Astro 25 - Field Astronomy in the California Mountains

Syllabus: Summer Semester, July 16, and July 24-26, 2020

Post Trip Photos Page

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CoVid19-ReVamp of our Course

Our class will be on-line. There is no materials fee, no camping fee. If you were mistakenly charged an extra $10 for camping fee, be sure to talk to the Admissions and Records people to have that refunded to you. I was assured this was not going to happen.

Our first meeting is at 6pm Thur July 16 as already scheduled. I will send out a Zoom invitation. Just click on the zoom invitation on your computer or phone and you'll be able to connect.

Fri July 17: OK, our first class meeting happened successfully and is recorded on Zoom. Here's the recording including the transcript of my conversations and lecture. It's a little less than 2 hrs long, and the lecture is on the Formation of the Solar System. Listen and watch at your leisure! If you'd like to study the PowerPoint by itself, without my lecturing over it, so you can skip around and see all the slides, the powerpoint on The Formation of the Solar System is here.

Saturday July 18: I've posted on my website pictures of Comet NEOWISE from Thursday night, right after our on-line 1st lecture I drove up to Eagle Rock (not enough parking there for more than 4 cars, and that includes anyone else who decides to go up there - not a good choice for us). Enjoy!

I've got planned an informal get together (safe distancing, bring masks) to see the Great Comet of 2020 - Comet NEOWISE, or just "Comet NEO" in honor of "The Matrix" hero! It's totally optional and voluntary, don't feel compelled to come and if you don't it will not affect your grade. But I feel terrible to have this bug cheat you out of a wonderful trip. So this is our substitute. If you have binoculars and a camera and tripod definitely bring. The comet is about as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper right now, not nearly as bright as a week ago, but still nice in a dark sky, and I will bring a telescope and maybe even try to video some of our adventure for a YouTube. The location is at the top of Mt Bache Road, which is just off Highland Way which runs along the spine of the Santa Cruz Mountains above Soquel. You get there by driving up Old San Jose Rd out of downtown Soquel, all the way to the top, turn right onto Summit Rd, and drive a few more miles to an intersection with "Spanish Ranch Rd", you stay left and wind uphill on Mt Bache Rd. You drive maybe 2 more miles and there'll be an obvious spot where you come out "on top" and have a great vista to the north and just a few hundred yards past that is our spot. Here's a close up map of exactly where I want to be for optimum comet viewing, and what the little trail looks like that I want to set up on.

Click on the thumbnail images below to see the full size image.

The Rules for health safety. Everyone wears their mask. No one touches the equipment. I'll have the telescope set so you can just look down into the eyepiece and don't need to touch the scope. I'll bring alcohol and paper towels. If you have your own binoculars, please use those and don't share them. I'll also try to have binoc's on a tripod so you can just look and not have to touch it. It won't track, like the telescope, but when the comet starts to leave the field of view, let me know and I'll re-aim it.

Monday July 20

Our last minute off-the-cuff optional get together near Loma Prieta Peak was good! We had a low turnout. Just one student and friend, and a couple of my own friends. But we had nice views and photos of the comet. There's still time to take a good look yourself. If you live in Santa Cruz, the easiest place to get a view is on Sunlit Lane in Bonny Doon, which looks towards the BD Airport to see the comet in the northwest. I was there last night and there'll be some other comet hunters there. The comet was easy to see without binoculars, although better with. I'll post my pictures here shortly.

Our next Astr 25 lecture will be this Friday and I'll let you know the exact time a little later, as there's possible time conflict for me. But I'd say 7:45pm is probably when we'll do the Zoom session. As always, I'll post to everyone's email so you'll know well ahead.

Friday July 24 7:10pm start

We had our on-line Zoom lecture on the Nature of Comets and the structure of the outer solar system. I invited you all, as I do, by email with a link to the Zoom session. You need to look for our contact updates in your EMAIL, and not on Canvas. I had promised you a talk on stellar evolution, but afterwards I realized that I already HAD a YouTube posted lecture on the evolution of stars. Done! So, we have this BEAUTIFUL comet - Comet NEOWISE - the brightest comet visible in the Northern Hemisphere since Comet Hale Bopp in 1997, 23 years ago! It's in the sky this past week and it's still visible to the naked eye and I wanted to treat that special occasion with the importance and opportunity that it deserved. So, I spend Friday making a PowerPoint specializing on comets and showing many of my images of that Comet, and inviting you during that meeting to join me (optional, only if you wish and you can) to see the comet live, as I journeyed to the Upper Meadow of UCSC where the bike path crosses into Wilder State Park. I did go up there, and got a few pictures of the comet, but the comet has faded quite a bit, and the air was heavy with dew and the moon also added some beauty but also made the comet hard to see. That situation will only get worse. I won't be going up to see the comet again until maybe after full moon, sometime in early August, if it's still worth seeing. But it's getting farther from Earth AND the sun too, now, so is fading very fast. It was only 4th magnitude last night, barely visible to the naked eye at all.

