Extra Credit Options
Extra-credit in this course is analagous to an insurance policy. You will benefit if your ending course course is borderline. So, for example, a grade of B+ will improve to an A.
Excellent work on two extra-credit activities can increment your semester grade by as much as one-half a letter grade. For example, a B+ (87-89%) will become an A. However, <87% will still be registered as a B.
No extra-credit activities will be accepted after December 9. A maximum of two extra-credit activities is allowed, but you are welcome to undertake more!
Extra-credit may be obtained by participating in the following activities: University-sponsored public lectures,
field trips, and observing
projects. Field trips and observing projects require
obtaining the signature of your host or guide. You may pursue these opportunities on your own as desctribed below but some special events will also be announced in class.
PUBLIC LECTURES:
Astronomy related Public Evenings are offered on alternate Monday evenings from 7:30-8:30 pm in the main auditorium (N210) of Steward Observatory.
FIELD TRIPS:
1. The UofA's Mirror Laboratory - East Stadium
The next generation of telescopes utilizes "primary mirrors" from 6.5 to 10 meters in diameter.
The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), on nearby Mt. Graham, incorporates two 8.4 meter mirrors giving it the largest light gathering power of any telescope in the world. The LBT incorporates lightweight, extremely precisely
polished mirrors manufactured in the Mirror Lab located beside the UA football stadium. Other future telescopes under construction are the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). You will tour the Mirror Lab to learn how all these mirrors are
being fabricated and will see recently cast mirrors of 6.5 and 8.4 meters diameter.
If you wish to tour the University Mirror Laboratory YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR A TOUR which lasts 1.5 hours. A signup sheet will be posted in class and on the bulletin board outside Dr. McCarthy's office, N404. A tour can accommodate 20 people. We will meet at 3:00 pm in the lobby of Steward Observatory. Tours start with a discussion of the mirror making process and conclude by walking through the mirror fabrication and polishing facilities.
2. Kitt Peak - 85 km southwest of Tucson
3. Whipple Observatory - 85 km south of Tucson
Visiting Mt. Hopkins requires a full day. Visitors assemble in the Smithsonian field headquarters
(about 45 minutes south of Tucson past Green Valley) at 9:00 am for a film presentation. A bus
departs on the somewhat exciting and very beautiful ascent of Mt. Hopkins at about 9:30 am.
The summit of Mt. Hopkins is at an altitude of 8,500 ft, so wear appropriate clothing. It will be
colder on the mountain and the weather is somewhat more variable than in Tucson. Bring a lunch
since food is not available on the summit and the bus does not return to the headquarters until
about 3:00 pm.
You must call (520) 879-4407 to make a reservation for this trip as bus seating is limited. There is a
charge of about $10 per person. Travel directions are available from Dr. McCarthy. Obtain the
signature of the tour guide upon completion.
OBSERVING PROJECTS: Arizona is rather unique in that it has a sizeable telescope on campus dedicated to undergraduate
education. This telescope is housed in the large dome attached to the Steward Observatory office
building. The 0.53 m (21-inch) telescope is available Monday through Thursday, 7:30 pm until
10:30 pm (weather permitting). Because of demand, you must sign up to observe the day prior to
actual observation. Only 40 students per night can be accommodated and only 10 people at a
time can be in the telescope dome. Thus, each three hour night is broken into four 45 minute
observing sessions, each of which will accommodate 10 people. A sign-up sheet for each night is
posted on the bulletin board outside Room 204 (across from the photo gallery) and you may sign
up for one observing session per week. A telescope operator will point the telescope, find objects
and answer questions.
You must observe at least one object from each of the following categories:
In your observing notes write a brief description (two - three sentences) of what you saw. Draw a
picture of how the object appeared in the telescope. What can you learn about this kind of object
just by looking at it? Have the telescope operator sign your observing notebook for each object
you observe. NOTE: not all objects are visible on all nights! For example, on a bright moonlit
night it may be impossible to see faint galaxies. Plan on observing more than one night to
complete this project.
In your observing notes write a brief description (two - three sentences) of what you saw. Draw a
picture of how the object appeared in the telescope. What can you learn about this kind of object
just by looking at it? Have the telescope operator sign your observing notebook for each object
you observe. NOTE: not all objects are visible on all nights! For example, on a bright moonlit
night it may be impossible to see faint galaxies. Plan on observing more than one night to
complete this project.
Organized tours are conducted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week (weather
permitting) through November. The 6.5m MMT telescope, a joint venture of the University of
Arizona and the Smithsonian Institution, is atop Mt. Hopkins along with several other telescopes
of interest, which you will visit. One of these is a unique gamma ray telescope.
Observe at the Steward Observatory 0.53 m (21 inch) telescope.