Introduction
     The material below assumes that you are taking this class because you need to fulfill a Physical Science requirement, and/or need to receive a passing grade (and credit) for the class. If you are only taking the class because you would like to learn more about astronomy, and don't care whether you pass the class, you can ignore most of what follows; but you will get more out of the class if you pay at least some attention to the study suggestions on this and other pages of this website.

My Fiction
     I have recently started writing fiction, and have published one short story, the science-fiction/fantasy Well Met, and one novel, the historical romance Two Pigs and a Chicken. Neither of these, nor any of the other novels and short stories I am working on, have anything to do with astronomy, so I will not discuss them in class (save during a break, when I am willing to answer questions about almost any topic); but when there is news about one of my works, it is noted on this site for the benefit of those who are interested in such news. If you enjoy reading fiction, you may find such notes interesting, but if you do not, you can safely ignore them, as they will not affect this class or your grade in any way.

Business Cards
     Magnetic and regular business cards are available to help you find my website. Magnetic cards are "posted" on the portholes at the entry to D326. Regular cards are in business card holders at either end of the operator console in D326, and at the bottom of the astronomy bulletin board, opposite D326. You are welcome to take cards for yourself, or for acquaintances you think might be interested in either of my sites. The magnetic cards are one-sided, but the regular cards are two-sided, as shown below.

The astronomy (left) and fiction (right) sides of my business card.

Contact Information
     I retired from full-time teaching in May 2009. As a result, I do not have an office, nor do I keep office hours. You may discuss general questions with me in the planetarium classroom (D326) while I am setting up for class, at the break, or at the end of class; but if you have a private matter to discuss, or for contact at other times, email me at courtney@cseligman.com, or courtneyseligman@aol.com, as indicated on my business cards.
     If you don't receive a reply to an email within a day, I may have deleted your message, thinking it was spam, or your email service may have deleted my reply, for a similar reason (this is a common problem with gmail accounts). To avoid this problem, be sure that the Subject Line of your note includes a clear indication of its purpose, or the day and time that your class meets, turn off spam blocking for your email (if you can), or add my email address to your address book.
     If you want to inquire about a grade or other private information, you must include your student ID in your email (this is the only time I ever need to see your ID). Do not send attachments, as I never open them; all relevant information must be in the text of the email.
     I expect all students to have Internet access, and to visit my website for Recent Announcements and class materials on a regular basis. (If the Recent Announcements link is scrolling from right to left, there is a critical note for one of my classes; but even when it is not scrolling, there may be an important note for your class.) If you do not have Internet access, most public libraries (and the LBCC Library Open Access Lab) have free Internet access, and someone who can show you how to reach my web site, or to set up an account with one of the many web services (such as AOL and Yahoo) that provide free email accounts.
     Example: I will be out of town over Labor Day weekend, and although I expect to be back in time for my Tuesday night class, there is a possibility that something may happen that will prevent my holding class that evening. So students in that class should be sure to check Recent Announcements before coming to school on September 8.

The cseligman.com Toolbar
     I've tried to make this site easy to navigate. Aside from links embedded on any given page, there are links in the banner at the top of each page which can be used to access every page on the site. Still, there is a lot of material on the site, and students sometimes get lost. For that reason, I've created a toolbar which provides access to all on-site pages in a drop-down cseligman menu, and to hundreds of useful off-site links in a drop-down Links menu. If you have any problem finding your way around the site, I would recommend installing the toolbar, to see if it makes using the site easier (if it doesn't, it's easy to uninstall). Among other things, the toolbar includes a Message Ticker which provides links to important announcements, whether you are visiting my site or not.

