Class introduction

• Class content
  • how to optimally collect astronomical data and extract information, in principle and in practice

  • philosophy: need to understand how instruments work to understand information, accuracy, and to get most from the data. Consequently, we will discuss instruments. For us, the term instrument includes the telescope, camera, and the detector. Principally we will discuss imaging instruments and spectrographs. We may briefly discuss some other types of instruments (imaging spectroscopy, interferometry). We will cover instrumentation/methodology for optical/IR observations; radio and high energy covered in a separate class offered occasionally.

  • NOTE: hardly anything (telescopes, instruments, software) ``just works'' despite what other people say.

  • Not a class on how to use data reduction packages, although you will need to use these. It will be your responsibility to learn these by trying them, reading documentation, and talking with other graduate students.

  • NOTE: to get most from data (and often, to stand apart from the ``crowd'', you need to develop refined or new techniques of data analysis. Beware of canned procedures. Also, ALL instruments generally present slightly new problems which demand different techniques.

  • practical emphasis. Work with real data. Use NMSU telescopes/data when possible.

  • Note changing face of astronomy, e.g. automated 1m, HST, SDSS

• Work load
  • Roughly biweekly problems/tasks, including perhaps two projects, which might involve data taking, data reduction, and/or a simple optics/instrumentation project. Note graduate/undergrad distinction (if there are any undergrads in class).

  • Experience all of: observing, reduction, analysis, computing

  • Two quizes, one final,

  • Texts: Schroeder, Howell, Kitchin, Bevington, Numerical Recipes

  • Notes on Web

• NMSU telescopes:
  • ARC 3.5m: consortium with U Wash, U Chicago, Princeton, JHU, NMSU, U. Colorado. NMSU gets 15%.

  • NMSU 1m: status

  • NMSU Tortugas mountain observatory : 24" with CCD

• trip to APO?

• Instruments:
  • 3.5m:
    • DIS - double imaging spectrograph

    • GRIM - IR imager / spectrograph

    • SPICAM - drift scan camera

    • echelle spectrograph

      under development:

    • new IR instrument(s)

    • Wide field imager? Or multi-color imager?

  • 1m: 512x512 CCD camera, 1024x1024 CCD camera, new 2K x 2K camera under construction, under collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory.

• APO home page - http://www.apo.nmsu.edu

• NMSU astronomy home page: http://astro.nmsu.edu

  Homework

  • Look at the APO Web site. Look at observing schedule and some observing logs. Check out the 10 micron all-sky camera images. Look through the Instruments pages, and at anything else which might interest you!
  • Look at the NOAO Web site (http://www.noao.edu)
  • Look at the STScI Web site (http://www.stsci.edu)
  • Look at the SDSS Web site (http://www.sdss.org)
• Get experience of students: observing, data reduction, analysis, computing
  • HOMEWORK: assessment problems.