* = homework due (NOTE: this is when the final version of the homework is due - in some cases there will be deadlines for subsections of the work along the way).
Aug 31: Introduction: Sources of Astrophysical Information
Sep 5: Optical Telescopes (class meets at Leitner Observatory)
Sep 7: CCDs and Other Electronic Detectors
Sep 12: Calibrating Images
Sep 14: Photometry and The Magnitude System
Sep 19: Observing the Sky in Time: Phases, Seasons and Calendars
*Sep 21: Observing the Sky in Space: Maps and Coordinates
Sep 26: Statistics 1: Precision vs. Accuracy
Sep 28: Statistics 2: Calculating Errors
Oct 3: Colors and Calibrations
*Oct 5: Science Topic #1: Cosmology, Supernovae and the Hubble Flow
Oct 10: Observing Proposals
* Oct 12: Non-optical Telescopes
Oct 17: Review
Oct 19: Midterm Exam
Oct 24: Programming 1
Oct 26: Programming 2
Oct 31: Statistics 3: Data and Models
* Nov 2: Spectroscopy
Nov 7: Redshifts and Radial Velocities
Nov 9: Science Topic #2: Exoplanets
Nov 14: Programming 3:
* Nov 16: Science Topic #3: Black Holes
Thanksgiving Break
Nov 29: Scientific Papers: Expectations and Exceptions
* Dec 1: The Future of Observational Astronomy
Reading Period: Oral Reports