files. Click on Schedule, and then on each Lab of your section, which displays the Lab's PDF file that you need to print the night before each Lab starts. It is your responsibility to download and print out the lab scripts the night BEFORE each Lab exercise. (For the first week of the Labs only, the TA's may provide this printout for you). Except for the first Lab, your TA will not bring paper copies for you to use. All computers in public areas on campus are equipped to read and print PDF documents, so you should be able to download and print the Lab scripts. If you do experience difficulty, contact your TA ASAP.

Pre-labs are due at the beginning of class the night of the lab to be performed.  Lab reports are due by the end of the lab period. No late labs will be accepted.

Academic integrity -- Cheating and Plagiarism: Academic honesty is expected of all students in all examinations, papers, and laboratory work, academic transactions and records. The possible sanctions include, but are not limited to, appropriate grade penalties, course failure (indicated on the transcript as a grade of E), course failure due to academic dishonesty (indicated on the transcript as a grade of XE), loss of registration privileges, disqualification and dismissal. For more information, see http://provost.asu.edu/academic-integrity .

In the AST Labs we strictly enforce these policies. For your grade, we only want to measure your abilities, not how well you can copy material from somewhere else. That is, while you may have 1-2 Lab team mates that together collect, e.g., telescope data, you still need to write your own Lab report and answer its questions independently. While you may have Lab data in common with your team mates, you may not copy answers to questions from your team mates. A relatively new ASU sanction for documented, serious cases of plagiarism or academic dishonesty is the grade of XE. This grade will appear on students' transcripts. A postscript indicates that the grade denotes ``failure due to academic dishonesty.''

Grades, see: http://students.asu.edu/student-records-grades

Course grades are in proportion to the actual amount of preparation, work, and studying done for each aspect of the Labs, as following:

The final grade for the class will be calculated based on a simple sum of all of your numerical scores during the semester.  The lowest lab score will be dropped.  There will therefore be NO make-up Labs in general, except in documented cases of extreme hardship (see missed labs above). If you need to miss one Lab, that will be the one you drop. The final letter grade may be curved to allow for differences in grading between TA's. The typical grade distribution is indicated by the Table below, but please check with your TA for the likely curve that will apply to your section. Final grades will include +/- grades, so please don't ask about these --- they will appear automatically in the final semester grade if you deserved them based on your work:
 
% of points possible Letter grade
> 97.0 % A+
94 - 96.99 % A
90 - 93.99 % A-
87 - 89.99 % B+
84 - 86.99 % B
80 - 83.99 % B-
77 - 79.99 % C+
70 - 76.99 % C
60 - 69.99 % D
< 60 % E

Stated simply, your grade will be directly proportional to the number of lab exercises you attend, write-up and hand in. You are expected to attend all class times your section is scheduled to meet. A+ grades require extra effort as defined by your TA.

To simplify the grading system --- and to allow you to get your grades back earlier! --- at the TA's discretion some or all of each Lab's questions may be grades on a pass/half/fail system, i.e. each question may simply get 10/5/0 points, depending on how well it was answered as judged by your TA. Most students in this Lab end up with A's or B's, but you do have to work for these. Students that don't put in the required work get C's or D's, and students that fail or cheat end up with E's or EX.

Grade Appeals: Grade disputes must first be addressed by discussing the situation with the instructor. If the dispute is not resolved with the instructor, the student may appeal to the department chair per the University Policy for Student Appeal Procedures on Grades: https://catalog.asu.edu/appeal .

Accommodating students with disabilities: Students who feel they will need disability accommodations in this class but have not registered with the Inclusive Learning Services (ILS) should contact the ILS immediately. The ILS Tempe office is located on the first floor of the Matthews Center Building. ILS staff can also be reached at (480) 965-1234 (V) or (480) 965-9000 (TTY). For additional information, visit: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc .

Lab Section for Blind or Visually Impaired students: Again in Fall 2020, the AST 113 Labs will have one Lab section where we also provide fully 3D tactile surfaces of the necessary images, so that blind or visually impaired students can do the Lab material. The Lab text itself will also be provided in Braille. If you are interested in this, please contact Ms. Rhonda Holton for details. For more information about the 3D tactiles, please see: Hasper2015JCollegeScTeaching44p82.pdf

Note takers needed for AST 113: The ASU Inclusive Learning Services is seeking a note taker for this class to support the need of a fellow classmate. In exchange for providing this service you will be compensated for your service. Please visit the ILS's web page at https://eoss.asu.edu./drc, and click on any of the ILS Connect links on the page and select ``sign up as a note taker''. The following link provides a short video tutorial of how to do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xffNHAfNdvw.

Copyrighted materials All the content in this course, including lectures, are copyrighted materials. Students may not share outside the class, upload, sell or distribute course content or notes taken during the conduct of the course (see ACD 304-06). Students may not upload to any course shell, discussion board or website used by the course instructor or other course forum, material that is not the student's original work, unless the student first complies with all applicable copyright laws. The instructor reserves the right to delete materials on the grounds of suspected copyright infringement (see ACD 304-10).

Prohibition of Commercial Note Taking Services In accordance with ACD 304-06 on Commercial Note Taking Services: http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd304-06.html , written permission must be secured from the official instructor of the class in order to sell the instructor's oral communication in the form of notes. Notes must have the note taker's name as well as the instructor's name, the course number, and the date.

