The final exam will be held on Wednesday,
19 October 2022 at 12.00 in M203
(Day, time, and place are confirmed).

Questions for the exam: [PDF]

765640S

Observational Astronomy

an advanced course (5 credits)

at the Space Physics and Astronomy research unit, University of Oulu

The course period August 30 – October 13, 2022.

Lectures take place usually on Tuesday and Wednesday at 12-14,

exercises and practical sessions on Thursday at 12-14, see Peppi for detail.

The course is lectured in English

Teacher: Vitaly Neustroev, MA 308, vitaly[-at-]neustroev.net

Course content:

  • Methods of Observations with modern Space- and Ground- based Telescopes
  • Observational Techniques in Gamma, X-ray, UV, Optical and Infra-Red astronomy
  • Observational Experiments, Calibrations And Data Reductions
  • Data Analysis

Theoretical and practical considerations will be supplemented with the home exercises which constitute the important part of the course.

Literature:

  • All the slides from the course (~28 Mb) [Slide 382 corrected on 13.10.2022].
  • Astrophysical techniques (5th Edition – 2008) – C.R. Kitchen: Taylor & Francis / CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4200-8243-2.
  • Observational Astrophysics (3rd Edition – 2012) – P. Léna, D. Rouan, F. Lebrun, F. Mignard, D. Pelat, Translated by S. Lyle: Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-21815-6.

    • Can be useful:

  • An Introduction to Astronomical Photometry Using CCDs (October 22, 2006) – W. Romanishin: the latest version of this book can be downloaded from here
  • ISSI Scientific Report Volume 9 (SR-009): Observing Photons in Space (2010) – Edited by M.C.E. Huber, A. Pauluhn, J. Len Culhane, J. G. Timothy, K. Wilhelm and A. Zehnder. ISBN 978-92-9221-938-3.
  • Observational Astronomy (Second Edition – 2006) – D. Scott Birney, Guillermo Gonzalez & David Oesper: Cambridge Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85370-5.

Practical manuals:

  • An Introduction to Astronomical Photometry Using CCDs (October 22, 2006) – W. Romanishin: the latest version of this book can be downloaded from here
  • IRAF-1 by S. Larsen
  • IRAF-2 by T. Coenen and Y. Grange
  • Spectral Reduction Procedures by Mike Bolte

    • Schedule

    • Lecture 1: August 30: Introduction (Seeing the Night Sky with Our Naked Eyes, Viewing objects in wavebands other than optical, The Effect of the Earth’s Atmosphere), Continuum Radiation Processes (Electromagnetic radiation from Radio to Gamma-Ray wavelengths, Blackbody radiation, Multi-Wavelength Observations), Eye as a detector.

      PDF

    • Lecture 2: August 31: Telescopes (Historical introduction, General principles, Diffraction and Spatial resolution, Aberrations in reflecting telescopes, Optical configuration, Telescope configurations, Optical Telescopes, Segmented mirror telescopes, New large telescopes, Problems of Extremely large telescopes, Radio, Infra-Red and UV Telescopes, James Webb Space Telescope).

      PDF * Homework: see slide 127 (deadline September 6)

    • Lecture 3: September 6: X-ray and Gamma-ray telescopes.

      PDF

    • Lecture 4: September 7: Telescopes (Adaptive Optics)

      PDF

    • Self-study: Introduction to Statistics: PDF
    • Lecture 5: September 8: Detectors (Detector Parameters, Types of Detectors, The primary interaction processes, Photographic emulsions, Photomultipliers, Micro-Channel Plates, CCDs)

      PDF * Compulsory problems [set1] (return by September 14).

    • Lecture 6: September 13: X-ray Detectors (Proportional Counters, CCDs, Microchannel plates), Gamma Ray detectors (Scintillation crystals, Compton Scattering detectors, Pair production detectors, Solid state CZT detectors, Coded mask imaging, Air Čerenkov detectors)

      PDF

    • Lecture 7: September 14: Infrared detectors. Physical limitations on the precision of photometric measurements.

      PDF * Compulsory problems [set 2] (return by September 20)

    • Lecture 8: September 15: Methods of Observations, CCD Imaging, Image processing.

      PDF

    • Lecture 9: September 20: Methods of Observations: Photometry (Magnitudes, Photometric Systems)

      PDF [Slide 382 corrected on 13.10.2022]

    • Short Lecture 10: September 21: Photometry (Colour indices, Units)

      PDF

    • Exercise session: September 22
    • Lecture 11 (self-study): September 27: Practical Photometry (Aperture photometry, SNR, Aperture Correction, Profile Fitting)

      PDF

    • Lecture 12: September 28: Procedures for photometry (Instrumental magnitudes, Calibration, Atmospheric absorption). CCD Gain.

      PDF * Compulsory problems [set 3] (return by October 4)

    • Exercise session: September 29
    • October 4: No lecture:
    • October 5: No lecture:
    • Exercise session: October 6
    • Lecture 13: October 11: Spectroscopic techniques. Practical spectroscopy.

      PDF

    • Lecture 14: October 12: Spectroscopic techniques. Calibration.

      PDF

    • Exercise session: October 13 –> Data page

    Compulsory problems (return by the deadline). 3 sets (30% of the final score).

    The final exam will be held on Wednesday, 19 October 2022 at 12.00 in M203 (Day, time, and place are confirmed).
    Questions for the exam: [PDF]