PHYS 140L: TECHNIQUES OF OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY

University of California, Riverside

4 Units, Lecture, 2 hours; laboratory, 6 hours. Prerequisite(s): PHYS 002C with a grade of B- or better or PHYS 02HC with a grade of B- or better or PHYS 040E with a grade of C- or better or PHYS 041C with a grade of C or better; restricted to major(s) Physics; or consent of instructor. Covers modern techniques of observational astronomy including digital optical imaging, photometry, spectroscopy, radio observations, error propagation and statistical inference. Lab practicum includes calibrating digital images and spectra, computer programming for data analysis, quantifying uncertainties in astronomical measurements, and written communication of scientific results.