Petitioners
     At the start of the semester, I have a list of permit numbers which I can give to petitioners. I hand them out as follows:
     (1) I wait until the break, then ask how many students want to petition the class. If there are permit numbers available for all of them, I provide them all with permit numbers.
     (2) At the first class meeting, I call the names of those on the Wait List in the order they were added to the list. Those on the Wait List who are not present at that time have, according to College policy, forfeited their position; as a result, this step is eliminated at subsequent meetings.
     (3) If there are still permit numbers left, but more petitioners than permit numbers, I have the petitioners sign a numbered sign-up sheet, and use a random-number generator to choose the students who receive the remaining permit numbers.
     (4) I repeat steps (1) and (3) at each meeting until I run out of permit numbers, or registration is over.
     Note that receiving a permit number does not admit you to class. It simply allows you to try to add the class. Until your name shows up in my online rollbook, you are not in the class. Also, if you use a permit number to enroll online and make a mistake, you may have permanently 'burned' that number, and be unable to enroll at all. I therefore strongly recommend that you go to registration in person, to ensure that the number works.

Textbooks and Web Pages
      The text for this course is the Peterson Field Guide, Stars and Planets by Jay Pasachoff. Make sure that you get the latest edition of this book (the star to the right of the title should say "INCLUDES NEW STATUS OF PLUTO", as shown below). You must bring this book to every class, as I will be referring to it at almost every class meeting.
      You will need to learn some of the stars and constellations, and The Stars by H. A. Rey provides an easy to understand introduction to the sky which many people prefer to the presentation in the required text. It is not a required text, but I will occasionally refer to this book in class, and it wouldn't hurt to take a look at it and decide whether you need the extra instruction that it provides.

Left above, the required text, "Stars and Planets"; right above, the supplementary text, "The Stars". These books are available in the LBCC Bookstore, or may be purchased online by clicking the images above. (My publisher, Erindale Publishing, has added an LBCC Astronomy Texts page to their eStore, for the convenience of my students.)

      There are a number of web pages explaining how to do the major projects. These should be read as thoroughly as if they were printed handouts.

Course Content
      This course covers traditional and observational astronomy, including the appearance and motions of the sky, the Sun, the Moon, and the planets. Unlike the lecture course, which is concerned with the physical characteristics of astronomical objects, this course is concerned with the appearance of things, and with the methods and tools of observation.
      When taken in conjunction with the Astronomy 1 lecture class, this course satisfies a lab science requirement. If taken by itself, it provides two units towards graduation, but does NOT satisfy a science requirement. Some students think that since there is an hour of lecture at the start of the lab class, the lab class alone can satisfy the lab science requirement. This is wrong. To satisfy the lab science requirement, you have to take both classes. However, since there is only a slight overlap in the material covered in the two courses, they do not have to be taken during the same semester. The lecture class is offered throughout the year, but the lab course is only offered during the Spring and Fall semesters. For more information about the relationship between the two courses, refer to General Course Information.

Pass/NoPass Grading
     This course may be taken on a pass/nopass (P/NP) basis; in fact, for most students, that is the most appropriate way to take the class.
     To take the class P/NP, go to Administration and fill out the appropriate paperwork on or before the deadline to do so (check my schedule for the deadline). If you file for P/NP grading, a C-minus or better grade is recorded as a Pass and provides 2 units credit for taking the class, while a D-plus or worse grade is recorded as a NoPass and provides no credit for taking the class; either way, the grade does not affect your GPA. P/NP grades should be transferable to all other colleges with the same GPA basis (or lack of it) as at LBCC.

Auditing
     Although auditing classes is allowed in theory, it is actually strongly discouraged for budgetary reasons (namely, the school receives no state funds for students who audit classes). I therefore do not allow students to officially audit my classes, and you MUST register for the class, if you want to attend the class meetings. However, you could sort-of-audit the class by officially withdrawing, shortly before the drop deadline (you may do this yourself, or ask me to do it for you). You would end up with a W (Withdrawn) "grade" for the class, but for most purposes, that is the same as if you never took it, in the first place.

Registering for the Class
     You must be officially enrolled in the class to receive a grade or credit for the class. Any work received from a student who is not officially registered and listed on the class rollbook will be discarded without being graded.

