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!

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