ASTR UN3646

I learned perspective and insight on the field of observational astronomy

Not much work. A couple of problem sets, telescope tests, lots of observing, and one project due at the end with presentation.

4 problem sets/reading questions (easy), joke of a final (10 multiple choice questions), 2 huge projects

Some basic observation technique and how to use telescope.

If you are not a science major, do NOT take this class. They say that high school level math and science is all required to do well-- NOT TRUE. I thoroughly enjoyed science/math courses in high school and always did fairly well. This class was so difficult. If you've taken an introductory astronomy class before that would definitely help. If not, the professor requires you to get an intro astro book to familiarize yourself with concepts and terminology. I did not understand a word either of the professors said during their lectures. I was so overwhelmed, I didn't even know where to start if I wanted to ask a question. There is a trip to Arizona for some observing that I was excited about, but when I saw most of the class didn't sign up for it (it's optional), I decided not to go either. The coursework is very minimal. He doesn't really care about grades-- barely talks about them until the end of the semester. I just stopped coming to the lectures because they were a waste of my time. I did the bare minimum work at the end of the semester and got a C.

This class was very possibly the worst class I have taken as a Physics and Astronomy major - and I can cite enough reasons why without even referring to Prof. Crotts's hygiene and personality. Yes, Observational Astronomy involves the rumored class trip to MDM Observatory in Arizona - that was the reason I took the class. But the trip was in the middle of midterms, and Crotts did his best to teach nothing, leaving the 2 people on the class with previous observing experience to teach most of the basics of telescope use. The lectures were horrible. He delivered information in a soporific monotone after handing us photocopies of the transparencies that he has written nearly every word of the lecture on. Despite this, he often fell silent (once for over 7 minutes) when he was trying to figure out how to explain something to us. He usually failed to get his point across - you could sort of sense he knew something but you couldn't tell what it was. There were 2 projects that were the main part (70%) of our grade. They were both due during finals. Much of the work on the projects (data reduction, working with Linux operating systems and IRAF) were things that half the class had not encountered before but were not discussed during lectures or in homeworks. Because Crotts didnÂ’t give us our data or discuss our projects ahead of time, most of the work was done during reading week and e…

Simply put, observing the night (and in some cases day!) sky using my eyes, binoculars, telescopes, spectra, etc.

Observational skills, data analysis, use of instrument, teamwork experience, trip to the MDM observatory

I gained an overview of observational astronomy techniques and some valuable experiences observing with local and professional telescopes.

I learned about various aspects observational astronomy; for example, how to collect and view data from a telescope, how to observe objects remotely.