Hipgal is a PC program for extracting data from the Hipparcos Catalogue.

• A zipped archive (~4.5 MB) with files for installing hipgal is found here (extract and run setup.exe).

• A brief manual to the program is found here.

• Information (in Swedish) about the availability of MATLAB for students at Lund University

• MATLAB tutorial

Project descriptions:
P1 - Oort's constants - to be handed in by Tuesday, 29 November 2011
P2 - The motion of nearby stars and the LSR - to be handed in by Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Either, P3 - Galactic orbits - to be handed in by Friday, 23 December 2011
[Space velocities for 2086 stars in the solar neighbourhood can be found here.
Format: one line per star with Hip#, u, v, w [km/s] relative to the Sun.]
Or, P4 - The local mass density - to be handed in by Friday, 23 December 2011

Examination:
In order to pass the course, you have to pass the home exam (see below) and hand in acceptable reports for P1, P2 and either P3 or P4. This is how the grading is done:
- Each of the problems (P1-P4) as well as the exam (E) is graded on a scale from 0 to 100%
- The mean grade is calculated as M = 2(P1+P2+(P3 or P4))/9 + E/3.
- You have failed if any of P1, P2, P3 or P4, or E is <50 (but see below how you can still pass).
- Otherwise, you get a "Pass" (Godkänd) if M<75 or a "Pass with Distinction" (Väl godkänd) if M is at least 75.
- As long as you have failed, you are entitled to hand in improved versions of the failed reports, or re-do a failed home exam once.
- If you are close to receiving a "Pass with Distinction", you may also be allowed to improve the reports.

Home exam:
- A set of questions was published here on 13 December, 2011.
The answers should be handed in or sent by e-mail to mbd@astro.lu.se before the end of Friday 23 December 2011.

Melvyn B. Davies (046-22 21568), mbd@astro.lu.se

Anders Johansen (046-22 21589), anders@astro.lu.se

Lennart Lindegren (046-22 27309), lennart@astro.lu.se

Bjorn Samuelsson (046-22 23494), bjorn.samuelsson@thep.lu.se