Recording Lectures vs. Taking Notes
     Students who are busy taking detailed class notes often miss what I am currently saying while writing down what I said a minute or two ago, and as a result, lose their place in the discussion. In addition, during lectures (particularly planetarium presentations) the room is partially or totally darkened, so that taking notes is difficult or impossible. I therefore recommend that you take only the briefest of notes, and flesh them out from memory afterwards, or use a small tape or digital recorder to record the lectures, so that you can pay full attention during class. Anyone registered for my class is hereby given permission to record my lectures, providing they make no commercial use of the recordings or their content. However, I do not want a forest of recorders on the operator console, or people forgetting to retrieve their recorders, so you must record the lectures from your seat.
     If you have a laptop computer, you may use it to take notes during normal lectures; but as noted under Classroom Behavior (below), during full-dome planetarium presentations all computers and cell phones must be turned off or closed, as the light from their screens lights up the dome, and is distracting to other students.

Class Structure / Study Habits
      We will always meet in the classroom (D326), but on most clear nights we will spend part of the evening outdoors, so ALWAYS WEAR OR BRING WARM CLOTHING. Although we always meet in the classroom, if there is something which I want to show you in the sky which can only be seen early in the evening (e.g., a crescent moon), we may spend part of the first hour outside, so if you come in late and no one is in the classroom, be sure to check the outdoor observation area (usually, the roof observation area).
      When we are outdoors, we are still in our "classroom", so NO SMOKING, EATING, OR DRINKING are allowed.
      I usually lecture from 6 to about 7, followed by a 15-minute break. Afterwards, there may be more lecture, or lab work outdoors or in the classroom, depending upon the weather and the time of the year. Most of the lectures are background information which you need to do your lab projects, but early in the semester I will be discussing the motions and positions of the stars and planets, and how to use the text to learn to identify and follow celestial bodies, and late in the semester I will be discussing topics which will be covered on the Final exam (mostly, how to use the book to find out things about celestial bodies).
      I do not usually schedule breaks during the second part of class, but you may take breaks whenever it is convenient to do so between lab work.
      If we are doing work which HAS to be done in class, you will probably be here until after 9:30 on clear nights, and until close to 9 on cloudy nights (most cloudy nights I lecture for 3 hours, so that we have more time for observations when it is clear). If we are doing something which you could finish on your own, you may be allowed to leave early. If you do so, make sure that you know EXACTLY what you are supposed to do, or you may have to repeat the work.
      You will probably need to spend 4 to 6 hours per week outside of class reading the text, working on your projects, or studying background materials for your projects. If you do not pay attention in class, and do not understand what you are doing, you might need far more time to successfully complete your work.

Classroom Behavior
     The College Schedule of Classes contains a long discussion of what is considered reasonable and proper student behavior. Basically, everyone in the class is expected to behave as an adult, and to treat the instructor and their fellow students with respect. If your behavior is disruptive, you will be asked to modify it; failure to do so may subject you to penalties up to and including expulsion from the College (see Long Beach City College Student Policies for more information). The following suggestions, if followed, should provide an environment conducive to learning, without being overly restrictive.
     If you come in late or leave early, you should sit as close to the doors as possible, and be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible on your way in or out, to minimize class disruption. During planetarium presentations, the entry doors will be locked. As a result, you must come to class on time, or risk missing all or much of the class.
     All cell phones and other electronic devices should be turned off or put into silent mode during class time. If you are expecting an emergency call, please let me know before class starts, and in any event, follow the rules for leaving class early, if it proves necessary.
     Absolute darkness is required during planetarium presentations. This means that all laptops and other devices which produce any light must be closed or turned off. During non-planetarium instruction, if absolute darkness is not required, laptops may be used with the permission of the instructor.
     No food or drink of any sort are allowed in the planetarium classroom, save for bottled water.
     While I am talking, or other students are asking questions, you are expected to pay attention. If you wish to visit with friends, you should do so before or after class, out of consideration for those students who are trying to pay attention. I do not want to discourage occasional comments, or natural reactions (e.g., laughter or groans) to the material I am discussing; but continual chattering will not be tolerated.
     Occasionally, one person will monopolize the class discussion by asking question after question. I am willing to answer questions within reason, but if necessary, may require such individuals to see me after class, instead of continually disrupting the presentation.
     You are expected to have any materials required for class when you arrive. You should have an ample supply of pens, pencils, and writing materials, and pencils should be sharpened before class or during the break, not during class. (If you need to sharpen a pencil during an exam, you may do so, but it would be better to have several pencils and just switch, if necessary.)

