Description of the Spring '22 version for our Course
This fun 1- unit weekend adventure will take us to Laguna Mtn Recreation area about 25 miles south of Pinnacles National Park for Friday night and Saturday, where we'll hike to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole, stopping along the way for numerous short "micro-lectures" on a variety of topics in planetary astronomy, on stars, galaxies, and the birth of the Universe, and a special lecture on the bizarre nature of the first interstellar visitor to our solar system - Oumuamua. We'll study the stars from the dark skies of Laguna Mtn BLM campground with our telescopes and binoculars, and do some astrophotography as well. Then, early Sunday morning, we'll drive to Pinnacles National Park and hike to the reservoir through the famous caves, with more micro-lectures on topics in astronomy. At the end, I'll have an exam for you on Canvas, which - along with participation - will be most of your grade.
The course is a 1 unit course which will transfer to CSU as a science elective, but not to UC, nor will it satisfy GE transfer requirements as a lab class. It's really a short term lecture / demo class in a dark sky location, and is pretty unique in the Community College system. Enjoy!
We won't need to meet after the end of the weekend field trip, unless you'd like to contact me for something, of course. You'll be doing your exam in Canvas. I needed to set the late ending of the class to give time to grade your exams and submit your grades. Your committment to the course is really concentrated into a single weekend; Friday afternoon till Sunday afternoon Apr 1-3, and then your own time to do the on-line exam work. I'll be driving the college van for our college telescopes and equipment, but not permitted to be transporting students - sorry! However, once we're at Pinnacles we may be able to pack some students into the van for getting closer to the hiking trail. No promises at this time... We will more likely be forced to use the free shuttle from the camp store up to the Visitor's Center in Bear Gulch. That's a very quick summary. First, you'll have to show proof of CoVid vaccination to the college before enrolling, and we'll have to do some safety measures when we're there on the trip.
Pre-Trip Meeting: Thur Mar 17 6pm. Nominally set for on Zoom (See Canvas for the Recording of our Zoom session)
What do we do at the pre-trip? Normally we have you meet each other and set up carpools. That's a confused area at this point. Nominally you're only supposed to carpool with those in your house. However, since those rules, mask mandates have been relaxed on the wider level. More on that issue soon. Also at the pre-trip, we need you to sign liability waivers. And I'll pass out maps so you know where to go on Friday night. If we decide you want to meet on campus, we can then also go down to the planetarium and I can have a brief showing of the movements of the sky, and the constellations you may enjoy learning.
Check your Canvas announcement emails for when I have the liability waivers ready for you to stop by on campus and sign them, and pick up a map packet. Likely not until Monday after Spring BreakOur zoom pre-trip meeting was recorded and is linked in Canvas. Here is the PowerPoint we viewed during the lecture: Star and Solar System Formation, and Other Solar Systems around Other Stars.
Supplementary learning materials
Our prime camping for Friday night and Saturday night, will be south of Pinnacles, at Laguna Mountain Recreation area, migrating up to Pinnacles National Park on Sunday for a Bear Gulch caves hike up to the Reservoir. You'll see why I'm preferring to camp at Mt Laguna from these wonderful web pages...
Mt. Laguna Astrophoto trip and waterfall hike - May 2017
Here are photo pages from prior Astro 27 trips. Prior to 2016, we camped exclusively at Pinnacles and did the course in conjunction with Geology 27. However, since the park became a National Park, it's a total zoo and not so conducive to quiet dark nights under the stars. It's also outrageously expensive for camping or even normal entry ($30). I will try to get educational waivers for our group, in that regard.