ASTRONOMY 101—SECTION 002, SPRING 2006
INTRODUCTION TO ASTRONOMY
INSTRUCTOR: ADJUNCT PROFESSOR JOHN C. (JACK) BRANDT
CLASS TIME: MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, 2:30—3:45 PM
LOCATION: 103 REGENER HALL
OFFICE HOURS: FRIDAY, 1:00-3:00 PM OTHER TIMES BY APPOINTMENT. Scheduled office hours will be held in the Lobby of the Physics & Astronomy Building, NE corner of Lomas and Yale. Changes to Office Hours to be announced in class.
PHONE: 7-2673
E-MAIL: jcbrandt@unm.edu
OFFICE: ROOM 1136,
COURSE HOME PAGE: http://panda.unm.edu/Courses/Brandt/A101.html
TEACHING ASSISTANT: Ziya Kalay
E-MAIL: ziya@unm.edu
OFFICE HOURS: THURSDAY, 1:00-3:00 PM. [No office hours immediately following an exam]
TEXT: Astronomy: A Beginner’s Guide to the Universe, by Chaisson and McMillan, 4th edition (2004) + Lecture Tutorials.
BACKGROUND
Introduction to Astronomy is, in fact, an introduction to and a guided tour of the universe. Many people are curious and have basic questions about the workings of the universe that are prompted by looking at the sky on a dark night or noting the changing phases of the moon. Through the centuries, basic questions and the scientific method have produced our current worldview.
Our era is one of frequent discoveries about the universe, which continue our quest for understanding the universe and our place in it. This course should help the student appreciate new discoveries as they occur.
The course approach is descriptive and non-mathematical. Some arithmetic may be needed. With some effort and an open mind, the student should grasp the material and, frankly, enjoy the process of discovery.
Although we are using a good textbook (including a CD with extensive material) and a Lecture-Tutorials booklet, additional course material will be presented in the lectures. The student is responsible for this material, and lecture attendance is highly recommended. Students who stop coming to class should formally withdraw from the course. General questions of clarification are welcome during the lectures. More specific questions should be taken up after class.
Some of the topics to be covered are: the historical development of our ideas about the solar system (e.g., the sun, the moon, planets, satellites, rings, comets, Kuiper Belt objects, and asteroids); the threat to Earth posed by Near-Earth Objects; the origin of the solar system; the life cycle of stars; the origin of the chemical elements; the Milky Way Galaxy; galaxies; the origin of the universe (= the Big Bang); our current view of the large-scale structure of the universe, including the Hubble expansion, dark energy and dark matter; the conditions for the origin of life; and the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. The physics and astronomical tools used to study the universe are also covered.
Use the materials that come with the text. They are extensive. Reviewing and answering the Self-Test and the Review and Discussion questions at the end of each chapter will provide a good measure of your familiarity with the concepts and the material.
The course website will contain a short outline of each lecture, the section(s) or chapter(s) covered, and any illustrations used that are not in the text.
