ERTH-102 ASTRONOMY LAB CLASS:
 
REQUIRED ATTENDANCE FIRST WEEK:
Any student who is not in attendance the first week of lab will be dropped to make room for others trying to add.  Do not miss the first week of lab class.

OFF SITE LOCATION:
The lab is held off campus at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (near the Santa Barbara Mission a few miles north of SBCC).  Bus service is limited (available for the afternoon sessions and for getting to the museum, but not available at 10 pm when class is over).  Here are directions:
http://www.fieldstudy.com/Classes/Earth102Lab/PlanetariumDirections.htm

LAB FLIP-FLOP SCHEDULE:
For students enrolling in the ERTH-102 Lab Class, please note that the Monday section and Tuesday section have a "flip-flop" schedule.  It's not as shown in the class schedule.  The class meets 4-7 pm one week, then 7-10 pm the following week, then back to 4-7 pm, then 7-10 pm, and you continue to switch every week.  See further below for more detailed information on this.

FOR STUDENTS TRYING TO ADD:

The ERTH-102 Astronomy Lab is highly impacted and fills quickly.  We are limited due to space and equipment.  The best way to add is to grab a spot as it opens up on Pipeline as students switch their schedule around, however, you have to check back often to catch a spot (and you can only do this before the first week of classes).  You can try showing up the night of class to add, but that can be difficult too.  It is easiest to add the M and/or Tu sections.  The W and/or Th sections are very difficult to get into. We often have 30 people trying to add the first night and perhaps one or two spots opening up at the most.  The M and/or Tu labs involve two sections (so twice as many people), so you have a better chance of getting in.  Come to lab early on the night you wish to add.  For the first week of classes, the W section and Th section of lab will meet at 7 pm, the M section and Tu section of lab will meet at 4 pm.  Again, it's important that you come early if you are trying to add.  After the first week of lab, the M section and Tu section of lab will follow a flip-flop schedule as described below.
 
FOR STUDENTS TRYING TO SWITCH SECTIONS :
If you are currently enrolled in an ERTH-102 Astronomy Lab section, but wish to switch to another section, you must first drop the section you are in.  You will not be placed on the add list until you have dropped your original section.  This avoids the unfortunate situation of having a lab spot taken up by a student who then switches, thus displacing another student who desperately may have needed that spot.  There are no exceptions to this rule.  Please, note, though, that after dropping, it may be very difficult to add into another lab.

Here is additional important information regarding these labs.

OBJECTIVES:
Stars and constellations, celestial terms and motions, celestial coordinate systems, setup and use of telescopes.

LAB FOLDER:
Lab will meet the first week of classes.  You do not need to purchase anything for the first week of class.  Instructions will be given for purchasing the required lab folder card available with the cashier at the SBCC bookstore (not available with the textbooks).  Check with the cashier to purchase this card.
 

BUS TRANSPORTATION:
Due to the off-site location, bus transportation is limited.  Students usually can find a bus to get to lab, but there is no bus for the late dismissal times.  Often, students can find someone from lab who is heading in their direction for a lift.  I can make an announcement to help facilitate this, but be sure to let me know before we dismiss (or there will be no one left to ask...).

MON/TU FLIP FLOP LAB MEETING SCHEDULE:
Labs meet once a week, either on a Mon or on a Tue, depending on your section.  There are four sections of lab offered, each meets once a week on the night indicated.  The class meeting times for the Mon section and Tue section of the ERTH-102 lab class are not as shown in the class schedule (4 - 5:15 and 7 - 8:15 posted times).  The class will actually meet 4 - 7:05 pm one week, then switch to 7 - 10:05 pm the next week, then back to 4 - 7:05 pm the following week, then 7-10:05, etc.  It's a bit different, but it's the only way to do telescope observing in the evenings since we have two sections that meet every other week in the daytime.  We are unable to input this flip flop time frame into the schedule, so that's why we currently list the wrong times (has to add up to three hours and also block off the two time slots) to avoid schedule conflicts.

WED/THRS LABS:

Labs meet once a week, either on a Wed or on a Thrs, depending on your section.  The Wed lab section and Thrs lab section meet once a week 7-10 pm (which means greater telescope observing opportunities), but the Mon lab section and Tu lab section alternate between an afternoon and an evening time slot.  There are less telescope observing opportunities, but this can work better for those who would prefer to be done earlier in the evening (at least for half the time).

LAB TRANSFERABILITY:
The ERTH-102 Astronomy lab is not required for students who are enrolled in the ERTH-101 Astronomy lecture.  Without the lab, the lecture transfers as a science "without" a lab.  With the lab, the class transfers as a science "with" a lab.  You do not need to take the lab the same semester you take the lecture.  Taking the lab any future semester will work for transferability.