Expected classroom behavior: Be sure to arrive on time for class. Excessive tardiness will be subject to sanctions. Under no circumstances should you allow your cell phone to ring during class. Any disruptive behavior, which includes ringing cell phones, listening to your mp3/iPod player, text messaging, constant talking, eating food noisily, reading a newspaper will not be tolerated. The use of laptops, cell phones, or PDA's for note-taking is allowed, but not to exchange answers to questions with other students.

Policy against threatening behavior: All incidents and allegations of violent or threatening conduct by an ASU student (whether on-or off campus) must be reported to the ASU Police Department (ASU PD) and the Office of the Dean of Students. If either office determines that the behavior poses or has posed a serious threat to personal safety or to the welfare of the campus, the student will not be permitted to return to campus or reside in any ASU residence hall until an appropriate threat assessment has been completed and, if necessary, conditions for return are imposed. ASU PD, the Office of the Dean of Students, and other appropriate offices will coordinate the assessment in light of the relevant circumstances.

Reporting Title IX violations: Title IX is a federal law that provides that no person be excluded on the basis of sex from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity. Both Title IX and university policy make clear that sexual violence and harassment based on sex is prohibited. An individual who believes they have been subjected to sexual violence or harassed on the basis of sex can seek support, including counseling and academic support, from the university. If you or someone you know has been harassed on the basis of sex or sexually assaulted, you can find information and resources at: https://sexualviolenceprevention.asu.edu/faqs .

Policy on Sexual Discrimination: Arizona State University is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for the entire university community, including all students, faculty members, staff employees, and guests. ASU expressly prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation by employees, students, contractors, or agents of the university based on any protected status: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and genetic information.

As mandated reporters, we are obligated to report any information we become aware of regarding alleged acts of sexual discrimination, including sexual violence and dating violence. ASU Counseling Services, https://eoss.asu.edu/counseling , is available if you wish to discuss any concerns confidentially and privately. ASU online students may access 360 Life Services: https://goto.asuonline.asu.edu/success/online-resources.html .

Course Evaluation Students are expected to complete the course evaluation. The feedback provides valuable information to the instructor and the college and is used to improve student learning. Students are notified when the online evaluation form is available.

Syllabus Disclaimer The syllabus is a statement of intent and serves as an implicit agreement between the instructor and the student. Every effort will be made to avoid changing the course schedule but the possibility exists that unforeseen events will make syllabus changes necessary. Please remember to check your ASU email and the course site often.

Lab and Telescope Equipment and Care:

Please be careful with all AST Lab equipment (your state tax and tuition dollars at work)! In particular, always:

(1) If needed, please ask your TA to remove dust from the telescope's main corrector lens in front with a gentle cloth or brush. NEVER touch or scratch the telescope optics --- they are very delicate and expensive!;

(2) Place the black dust covers back onto the front of the telescopes when done;

(3) At the end of the night, return all eyepieces, binoculars, flashlights, and any other materials that your TA loans out to you at the start of the night. Your TA will put them back in storage;

(4) The TA will ask you to hold your driver's license or ASU ID for the evening, if you must borrow something of value like a Lab laptop or binoculars. Your ID will be returned to you at the end of the night, when you return all these materials (please remind your TA!).

Please help us keep the Lab costs down by returning all borrowed Lab materials at the end of the night. Thank you!

For a summary how to use our automated Celestron 8 inch telescopes, click here.

Useful Astronomical Information:

Observing from Tempe, Arizona:

Longitude = 112º West

Latitude = +33º North

Arizona is on Mountain Standard Time (MST) [MST = UT - 7 hrs]

Time:

1 minute = 60 seconds

1 hour = 60 minutes = 3600 seconds

1 day = 24 hours = 1440 minutes = 86400 seconds

1 year = 365.25 days = 8766 hours = 525960 minutes = 31557600 seconds

Angles:

1 arcminute = 1' = 60 arcseconds = 60"

1 degree = 1º = 60' = 3600"

Full circle = 360º = 21600' = 1296000"

Time and Angles (on the Celestial Equator):

Time  Angle
1 hour 15º
4 minutes 1º
1 minute 15'
1 second 15"

Moon:

Apparent Angular Diameter = 0.5º = 30'

Sidereal Period (time to make one 360º revolution around Earth) = 27.3 days

Synodic Period (time to return to same phase) = 29.5 days

Earth to Moon = 384000 km = 0.0026 AU

Distance:

1 light year = 63000 AU = 9.5x1012 km

1 astronomical unit (AU) = Earth to Sun distance = 1.5x108 km

1 parsec (pc) = 3.26 light years = 3.08x1013 km = 206265 AU

Planets:

Planet Distance from Sun Size (Radius) Mass
Sun   7.0x105 km 2.0x1033 gm
Mercury 0.39 AU 2.4x103 km 3.3x1026 gm
Venus 0.72 AU 6.1x103 km 4.9x1027 gm
Earth 1.00 AU 6.4x103 km 6.0x1027 gm
Mars 1.52 AU 3.4x103 km 6.4x1026 gm
Jupiter 5.20 AU 7.1x104 km 1.9x1030 gm
Saturn 9.54 AU 6.0x104 km 5.7x1029 gm
Uranus 19.2 AU 2.4x104 km 8.7x1028 gm
Neptune 30.1 AU 2.2x104 km 1.0x1029 gm
Pluto 39.4 AU 3x103 km 5x1026 gm