CLASS SCHEDULE
DATE TOPIC
1.Jan 18 Introduction, Scientific Method pages 26-27
2.Jan 23 The Sky, Foundations of Astronomy Prologue, Appendix 1
3.Jan 25 Foundations of Astronomy (cont’d) Prologue, Chap. 1.1
4.Jan 30 Orbits of Planets Chap. 1 (remainder)
5.Feb 1 Radiation & the Electromagnetic Spectrum Chap. 2
6.Feb 6 Atoms & Spectroscopy Chap. 2
7.Feb 8 Telescopes Chap. 3
Feb 13 Test No. 1, Scores, and Histogram
8.Feb 15 Introduction to the Solar System and Chap. 4.1, 4.3
9.Feb 20 The Earth and Moon Chap. 5
10.Feb 22 Mars and Venus Chap. 6
11.Feb 27 The Jovian Planets Chap. 7
12.Mar 1 Moons and Rings Chap. 8, except 8.5, 8.6
13.Mar 6 Comets & Kuiper Belt Objects Pages 108-111, Chap.8.5, 8.6
14.Mar 8 Asteroids & Meteoroids Pages 104-107, 111-114
SPRING BREAK March 12-19
Mar 20 Test No. 2, Scores, and Histogram
15.Mar 22 The Sun Chap. 9
16.Mar 27 The Stars Chap. 10
17.Mar 29 Interstellar Medium & Star Formation Chap. 11
18.Apr 3 Stellar Evolution Chap. 12
19.Apr 5 Stellar Death & Stellar Explosions Chap. 12, Chap. 13.1,13.4
20.Apr 10 Black Holes Chap. 13.5-13.8
Apr 12 Test No. 3, Scores, and Histogram
21.Apr 17 The Milky Way Galaxy Chap. 14
22.Apr 19 Galaxies Chap. 15
23.Apr 24 Large-Scale Structure of the Cosmos Chap. 16
24.Apr 26 Cosmology: The Big Bang and the Chap. 17
25.May 1 Cosmology-Cont’d Chap. 17
26.May 3 Life in the Universe + Chap. 18
Powers of 10 movie +
ICES Form
May 8 Test No. 4, Histogram 3:00 PM
COURSE: Grade Sheet, Histogram, Letter Grades.
COURSE GROUND RULES
EXAMS—The exams will be multiple-choice and the questions will often be based on the Self-Test and Review and Discussion questions at the end of each chapter. The exams are not cumulative, i.e., they are based on the material presented since the beginning of the course or since the last exam. Exam No. 4 will be given at the time of the scheduled final exam. The letter grades assigned for this course will be based on a curve. While taking a test, students should not leave the classroom without the permission of the instructor or proctor. Also, see the section (below) on academic misconduct. Because the exams are multiple-choice, looking at another student’s work during the test will be presumed to be unacceptable behavior.
MAKE-UP EXAMS—These are possible IF requested in writing or by e-mail the day before the scheduled exam with a valid reason for needing the make-up exam. Make-up exams will NOT be multiple-choice and may have an oral section. Each student may have only one make-up exam for the semester. A student more than 15 minutes late for a make-up exam will receive a grade of zero and will forfeit the right to additional make-up exams.
CLASS DISTRACTIONS—Eating, drinking, or gratuitous talking are not permitted in the class and cell phone use is prohibited. (see “Communication Devices” below.)
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, UNM will make every reasonable accommodation for students with special learning needs, including hearing impaired and visually impaired students and students with diagnosed learning disabilities, as well as other classifications of disabilities specified in the Act. Students wishing assistance under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 should contact the Accessibility Services Office (505-277-3506) and also inform the instructor of the circumstances.
SEXUAL HARRASMENT POLICY: UNM is committed to protecting its
students, staff, and faculty from sexual harassment, intimidation, and
exploitation as prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and
of Title VII (Section 703) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Office of Equal
Opportunity (OEO) has an established procedure to address reported incidents of
sexual harassment in compliance with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of
1972 as well as other claims of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964. Claims of sexual harassment by students against staff,
faculty (including Teaching Assistants), another student, or third parties
(e.g., someone who is not a student or employee of the University) should be
reported directly to the OEO. The OEO is located at 609
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: Any academic misconduct will be reported to the Department Chair and the Dean of students, and may at the very least result in the student receiving a failing grade for the course. Academic misconduct includes plagiarism (not citing your sources), misrepresentation (submitting another person's work as your own), and cheating on examinations.
COMMUNICATION DEVICES: All communication devices that make noise (i.e., pagers, cell phones, etc.) must be turned off during class. Any disturbance caused by such devices can result in the student being dismissed from class. Also, no cell phones or PDAs are allowed to be open and on your desk while taking a test. In general, please be considerate of other students in the class and the instructor by not getting up and throwing away paper or sharpening your pencil during the middle of class. This is disruptive to both the students and the instructor.
AUDIO AND VIDEO TAPING: With permission of the instructor, students may record portions of the class lectures or discussions. Additionally, this class may be videotaped at any time by the instructor or other representatives of the College.
