Please stand by for last minute
notices on changes to the class rules and schedule as required by ASU. The AST
111 Labs in Fall 2025 are in person. Zoom may be used for some of our office
hours, as indicated on the Contacts page.
Course Overview: This Lab will familiarize you with basic concepts of
astronomical observations: the night sky, the Moon, solar system planets and
extrasolar planets.
Learning Outcomes: Understand and be able to use basic concepts of astronomical
observations, the night sky, its constellations and their daily and seasonal
motion, astronomical telescopes, and develop a basic understanding of the Moon,
Mars, and planets in the outer solar system, as well as nearby exoplanets.
There are 4 types of lab exercises to be done:
Naked-eye based,
Telescope-based,
Computer/Instrument-based, and
Planetary data based. You
will meet on the SAME day every week. Please check the Schedule button on the
left for the room where your section will meet each week, whether your section will start at 3:30 or 7:30 pm in any
given week. This schedule is TENTATIVE, since both the
room number, the starting time and the Lab assigned to your section each week
schedule may change throughout the semester, depending on weather and TA
schedules. Attendance will be taken at the start of each Lab section, so please
arrive on time.
There is no lab manual to purchase for this course. Click on Syllabus to see the
simple items you will need to buy for this Lab. Click on Schedule to see
which Labs exercises you will do each week. You are
expected to download these Lab Scripts each week, print them out, and bring a
paper copy to class to do the exercise. Click on
Contacts to get in touch with your TA if you have questions.
There are several requirements for this class: you need to make sure you
have web access - the University has provided ample access to computers across
campus and throughout the residence halls to print your Labs. Second, you need
to check your ASU email address regularly (daily), since this is the primary
mechanism that your TA will use to contact you. (Canvas cannot send Emails to
non-ASU Email addresses). If you have a problem with these policies, you need
to see the Instructor for the class: Prof. Rogier Windhorst (see Contacts page).