| Professor Cain | Office: Dana 142 |
Dana 146 |
Lecture: 1:30 – 2:20, MWF
Text: Universe: Stars and Galaxies, 3rd Edition – Roger A. Freedman and William J. Kaufmann, III
Over the course of this semester we will delve into the science of astronomy. The course will cover a wide range of material in an introductory way. The overall goal is for you to leave the course with an appreciation of astronomers as scientists: how they think, what they know, and how they know it.
Astronomy relies heavily on physics and mathematics, and we will use both in developing our ideas. You will need a pocket calculator capable of doing trig functions and logarithms. This semester we will concentrate on 1) the basic physics which we need to understand astronomy, 2) stellar astronomy, and 3) cosmology, and will leave the study of the constellations, planets, and other topics to your own interests. We will do telescope observing only as time and weather allow.
The daily assignments below show where we will most likely be - you should read the assignment before coming to class. The ideas we will discuss in class will focus on the more difficult aspects of astronomy and will provide the structure for better understanding of the other topics. These lectures build on your reading of the text and on each other from day to day and you must keep up in order to see the beauty and coherence of our subject. The best way to get help is to ask for it; questions are always welcome. We will have brief quizzes at the beginning of some classes to make sure you are doing the reading and keeping up. I will also be available after every class to answer questions that may have occurred to you. Office hours will be determined by your schedules. This course is a joint effort among all of us. I will expect you to work hard to get the most out of the course, just as I expect myself to work hard to enable this happen.
You will have a number of homework assignments, as described on the separate sheet that will be distributed. The three reviews will cover the material from the text, from the lectures and from the homework. All of these activities are governed by the Honor Code.
Because the material builds from day to day, class attendance is essential. The cut limit for the course is 8 (20% of the classes). Any cuts beyond that will result in an F for the course. Sign in for yourself on the sheet every day that you are present. The Honor Code governs this as well.
Grading:
Reviews 40%
Quizzes/Homework 35%
Final exam (cumulative) 25%
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Date |
Class Assignment |
Chapter |
What’s in the Sky |
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(18th) Moon at apogee (404,618 km) |
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(20th) First Quarter Moon, 7:54 p.m. |
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(21st) Jupiter 6º N of Moon |
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Aug. 27 |
Introduction, The Sky |
1 |
(28th) Full Moon, 6:35 a.m. |
|
29 |
The Sky |
1 |
(28th) TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON |
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31 |
The Sky |
2 |
(30th) Moon at perigee (364,171 km) |
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Sep. 03 |
The Sky |
2 |
Last Quarter Moon , 10:32 p.m. |
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05 |
The Sky |
3 |
(4th) Mars 6º S of Moon |
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07 |
Early Observers |
4 |
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(8th) Venus 9º S of Moon |
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Sep. 10 |
Copernicus, Brahe |
4 |
Saturn 0.8º N of Moon |
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12 |
Kepler, Galileo |
4 |
(11th) New Moon, 8:44 a.m. |
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14 |
Newton |
4 |
(13th) Mercury 2º N of Moon |
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(15th) Moon at apogee (405,642 km) |
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Sep. 17 |
Newton’s Laws |
4 |
(18th) Jupiter 6º N of Moon |
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19 |
Newton’s Laws |
4 |
First Quarter Moon , 12:48 p.m. |
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21 |
Light |
5 |
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(23rd) Autumnal Equinox, 5:51 a.m. |
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Sep. 24 |
Light |
5 |
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26 |
Review #1 (Chap. 1-4) |
Full Moon , 3:45 p.m. |
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|
28 |
Light |
5 |
(27th) Moon at perigee (359,419 km) |
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Oct. 01 |
Light |
5 |
(2nd) Mars ºS of Moon |
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03 |
Light |
5 |
Last Quarter Moon , 6:06 a.m. |
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05 |
No Class |
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(6th) Venus 3º S of Moon |
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Oct. 08 |
The Sun |
16 |
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10 |
The Sun |
16 |
(11th) New Moon, 1:01 a.m. |
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12 |
The Sun |
16 |
Mercury 1.3º N of Moon |
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(13th) Moon at apogee (406,492 km) |
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Oct. 15 |
No class – Fall Break |
Venus 3º S of Saturn |
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|
17 |
The Sun |
16 |
(16th) Jupiter 5º N of Moon |
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19 |
Stars |
17 |
First Quarter Moon , 4:33 a.m. |
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Oct. 22 |
Stars |
17 |
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24 |
Stars |
17 |
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26 |
Stars |
17 |
Full Moon , 12:52 a.m. (Largest in 2007); Moon at perigee (356,753 km) |
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Oct. 29 |
Stars |
17 |
(30th) Mars 3º S of Moon |
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31 |
Stars |
17 |
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Nov. 02 |
Review #2 (Chap. 5, 16, 17) |
(1st) Last Quarter Moon, 5:18 p.m. |
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(3rd) Saturn 1.8º N of Moon |
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(4th) Daylight Savings Time ends |
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Nov. 05 |
Stellar Birth |
18 |
Venus 3º N of Moon |
|
07 |
Stellar Birth |
18 |
(8th) Mercury 7º N of Moon |
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09 |
No class |
New Moon , 6:03p.m.;Moon at apogee (406,671 km) |
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Nov. 12 |
Stellar Evolution |
19 |
Jupiter 5º N of Moon |
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14 |
Stellar Death |
20 |
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16 |
Stellar Death |
20 |
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(17th) First Quarter Moon, 5:32 p.m. |
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Nov. 19 |
Neutron Stars |
21 |
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21 |
No class – Thanksgiving |
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23 |
No class – Thanksgiving |
Moon at perigee (357,194 km) |
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(24th) Full Moon, 9:30 a.m. |
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Nov. 26 |
Neutron Stars |
21 |
(27th) Mars 1.7º S of Moon |
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28 |
Black Holes |
22 |
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30 |
Black Holes |
22 |
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(1st) Last Quarter Moon, 7:44 a.m. (1st) Saturn 2º N of Moon |
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Dec. 03 |
Our Galaxy |
23 |
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05 |
Review #3 (Chap. 18-23) |
Venus 7º N of Moon |
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07 |
Cosmology |
26 |
(6th) Moon at apogee (406,235 km) |
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(9th) New Moon, 12:40 p.m. |
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Dec. 10 |
Cosmology |
26 |
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12 |
Cosmology |
26 |
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Dec. 13 |
Reading Day |
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Dec. 14 - 20 |
Self-scheduled Exam |
(14th) Geminid meteors peak |
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(17th) First Quarter Moon, 5:17 a.m. |
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(19th) Mars closest approach |
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(22nd) Winter Solstice 1:08 a.m. |
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(23rd) Full Moon, 8:16 p.m. |
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