EXTRA CREDIT

Extra credit, up to a maximum of 16 points, could raise your grade. It can be earned by any of the following activities:



	1.	Research papers	        	6. Mathematical exercises
	2.	Book reports	              	5. Field trips
	3.	Observation projects
6. On-line exercises:

Crystal (10 pts)

Valles Marineris - Skydiving on Mars (16 pts)

You must include the correct cliff height calculation and copies of the PDS image file and viewer to receive credit for Valles Marineris or Crystal.

Note: on-line submission directly from the exercise will not work at this time. Copy/paste report (Ctrl+C) to a word processor or neatly write calculations by hand and submit hard copy, along with attached cliff image and PDS viewer. You must show all calculations, with units. Use "Choose from a list of feature names". The image-maps no longer work.

No collaboration is allowed on these exercises: they must be performed independently. Reports with identical numbers and calculation-styles, obvious copies, will all receive zero points or worse!

Note: You may submit either Valles Marineris or Crystal, not both. Ask for password.

Use the Internet as your information source for a research paper.

Any activity in which you learn about astronomy may qualify for extra credit.

The amount of extra credit points granted is proportional to how much you have learned by your activity. If you can relate your own specialty or interests (art, history, etc.) to astronomy, great! Papers must cite several references and should include your own thoughts (indicated as such) about the subject, perhaps noting conflicts between what the various references stated. Minimum length is 800 words.

Some field trips which you can undertake for a definite amount of extra credit without the need for my approval are listed below. These yield considerable credit without taking too much time and can enhance your understanding of the course. Previous students have found them to be a great deal of fun.

*See temporary Satellite Facility * GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY (Griffith Park, Los Angeles)

You will especially enjoy and benefit from a visit to this famous landmark. You should look at all the exhibits throughout the hall, and then see a planetarium show (Laserium does not count but you may want to see this light show as while you are there.)

Get the lecturer's signature and give me your written impressions. (3 pages of writing, 800+ words is sufficient) on 5 or more exhibits and the adult show. This is worth 10 points. They have a telescope open to the public at night. Call (213) 664-1191 to obtain a schedule of shows.

REUBEN H. FLEET SPACE THEATER & SCIENCE CENTER (Balboa Park, San Diego).

You can also receive 10 points for writing three pages of your impressions of both the exhibits and planetarium show/omnimax movie that you will see there. There is no live lecturer, so you do not need a signature. Their shows are of a completely different style than Griffith's. Call (619) 238-1233 for information. CAUTION: not all shows relate to astronomy, so check ahead for topic(s).

200-inch HALE TELESCOPE AND GREENWAY MUSEUM (Palomar Mountain)

This famous research observatory is inland from Oceanside (better bring a map) and is worth 10 points. You will be able to see the world's second largest telescope through the glass panels of the visitor's gallery and study photography taken with the telescope in the small, nearby museum (photos are for sale in the gift shop as well as at Griffith and Fleet).

The grounds are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. everyday but be advised that it is about a 5-hour round trip, and you cannot look through the telescope or explore the area beyond the visitor's gallery. It is not primarily an educational institution, but simply a chance to see where astronomers work.

Give me your written impressions (800+ Words).


Here is a list of suggested-only books that students have found to be very informative and interesting: 6 points

 
a.	A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking
b.	The Watershed, by Arthur Koestler (may be found alone or included in a more complete work called The Sleepwalkers)
c.	Relativity and Cosmology, by William Kaufmann III
d.	The Universe and Dr. Einstein, by Lincoln Barnett
e.	Stonehenge Decoded, by Gerald Hawkins
f.	Three papers of your choice from Frontiers in Astronomy, by Owen Gingerich (Ed.)
g.	Relativity for the Million, by Martin Gardner
h.	A Star Called the Sun, by George Bamow
i.	Red Giants and White Dwarfs, by Robert Jastrow
j.	Mars, The Abode of Life, by Percival Lowell
k.	The Realm of the Nebulae, by Edwin Hubble
l.	Cosmic Connection, by Carl Sagan
m.    	Worlds in Collision, by Immanuel Velikovske
n.	The Stars and Serendipity, by Robert S. Richardson
o.	The Ambidextrous Universe, by Martin Gardner
p.	Flatland, by Edwin Abbott
q.	Quasars, Pulsars & Black Holes, by Frederic Golden
r.	 Black Holes, Quasars and the Universe, by Harry Shipman
s.	Einstein's Universe, by Nigel Calder
t.	The Comet is Coming, by Nigel Calder
u.	Beyond the Blue Horizon, by E. Krupp
v.	Most other books on the subject of astronomy

To complete the assignment, the book must be read 
and a book review must be written.  The review must cover:  (3–4 pages)

	1.	The important features of the book and
	2.	Your impressions of  the book.