So, our Zoom lecture on Comets is available to you to watch at your leisure. My associated PowerPoint PDF on Comets is also available to look at and page through at your own pace. On your own, I invited you to also look at the longer PDF of the PowerPoint on Asteroids and Comets, and a separate PDF on the Kuiper Belt., and that I had a separate PowerPoint PDF on Other Solar Systems Around Other Stars which has interesting material for you.

I invited you to go out and see the Comet NEOWISE on your own, if at home, and also to try and identify some stars of the evening sky, especially Vega - part of the Summer Triangle - and a star that has a place in the Saturday morning lecture.

Saturday July 25 - 10am start

Saturday morning we transition away from the solar system and out into the stars! I gave a lecture on "The Properties of Stars". In order to understand what stars are and how they work, we need to measure the basic properties (mass, luminosity, size, surface temperature, etc) and use those in the fundamental laws of physics to constrain what stars are really all about, and that was the subject of our lecture. You can review the lecture as a Zoom recording here. Here is the PDF of the PowerPoint I used for this lecture will help you review the material much more quickly, but lecture itself, if I do say so myself, was GREAT! I'm quite happy with how the lecture came off. I hope you enjoy it; it's packed with valuable and interesting information!

At the end, I invited you to then review the next part of the story of stars, which is Stellar Evolution from birth till death. That Stellar Evolution lecture is available on YouTube. By the way, the easy way to find all my videos is go to YouTube and search for the channel "Cabrillo Astro". I will gradually be transferring my Zoom videos to YouTube but that's not done yet. The course is being paved just before we actually arrive at that point! It's a new world we live in, and...well, that's the way it goes.

Saturday July 25 - 6:30pm start

Tonight we begin to transition away from stars and head into The Universe. We talk about the nature of galaxies, the discovery of our Milky Way as a galaxy, how we measure the distances to galaxies, the discovery of the expansion of the universe by Hubble, the realization of the Big Bang origin, then the refinement into the paradigm of Inflation, the discovery of Dark Matter and Dark Energy and the accelerating universe, and finally the Multi-verse and the Nature of Life within that context. We now have a very satisfying physics-consistent paradigm answering most of the Big Questions, although nagging questions within this remain to be clarified. I will record this lecture and have a Zoom link to it afterwards. For now, here are links to PDF's of PowerPoints I've created:

The PDF on The Milky Way,
PDF on Galaxies and Galaxy Evolution,
PDF on Dark Matter,
PDF on Cosmology and the Origin of the Universe, and
PDF on Life in the Universe

I also have my lectures already recorded and ready for you to watch on my Cabrillo Astro channel on YouTube.

YouTube on The Milky Way Galaxy
YouTube on Galaxies and their Evolution
YouTube on Dark Matter: Part 1 and Part 2
YouTubes on Dark Energy, Cosmology, and the Origin of the Universe: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
YouTube video I created on Life in the Universe.

Saturday July 25 9pm - OK I just wrapped up our lecture live on Zoom and its recorded and ready for you. We covered the nature of the Milky Way Galaxy, Galaxies in general, their classification, their evolution, their formation, then the expanding universe and the discovery and confirmation of the Big Bang, the discovery of Dark Matter and how we are ruling out candidates for what the Dark Matter is (we still have some candidates but they are only theoretical possibilities, not particles actually known to really exist! We don't know yet what the Dark Matter is. I hope we solve it before I die!). Then onward to cosmology and the Inflationary Paradigm and confirmation, and a hint of how it connects with our living universe. Those slides are not in the show I just showed (no time to put them in), instead they're in the Cosmology YouTube and powerpoint pdf I linked above.

Sunday July 26 - 10:30am start

This will be our final Zoom lecture meeting. I'll have the content for this posted later. At the end, I'll tell you about how we'll conduct our Final Exam, during part of which I should be available for your questions on Canvas. That last part of our course, the final, will NOT be on Zoom, it'll be in Canvas. Any extra-credit things you have done can help beyond that, but basically doing well on the Final is all you need to get a good grade. You'll have plenty of time, and the full resources of my materials and Google Search to get the answers to whatever you may need. With some patience, there's no reason everyone shouldn't earn an "A", but you'll need to study hard and answer the questions.

