Astronomy 1: Introduction to the Cosmos
Fall 2009
Details of the field trip to Lick Observatory on Mt Hamilton:
The field trip to Lick Observatory's Mount Hamilton station
will be on Friday, October 23. The trip is optional. We can only accommodate the
first 40 students who sign up: first come, first served. You have to
sign up **in person** with Cathy Clausen in the Astronomy department
office (ISB 201) and will have to pay her $5 to reserve your spot for
the trip (no refunds!). The deadline for signups is this Thursday, October 22. We will arrange transportation in UCSC vans. We
will meet outside the astro dept office (ISB 201) at 2PM, leave campus in the UCSC vans, and you should be back in your rooms by midnight.
The current plan is to meet on campus and drive up to Mt Hamilton in
vans provided by the University. We will see the 120-inch reflecting
telescope (the main research instrument used by the astronomers at Lick
Observatory) and learning about the ongoing research being conducted
with it. Modern telescopes, like these, are usually used in combination
with instruments that are very similar to the kind of digital cameras
we use in every day life. But looking through large telescopes with a
naked eye can be quite stunning. Hopefully, weather permitting, we will
have a chance to do just that. We will use an eye piece to look
directly through the 36-inch refracting telescope to view a variety of
astronomical objects that are visible on the day of our visit.
If you sign up, please do some advanced planning so that the trip will go smoothly:
1-- Please bring warm clothing. A winter coat/sweater, closed shoes,
and long pants would be appropriate. A hat is also not a bad idea.
(Fall nights at Mt Hamilton are invariably chilly due to the altitude,
and you will be spending a signficant chunk of time in the open night
air while we are looking through the telescopes.)
2-- Please pack a dinner for the trip. In the interest of time, we will not plan to stop anywhere for food.
3-- You might consider bringing some money in case you want to buy
things from the gift shop. They have some nice stuff (shirts, mugs,
photos of the observatory, etc).