Observations Requirement Fall 2026

During the semester you will be required to attend the Telescopes & Accessories presentations – in lab.  Since these are scheduled during the lab time, there is no excuse for missing them. You must attend (at least) one Dark Sky Night or do a Virtual Observations then write an Observations Report.

Dark Sky Nights

Dark Sky Nights will be held at the APSU Observatory on the grounds of the APSU Environmental Education Center.  Street address is: 1991 Pickens Rd., Clarksville.  If you need a ride, arrange for that in class: do not wait until the start time for the observation session to think about it.   A map and directions to the observatory can be found at www.apsu.edu/physics/astronomy/observations/map-and-directions-apsu-observatory . The Dark Sky Nights are weather dependent so if the skies are cloudy and/or rainy for a particular night it will be cancelled and we will attempt to hold it the next night (i.e. Monday 9/14 is cancelled so we will try again Tuesday 9/15). If that night is also rainy/cloudy it, too, will be cancelled. The three exceptions to the rain/cloud delay are the two Thursday nights (there will not be a make-up day on a Friday night) and Saturday October 17 (there will not be a make-up day on a Sunday night). A cancellation notice, if needed, will be posted by 5:00pm on the day of the observations on https://www.apsu.edu/physics/astronomy/observations/dark-sky-nights.php. The schedule for the Dark Sky Nights is

                 Dark Sky Nights Schedule

** Note: the October 17 date is also a public observing night, so be courteous and watch for children.

A list of “Things To Observe” will be posted a day or two before each observing night:https://www.apsu.edu/physics/astronomy/observations/dark-sky-nights.php. It is strongly advised that you to look over the “Observations Report” section BEFORE coming to the Observing Nights so you know what information you need to collect, and you bring a notebook to take notes with.  The Moon will be visible on Sept. 14 and Oct. 17.  The sessions will last approximately 90 minutes.  Check the weather before you come and dress appropriately.

Virtual Observation

The Virtual Observations can be done instead of attending a Dark Sky Night. If all objects are found and all the required information for each object is found you will receive the full 3 points for attending a Dark Sky Night. If you only find some of the objects and/or some (but not all) of the information you will receive some (but not all) of the 3 points for attending a Dark Sky Night.

Below is a list of 30 objects and five planets to locate. For all except the planets you must find each object and record what constellation it is in. Once you find which constellation it is in you must determine which month it is (or was) best viewed in (the star charts in the back of the textbook will help you in determining the month). For the planets, find which month it was, or will be, most visible in the evening skies during 2026 (when was it or will it be at opposition), which constellation it was in or will be in at that time and how bright it will be. Next, describe what type of object it is from the following possibilities: planet, planetary nebula, supernova remnant, emission nebula, absorption nebula, reflection nebula, spiral galaxy, elliptical galaxy, irregular galaxy, open cluster, globular cluster, black hole, quasar or double star. Next, find the distance to the object and its apparent visual magnitude. Finally, include images of your favorite five objects. For the planets you can do a web search for what month they are highest in the evening sky. For the M, NGC and IC objects and named stars you will also have to do a web search. On the web you might try the Interactive NGC/IC Catalog Online (link to it can be found in the Astronomy Links on the APSU Astronomy website). Put all the information you find into a neat table that can be easily read (excel is your friend in this case). Include this table and the images of your five favorite objects with the Observations Report you turn in on Tuesday November 24, before you leave for Thanksgiving.

                  Virtual Observations List

Observations Report

After you have attended a Dark Sky Night or completed the Virtual Observations and the telescope/equipment presentations in lab, you must do an Observations Report. It should be typed with double line spacing. The report is due Tuesday November 24 and is to be submitted to the Assignment in the class D2L. Once the Assignment box closes reports will no longer be accepted (11:59 pm Tuesday November 24).

The report should consist of two major parts. Part 1 should consist of information about the various telescopes, mounts, equipment, cameras and observing aids shown and used during the telescope demonstrations. This must include: types, sizes and manufacturers of the telescopes; types of mounting systems; drawings of the optical systems of the telescopes (see Figures 6.4 & 6.5 on page 146 and 6.8 & 6.9 on page 148 of your text for the kinds of drawings) and, finally, observing aids and devices (i.e., cameras, CCD’s, filters, star maps, planispheres, etc.). A PowerPoint presentation with much of the information presented at the Telescope & Equipment presentation in lab can be found in the D2L shell..

Part 2 should consist of information about the celestial objects you saw on the Dark Sky Night or your Virtual Observations table. This must include (but is not limited to): what were they (i.e., planet, star, nebula, cluster, etc.); their name or catalog number; other objects associated with them (i.e., moons, nebulosity, satellite galaxies, etc.); their location (constellation they are in); a brief description of the object (what it looked like) and, finally, which telescope you saw them through. For additional information on the objects, check out the Interactive NGC/IC Catalog on the Astronomy Links page of www.apsu.edu/physics/astronomy/links.

Format for the Observations Report

1. The cover page should include a title, your name, date of Dark Sky Night (if you attended one).

2. A brief summary of what the report is about. Probably one or two paragraphs in length.

3. Part 1: Telescopes, mounts, cameras, astronomical equipment, star maps, planispheres and observing aids.

4. Part 2: Celestial objects viewed at the observing nights or your Virtual Observations table and images of your five favorites.

5. What did you learn? Was it worthwhile? Would you recommend that this be repeated every semester in the astronomy class? What can be done to improve it?

6. List of references: the format for your references is not important but all references should be cited including those for the Virtual Observations.

Grading:

Observations Report…4-points

Telescope/equipment presentation Attendance…3-points

Dark Sky Night Attendance or Virtual Observations…3-points

The Observations account for 10% of your course grade.