Sunday July 26 - 1:50pm

Our final formal lecture is now done, and the recording is ready for you, including captions, on Zoom. Our lecture covered all the aspects of why there's life in our universe, and also a double look at the Drake Equation expressing the number of interstellar communicating civilizations there are in the Milky Way Galaxy. We did the original optimistic looks with a bit of tuning from new data on the frequency of planets, and then a re-analysis using a deeper understanding of what is need for long term stable climate. We did not get to our climate change lecture. It's not finished yet. I am about 2/3 completed with it, and I will record that and post it as well. Our lecture today went all the way to 1pm, so I didn't want to keep people any longer than that.

I'm looking now at how to get my recorded lectures moved from Zoom to YouTube. Not clear how to do that as yet. I also will finish the Climate lecture and post that. Then I'll generate the final exam and post the time when that will be unlocked and ready for you to start on.

Monday July 27 - 5:30pm

I'm making good progress and really happy with what I've put together. And I need a short summarizing bullet-points type climate lecture because I give such to my Astro 3 class, which I'm doing this Fall. And in the past it's always been far too big and long.

However, I'm not done with it yet, and I've got other commitments for now and early evening, so the earliest we might have the climate lecture would be tomorrow night. I'll email again when that firms up. For now - enjoy your Monday evening free!

Tue July 28 - 7:00pm

Starting now our final lecture in Astro 25 - on Earth climate and climate change. See Canvas or your email for the Zoom link.

10:10pm: Our lecture started a bit late as I waited for more students. Our lecture went from 7:14pm to 9:02pm. Here's the recording of my lecture on Earth Climate Change for Astro 25. Climate change is not a particularly happy subject, but it's extremely important. I hope some of you will consider signing up for my Astro 7 course. One advantage of Astro 7 as your science transfer class, is that I am very explicit telling you exactly what questions I ask, and I tell you these during my lectures. I'll now be putting together your final exam and will post it in Canvas when ready. I'll email you all as that gets closer to happening.

Thur July 30 - 9:00pm

OK, your final exam is ready! It's posted now in the 'quizzes' section of our Canvas Astro 25. It's multiple choice, 47 questions, and you have a week to finish it. It's unlocked as of 9:00pm tonight and closes at midnight Aug 6. You can use the web, google, and of course my Presentations for finding the answers. I have a PDF version of my final lecture on Earth Climate and climate change which you'll find very useful. I also added some new slides to make it more complete than was the Zoom lecture, and more self-contained in summarizing the key information from this subject. The Earth Climate Zoom lecture is here, and the PDF of the PowerPoint presentation is here.

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The Original Plan is Below. However we are not going to be able to take this trip - Life can sometimes be Cruel !

Hi Gang. We will hold the field trip at beautiful Indian Creek Reservoir just north of Markleville. I'll provide updated instructions on getting there, maps, etc, a little later, and especially during our pre-trip get together on Thursday eve July 16 6pm to 9:50pm but we'll very likely end earlier, on campus. We've camped there before - in fact my first field class - Astro 28A - way back in 1998 was held here, as was our Summer '19 trip. We should have a good contingent of astronomy club people there as well, to help us. It's got a great view of a dark dark sky, a big lake to enjoy, shouldn't be overcrowded like so many places in the Sierra, and is a nice getaway for doing astronomy and some exploring.

The camping fee will be $10/person which you will pay automatically at registration. Covering meals will be discussed at the pre-trip meeting. I strongly encourage you allow me to, prepare and cook for you, as it helps teach team work and cooperative skills. If you want to get a flavor for what my field astro courses are like, please browse through the Astro 28 pages here.

Here's a link to the Indian Creek Recreation land it is on. And, a google maps link. We're at the Group campsite, which shows on the map at right as the little purple road offshoot just below the "Indian Creek Campground" icon to the left side of the Indian Creek Reservoir. It's about a 4 1/2 hr drive from Cabrillo College. We'll help you get to know your fellow students for carpooling during the on-campus pre-trip meeting. The area has clear horizons, as well as shady pines where many campsites are. It should have great temperatures for late August, being not too high elevation (5,600 ft or so). There's a lake we can enjoy during the day, and we'll also hike during the day to find nice places to talk about planetary science and the universe too, with examples of Earth right around us.

I'll have more information, hardcopy maps, help with carpooling, when I see you at the pre-trip meeting on Thursday July 25 6pm in Cabrillo College room 705.

Schedule:

Thur July 16 6-9:50pm (but we should be done by 8-8:30pm). Room 705 on campus. Pre-trip meeting, logistics, liability waivers signed, pay vouchers, distribute maps, give time for carpool arranging. Lecture on solar system and star formation, planetarium demonstration.

