ASTR 136C Advanced Astronomy Lab: Stellar Photometry

Uses archival data from the Hubble Space Telescope to create a color-magnitude diagram for a star cluster. Examines techniques for measuring and calibrating photometry and estimating the uncertainties on the measurements. Students identify the major features of the color-magnitude diagram, the corresponding stages of stellar evolution and what information can be learned about the age and distance of the cluster. Course is part of the ASTR 136 collection of 2-credit advanced labs and meets over a three-week period. The lab involves all archival data, there is no nighttime observing component.