Department of Physics

10ΕΚ112 Observational Techniques and Data Analysis in Astrophysics (postgraduate)

Course Webpage: https://eclass.uoa.gr/courses/PHYS194

Course Content

• Radiation detectors. Practical issues of astronomical observations. Methods of astronomical observation.
• Attenuation of stellar radiation. Reduction and processing of astronomical observations (in optical wavelengths).
• Observational calculations. Photometry with CCD. Photometry in the infrared. Applications in astronomical photometry.
• Astronomical spectroscopy. Light dispersion optical instruments. Categories of astronomical spectrographs. Construction and characteristics of astronomical spectrometers. Spectrum calibration. Spectral classification. Astronomical spectroscopy applications. Processing of spectroscopic observations.
• Methods of analysis in other regions of the EM spectrum (infrared, X-rays, radio waves). Other observation techniques: Astrometry, polarimetry, solar observations, magnetograms, magnetic field measurements.
• Astrostatistics. Modern astronomical databases: Data-mining, virtual observatories, astronomical data archives.
• Practical exercise: Photometric and spectroscopic data processing with the astronomical software IRAF.