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Thursday 13 January 2011

SXR208: Observing the Universe

Its the last year for many residential courses in the science faculty. Something we'll all miss badly.
So I've always wanted to go on this course, and this year I'm not doing too many other courses, so as it is the last year, I'm grabbing it.

It's a week in Majorca, at an observatory, sleeping by day, doing astronomy by night. The first set of materials have arrived which includes the course book, a PT3 form, and an introductory booklet telling you what you need and advice on how to get there. You have to get your own flights, but hotel is included, as is the bus to the observatory.

The book covers lots of things, from basic telescopes, to equations used in astronomy, use of CCD sensors and how they are applied. Also things like teamwork, working out sources of errors, graphs and a few other bits and pieces.

I'm due there in March, and am quite excited about the whole thing. There is the book to read, some coursework to do beforehand, and a write up to do after. Although Majorca is more or less in the same time zone, I'm expecting jet lag from the shift in daily routine!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi there!
Even though I study social sciences for more than 6 years now, I guess this course has to be the most fascinating out of all OU courses. I've been to the island before as a tourist and I'm sure you're gonna have a good time.
Unfortunately my background knowledge on the subject is based on occasional visits to my local observatory (www.planetarium-bochum.de) and star gaze nights in my back yard.
So if you do this trip it would be great if you report in detail with lots of pictures.
Have fun on your trip & best regards from Germany
Lennard