- Docente: Paola Focardi
- Credits: 6
- SSD: FIS/05
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Astronomy (cod. 8004)
Learning outcomes
To become acquainted with basic and fundamental knowledge concerning astronomical data acquisition, handling and reduction.
Course contents
Basics of photometry: definition of apparent and absolute magnitude, photometric systems and color indexes.
How to measure the magnitude and estimate the error.
Basics of the CCD.
Standard reduction of CCD images. Aperture photometry. Atmospheric absorption: air mass definition and Bouger method to estimate extinction coefficient in different photometric bands. The B band problem (two extinction coefficients).
Magnitude photometric calibration: the method and the errors.
How a spectroscope works, basics of prism and diffraction grating. The slit effect. Slitless spectroscopy, single and multislit spectroscopy, multifiber spectroscopy.
From the 2D spectra to the 1D spectra: extraction, wavelength calibration and spectrophotometric calibration. Ahtmosperic absorption effects on spectra.
Readings/Bibliography
Howell S.B.: Handbook of CCD Astronomy, Cambridge Univ. Press.
All the lecture slides which will be available in pdf format.
Teaching methods
The theoretical part of the course is limited to essential and any times a new concept is introduced several problems dealing with it are proposed, discussed and solved together.
Large part of the course is devoted to the use of some tasks of IRAF, the well known and largely used software for astronomical data reduction and analysis. This allows students to acquire some experience on data reduction and to understand how it works in practice.
Assessment methods
The examination is oral and lasts, on average, from 40 to 60 minutes. Students willing to do it may choose a subject, on which half of the exam will be based. In this case the remaining half of the exam will consist in one or two questions (or exercises) concerning subjects which have been taught in the course.
Teaching tools
Video Projector and PC.
Office hours
See the website of Paola Focardi