Attendance / Making Up Missed Classes
      I take roll at the start of each class, and there may be additional roll calls later in the evening, to see if people arrived late, or left early. To encourage good attendance, I award 5 points towards your semester grade for each night of lab class attendance, and on many nights, may assign an additional 5 points of in-class work, which cannot be made up outside of class. If you arrive late or leave early you may lose some of these points, and if you are not here at all, you will lose all of them.
      Because I realize that there may be occasional problems in attending class even for those students who are trying their best to be here, I allow students who miss a class to "make up" an absence by coming to another lab class, presuming I have one. This semester, I have lab classes on Monday and Tuesday, both in D326, from 6 to 10 pm, and I try to keep the two sections as close together as possible. If you attend the other lab class the same week you miss your class, you can erase the absence, and earn full credit for the roll call which you missed. Depending on the weather, you may lose some credit for lab work that was done in your class and is not done in the other class, or get extra credit for lab work done in the other class which was not done in your class.
      Since poor attendance could lower your grade, be sure to let me know if you come in late and miss roll. Also, if you are attending one lab class to make up for an absence in the other lab class, be sure to let me know that you are here when I take roll. You must do this BEFORE you leave for the evening, as I will not take your word for it at a later date.
      If you miss four or more classes, and do not attend a make-up session with another class to reduce the number of absences to fewer than four, I am supposed to drop you if it is early enough in the semester to do so, or fail you if it is too late to drop you. I will not actually do either, but it seems fair to warn you that it is rare for a student to miss that many classes and still earn enough points to pass the class. So if you miss a lot of classes, you should seriously consider dropping the class on your own.
      If I am unable to attend class there should be an "official" sign-up sheet on one or both classroom doors (be sure to check both doors, in case a sheet is posted on only one of them; but you only need to sign one sheet, even if there are two). If there is no such sheet, you must wait until at least 6:15, in case I am just running late. If I am not here by then, you may assume that I am not coming, and someone should start a sign-up sheet. You should be sure to LEGIBLY sign this sheet, as I don't count signatures I can't read. Once everyone who is present at the time the sign-up sheet is started has signed it, it should be placed in the plastic hanger outside my office (D350); and students who come in late, and do not find anyone in the room or on the roof should check both classroom doors and my office for a sign-up sheet. If there is a sign-up sheet on the door, be sure to check Recent Announcements, for any special arrangements caused by my absence. Also, if I know in advance that I cannot attend class, I will post a note on Recent Announcements early that afternoon; so you might save yourself a trip to school by checking beforehand (in such a case, you can 'sign-in' by email).

Reinstatement
     I will not reinstate dropped students unless dropping them was a clerical error on my part.

Tools and Materials
      You will need to obtain some inexpensive items for general use or for use with specific lab projects. I will discuss most of these materials as the need arises, but to start with, you will need to get a small flashlight or penlight for use outdoors. You should paint the light with red nail polish or cover it with red cellophane, so that the light is just a faint red glow. This will allow you to see what you are writing or drawing in the dark, but will not cause enough glare to disturb your eyesight or that of your fellow students. You should bring this light with you on any night which has even a slight chance of observational work. You will also need to bring blank paper and a pencil, as any observational work will involve turning in a written report and drawings before you leave for the night. Any work turned in should have your name and the date in the upper right corner of every sheet, and all work done for this class should be in pencil or erasable ink, as you will often have to correct mistakes.
      The skies in our area are very bright, and it is difficult to see any but the very brightest stars without optical aid. Grading of observational projects done on your own time will take this into account, but you might find it useful to get a pair of binoculars to help you observe the sky. It is NOT required that you do so, but I will discuss what you should look for, in case you do decide to purchase a pair of binoculars.

