Astronomy 311: Course Syllabus
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Fall Semester 2009 |
Professor Robert Beeken |
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Text: Explorations by Thomas Arny (Fifth Edition) |
Office: B-205 Hours: 9-10 MWF, 10-11 TR |
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Course information is available at http://www.uwsp.edu/physastr/Beeken/Profile.htm |
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Information concerning student academic standards and disciplinary procedures is available at http://www.uwsp.edu/admin/stuaffairs/rights/rightsChap14.pdf |
| The goals of this course are to (a) understand those physical principles governing the structure and evolution of the universe, (b) appreciate the historical development of observational astronomy, and (c) develop a comprehensive view of the unique environment currently manifest on planet earth. |
| Week | Monday Lecture | Wednesday Lecture | Friday Lecture |
| 30 Aug | No Class | Intro to the Night Sky (Ch 1) | Motion in the Sky (Ch 1) |
| 07 Sep | No Class | The Starry Night Program | Phases of the Moon (Ch 1) |
| 14 Sep | Early Observations (Ch 1) | Models of the Sky (Ch 1) | Galileo and Brahe (Ch 1) |
| 21 Sep | Kepler and Newton (Ch 1 & 2) | Solar System Formation (Ch 7) | EXAM 1 (Chapters 1,2,7) |
| 28 Sep | The Earth (Ch 5) | The Moon (Ch 6) | Video: Doomsday Asteroid |
| 05 Oct | Inner Planet Features (Ch 8) | Inner Planet Geology (Ch 8) | Outer Planet Features (Ch 9) |
| 12 Oct | Outer Planet Moons (Ch 9) | Video: Saturn's Titan | Solar System Debris (Ch 10) |
| 19 Oct | EXAM 2 (Chapters 5,6,8,9,10) | Nature of Light (Ch 3) | Blackbody Radiation (Ch 3) |
| 26 Oct | Atoms and Spectral Lines (Ch 3) | Telescopes (Ch 4) | The Sun (Ch 11) |
| 02 Nov | Video: Star (The Planets) | Measuring Stellar Properties (Ch 12) | The HR Diagram (Ch 12) |
| 09 Nov | Formation of Stars (Ch 13) | Stellar Evolution (Ch 13) | Death of Massive Stars (Ch 13) |
| 16 Nov | Planetarium Visit (Room A-217) | Stellar Remnants (Ch 14) | EXAM 3 (Chapters 3,4,11,12,13,14) |
| 23 Nov | The Milky Way (Ch 15) | Video: Back to the Beginning (Origins) | No Class |
| 30 Nov | Galactic Structure (Ch 16) | Quasars (Ch 16) | Cosmology (Ch 17) |
| 07 Dec | Video: How Life Began (Origins) | Are We Alone? (Essay 3) | Review |
| You must make an evening visit to the UWSP Observatory sometime during the course of the semester to visually observe at least two night-sky objects through the 16-inch telescope. While there, you will pick up an Observatory Report Form and have it signed by the telescope operator after you make your visual observations. Finally, you must go on-line to research the two objects you observed and write a two-page (double spaced) paper describing these objects (things like their properties, visual characteristics, or history) in detail. You must include at least one on-line reference for each observed object. You will hand in the signed Observatory Report Form along with your two-page paper. Failure to complete this course requirement will result in a zero being recorded for your Observatory Report...this represents 5% of your overall course grade. Since the Observatory is not open on cloudy nights, it is important for you not to wait until the end of the semester to plan your visit! The Observatory is located on the fourth floor, SW corner of the Science Building. Check the web site at http://www.uwsp.edu/physastr/plan_obs/Observatory.htm for evening dates and hours of operation. |