Friday July 24 - Arrive at the Indian Creek group campsite as soon as you can I will be getting there in late afternoon, but no penalty if you get there later. I know some of you have to work. Darkness doesn't start till 8:50 pm, when we'll show you Jupiter, and Saturn, which are are all perfectly placed in the evening sky. Then explore the star clusters, nebulae, and other denizens of the Summer Milky Way

Saturday July 25 - 8am: We start with my famous French Crepes breakfast. After breakfast and clean up, we'll take a hike and explain the physical processes that shape planets, with the Sierra to help as an example on our own planet. We'll pause at various locations on our hike and give "micro-lectures" on the evolution of the planets and why the inner planets differ so much in their features. After breakfast, we'll pack daypacks with lunch and drive a few miles to the trail head.

There, I'll be giving a handout which describes the heat and cooling rates of planets, how plates and volcanics differ between the inner planets, and other aspects of planetary morphology relating to heat of formation and cooling rates; for the moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. I'll be giving micro lectures at strategic rest stops on our ~4 mile hike to/from a waterfall.

Saturday late afternoon - a bit of rest time, and free time for swimming in Indian Creek Reservoir, right below our camp. The water's delightful, by my memory. If you want to hike more, there's a trail from the campground to Summit Lake.

Saturday evening - 5pm Dinner (my special Asia Rice recipe, with fresh veges and spices, and salad) and astro conversation

Saturday evening - 8pm till midnight; telescope explorations and lectures on stellar evolution, with examples in the night sky. Binary stars, black holes, and then galaxies, galaxy evolution, our own Milky Way as seen from the inside, and campfire lecture on cosmology and the origin of the Universe. We'll have monster telescopes up to 25" in diameter from a panoramic vista near Curtz Lake to examine the summer Milky Way and galaxies of the Spring sky.

July 26 - Sunday morning - 8am breakfast of home made gourmet granola, with lots of nuts and yummy cocoanut oils and sunflower seeds. Lecture on the sun, a short hike to the lake for a final talk on cosmology, return to camp, distrubute take-home final exams, Bid farewell by noon.

Aug 8 - Saturday 7-8pm : optional meeting; we'll discuss at pre-trip meeting, Instead, just come to campus by or before this time and deposit your take-home written exam (or snailmail, do NOT email it to me!) at room 706a - leave in the envelope outside my office door, or snail-mail it to me.

Instructor Office Hours: (always reliable to reach me by email as well, see my Salsa page)
Thursday July 16 4-6pm in room 706
Thursday July 23 3-5pm at the Observatory
Saturday Aug 8 5-7pm in room 706

Directions:

The drive to our campsite is 230 miles, and about 4 hr 30 minute drive time from Cabrillo. Take Hwy 17 up Livermore, east on I-580 to Stockton, then offramp to Hwy 88, and stay on 88 till near Jackson and Hwy 49, north a little dogleg to get onto Hwy 104 up to Kirkwood Ski Area and onward over the pass to Hwy 89 at Woofords, south a few miles to the funky road to the airport and there you are, on our little map to the Indian Creek Reservoir. The maps showing our route are here, and will be given to you as printed sheets at our pre-trip meeting June 18.. Map1, Map2, Map3, IndianCrk Map

Study Materials, Final Exam

* Textbook is "The Cosmic Perspective" by Bennett et al. If you want to buy, get it from a cheap textbook outlet online. Don't pay $100 full price! Any edition will do. Or, just use the web since your exam will be take-home and you'll have over a week to do it. Google is great for finding answers! Your final exam will be handed out at the end of the camping lectures, on Sunday at noon or so. Please read the instructions and make sure you print by computer your essay question responses, and staple those to the hardcopy of the final, with your multiple choice answers circled.!

Grading

Your course grade will be determined by your active participation work ethic, curiosity, any lab exercises and question sessions at the telescopes, demonstrated at each of the meetings and lectures during our hikes (35%) and then by the quality of your final exam (65%). Your scores for these will be placed on the following scale:
85%+.................. A
75%-85% .......... B
65%-75%........... C
55%-65%........... D
less than 55%.... F

If you want to take the class "Pass/No Pass", that's fine. The new rules of the college say that you have to initiate that yourself, in WebAdvisor, before the deadline, which is before the weekend field trip. "The Computer", that runs our lives, likely will not accept my attempt to over-write and give you a P/NP at submission of grades time, like in the past. Likewise, it is the student's responsibility to W from the class before the weekend trip. If you ask me to I can try to W you myself, but that doesn't change the fact that ultimately it is your responsibility to make sure it is done before the deadline. It is not the responsibility of the instructor.

* In-Class PowerPoint

* Camping checklist

Students with disabilities:
Students needing accommodations should inform the instructor. As required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accommodations are provided to insure equal access for students with verified disabilities. To determine if you qualify or need assistance with an accommodation, please contact ACCESSIBILITY SUPPORT CENTER (Formerly DSPS), Room 1073, (831) 479-6379.