Graded Work
      There are several ways in which you earn points towards your grade.
      (1) As already discussed, to encourage good attendance, each evening's roll calls will count 5 points toward the semester grade. Despite this, IF YOU ARE SICK, PLEASE DO NOT COME TO CLASS AND INFECT EVERYONE ELSE. In such a case, you should attend the other class, presuming you have sufficiently recovered, or do some kind of extra-credit work to make up the absence.
      (2) There will be several in-class lab projects, mostly involving observations of the sky with or without a telescope. These are intended as practice for major projects, as a way of enjoying the experience of taking an astronomy lab, and as a way of accumulating extra points towards the semester grade. As with attendance, each night's work will typically be worth 5 points, so please do not come to class if you are sick; just be sure to come as often as possible.
      (3) There may be one or two short-term out-of-class observational projects, based on work started in class, which can be finished with a relatively small number of outside observations. As an example, you might be asked to follow the motions of any planets which happen to be visible, to see how they change their positions among the stars during the course of the semester.
      (4) There are four MAJOR projects which require extensive observations or data analysis. I will go over these projects in great detail in coming weeks, but here is a short summary of each of them:
         A. The Moon Project: Observe the position of the Moon and draw what it looks like on as many days (and/or nights) as possible.
         B. The Alt-Azimuth Project: Learn the names and positions of about two dozen stars, and measure their motion across the sky over several hours.
         C. The Navigation Project: Observe a few stars as they pass due North or South, and calculate your latitude and longitude from your observations.
         D. The Mercury Project: Graphically "calculate" the orbit of Mercury from tabulated data of the positions of the Sun and Mercury.
      Most of the work for these projects will be done on your own time, outside of class, but I will spend a lot of time covering background information which is related to them, and explaining how to do the projects, and you will spend considerable time practicing for the star projects. You will have most of the semester to complete these projects, so poor weather during a given week, or even a given month, should not cause problems, but if you put off doing them until just before they are due, a week or two of bad weather could be disastrous, so you will need to complete them as soon as you are able to do so.
      When students do poorly in this class, or fail the class, the main reason they do so is failure to complete the four major projects in full and on time.
      (5) The above projects are considered "required" projects because they require no special equipment, location or mathematical abilities (although those of you who have binoculars may find them of immeasurable help). I will also discuss various kinds of extra-credit projects. In general, these would require special tools (such as binoculars or a small telescope), travel to a dark-sky location, or mathematical abilities beyond basic arithmetic.
      (6) There will be a 4-hour, open-book, open-note Final covering the text, lab class web pages, class discussions, and projects, to see how well you learned the skills that you supposed to master.

Withdrawals
     I don't want to encourage students to withdraw from my course, but if you are not doing well, you may need to consider that possibility, as the drop deadline approaches. You should assess how you have been doing in the class, and your personal circumstances, to decide whether you can devote sufficient time and effort to successfully complete the course, or should withdraw. Please note, as explained below, that I do not allow Incompletes, so if you attend class after the drop deadline, you are making a commitment to complete the course. I hope that you will successfully complete the course, but if you feel that it would be best to withdraw from the course, and take it again when you have more time to devote to it, I will not criticize your decision.

Incompletes
     I do not allow Incomplete grades, for any reason whatsoever.

Semester Grades
      Semester grades are based on a total point score for the various items listed above. The grade scale will be similar to the one shown here, but is usually adjusted downwards slightly for poor weather or other problems (e.g., if I miss some classes and don't have time to cover all of the material that should be tested on the Final examination, I wouldn't test you in the same way as if I had covered the material more thoroughly).