Admission requirements
Astronomy bachelor's courses Introduction to Astrophysics and Programming NA.
Description
In this course you will perform astronomical measurements including observations, to study relevant physical processes. You will learn how to process astronomical data and how to calculate uncertainties. Subsequently, you will tackle realistic astronomical problems, using your programming knowledge and experience from the first semester of the Astronomy bachelor’s programme. You will gain hands-on experience in the practice of handling telescopes and performing astronomical observations during a visit to the Artis Planetarium in Amsterdam and working at the Old Observatory in Leiden. Based on data experiments you will write research reports about astronomical subjects covered in the first semester. For this course, it is important to organise your activities outside the classical sessions well. And in addition to collaborating in data processing, you also learn how to write a scientific report.
The course covers the following themes:
Error analysis and calculating measurement errors
Selecting astronomical data from digital files
Evaluating simple rules and relations in measurement data
Writing a report according to scientific standards
Working with photometric, astrometric and spectroscopic data
Course objectives
After this course, you can process astronomical measurement data within the context of astrophysical laws as introduced in the Introduction to Astrophysics course. For that, you will apply a correct error analysis and report all this in a scientific report.
After this course, you will be able to:
Compose compact Python code for scientific analysis
Perform linear least squares method and derived methods
Select and combine astronomical samples
Construct simple astronomical charts
Reference scientific literature
Apply distance modulus
Construct a color-magnitude plot
Perform and process astronomical CCD observations
Identify spectral lines and measure Doppler shifts
In this course, you are trained in the following soft skills:
Planning your work well in advance
Knowing when and where to ask for help
Collaborating with other students and to complement each other within a team
Writing based on facts
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
Instruction sessions
Clinics
Observation nights and afternoons
Assessment method
Written reports. The final grade is a weighted average of the experiment reports. Reports assessed as ‘insufficient’ can be improved and handed in again; these will be assessed with a maximum grade of 6.0. Further details can be found on Brightspace
Reading list
Background texts and instructions will be made available via Brightspace.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Lecturer: Dr. A. (Ana) Monreal Ibero
Remarks
Please note that this course is in English
In addition to the lectures planned in the schedule, availability on fixed observation nights in the period around February-April is essential. Depending on weather conditions all students perform observations in small groups during one or two nights and one or two afternoons/evenings in this period, between 17.30 and 21.30 hrs.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.