Outline of AST 613, "Observational Techniques and Instrumentation"

Course material can be found online at URL

http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/ast613/ast613.html

Instructor

Michael Richmond
Building 76, Office 1274
Office phone: 475-2538
FAX: : 475-5988
E-mail: mwrsps at rit dot edu

Class hours


   Tuesday    9:30 - 10:45 am  GOS-3154  
   Thursday   9:30 - 10:45 am  GOS-3154

Office Hours

I'm happy to set up a time to meet with individual students outside of class. We can do it in my office, or via Zoom if necessary.

In addition, I will be in my office at the following regular hours. No need for an appointment, just stop by. (Actually, I'm in my office just about every day, from 9:00 PM to about 4:30 PM)


   Tuesday    11:00 am - noon          
   Wednesday  noon     -  1:00 pm       
   Thursday   noon     -  1:00 pm

There may be times when I am working from home. On those occasions, I will set up a Zoom session during these office hours, with the following invitation:

Zoom link for office hours

Textbook

There is no assigned textbook for this course. However, there are many good books that can help you with the material we will cover, and explain concepts in much more depth than I will. Some items which you can find in the RIT Library are

Astronomical Observations: an optical perspective by Gordon Walker.
Observational Astronomy by D. Scott Birney, Guillermo Gonzalez, David Oesper.
Astronomy methods : a physical approach to astronomical observations by Hale Bradt.
Astronomy at High Angular Resolution ed. Henri M. J. Boffin, Gaitee Hussain, Jean-Philippe Berger, Linda Schmidtobreick.
Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs by Ken M. Harrison.
Astronomical Measurement by Andy Lawrence.

Grading

The course grade will be based on attendance, participation in class, homework assignments, and a final exam. The list below is not definitive, but a rough guide to the importance of each component.


   10  percent  work in class     
   40  percent  homework 
   15  percent  midterm
   35  percent  final exam 
   -----------
  100  percent

If you have any special needs, you must inform me during the first week of classes. Otherwise, I may not be able to make arrangements in time to help you. Please contact me after class or at my office.

Please read RIT's Policy on Academic Integrity , section D08.0 of the Policies and Procedures Manual. I will follow this policy strictly if there is any evidence that students have violated it; that is, if there is any evidence of cheating, duplicate submission, or plagiarism.

RIT is committed to providing a safe learning environment, free of harassment and discrimination as articulated in our university policies located on our governance website. RIT's policies require faculty to share information about incidents of gender based discrimination and harassment with RIT's Title IX coordinator or deputy coordinators, regardless whether the incidents are stated to them in person or shared by students as part of their coursework.

If you have a concern related to gender-based discrimination and/or harassment and prefer to have a confidential discussion, assistance is available from one of RIT's confidential resources on campus (listed below).

The Center for Women & Gender: Campus Center Room 1760; 585-475-7464; CARES (available 24 hours/7 days a week) Call or text 585-295-3533.
RIT Student Health Center - August Health Center/1st floor; 585-475-2255.
RIT Counseling Center - August Health Center /2nd floor - 2100; 585-475-2261.
The Ombuds Office - Student Auxiliary Union/Room 1114; 585-475-7200 or 585-475-2876.
The Center for Religious Life - Schmitt Interfaith Center/Rm1400; 585-475-2137.
NTID Counseling & Academic Advising Services - 2nd Floor Lynden B. Johnson; 585-475-6468 (v), 585-286-4070 (vp).

This page maintained by Michael Richmond. Last modified Aug 23, 2023.