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Laura Chomiuk added Observing.tex
about 9 years ago
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\subsubsection{Hands-on observing experience}
It is a long-standing tradition for AST~208 students to visit the \href{http://www.pa.msu.edu/astro/observ/}{MSU Observatory} for hands-on observing experience, and the redesigned AST~208 continues to uphold this tradition. Students come out to the observatory in their lab groups of 3--4 (at night, outside of scheduled class time) and use the CCD camera to obtain science-ready images with the help of an instructor. Every student is required to visit the observatory at least once throughout the semester. A goal is to increase student access to the Observatory (due to limitations of East Lansing weather in the spring semester and the relatively large class size, it proves an ongoing challenge for students to complete multiple labs at the observatory).
In support of AST~208, the MSU Observatory underwent a significant upgrade this winter, with assistance from the contractor \href{http://www.astronomical.com/}{Astronomical Consultants \& Equipment}. The observatory is now equipped with a spectrograph, which opens up new avenues for hands-on scientific inquiry with MSU's on-campus facilities.
In addition, students gain experience with eyepiece observing and telescope manipulation in a newly designed lab making use of the telescopes on the roof of the Biomedical Physical Sciences Building. Each lab group gets access to a telescope; they must calibrate the GPS controls, point the telescope to astronomical objects of interest, and draw what they see.
