Students are responsible for reading the appropriate chapter in the class notes and in the textbook before coming to class. We will answer questions and do exercises in class and these will be of benefit only if you have read the material beforehand. The material we cover in the group exercises will be emphasized on the exams, so it is in your interest to show up to class and participate. However, be aware that you are responsible for all the material in the class notes.
The course text is an online text, Open Stax Astronomy. Use the text book as a resource for items in the class notes you do not understand. You are also encouraged to ask questions about content anytime, preferably in class or during my help sessions. I’m happy to address any questions, but specific, course content related questions are the most useful for your learning.
Each week, you should also be preparing for lab by reading the lab write-up on Blackboard and completing the pre-lab questions before your lab meeting (deadlines listed below). You can also find the full lab schedule here.
| Week | Topic | Reading |
| 1- M Jan. 27 | ||
| T | Course Introduction, Nature of Science | 1 Science and the Universe: A Brief Tour |
| Th | Nature of Science, Light & Atoms | 5 Radiation and Spectra |
| F |
Complete Course Survey Questions via Blackboard / Course Information by 11:59 PM Complete Lab Policies Questions via Blackboard / Labs by 11:59 PM Each of these is worth 5 Participation & Engagement points |
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| _________________________________ | ||
| 2- M Feb. 3 | ||
| T | Light & Atoms | |
| Th | Light & Atoms | 5 Radiation and Spectra |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 3- M Feb. 10 | ||
| T | Light & Atoms | 5 Radiation and Spectra |
| W | Homework 1 & Spectroscopy Pre-lab questions due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
|
| Th | Light & Atoms, Properties of Stars | 17 Analyzing Starlight |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 4- M Feb. 17 | ||
| T | Properties of Stars | 17 Analyzing Starlight |
| W | Homework 2 & Stellar Spectral Classification Pre-lab questions due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
|
| Th | Properties of Stars | 18 The Stars: A Celestial Census 19 Celestial Distances |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 5- M Feb. 24 | ||
| T | Gravity & Orbits | 3 Orbits and Gravity |
| W | Homework 3 & HR Diagrams of Star Clusters Pre-lab questions due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
|
| Th | Interstellar Medium | 20 Between the Stars: Gas and Dust in Space |
| F | Homework 4 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM | |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 6- M Mar. 2 | ||
| T |
1st Hour Exam Tues., Mar. 3 55 minute exam covers through Gravity & Orbits lecture resumes after the exam period |
|
| Interstellar Medium | ||
| W | Star Cluster Distances and the Dustiness of Space Pre-lab questions due via Blackboard 11:59 PM | |
| Th | Star Formation | 21 The Birth of Stars |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 7- M Mar. 9 | ||
| T | The Sun Evolution of Low Mass Stars |
16 The Sun: A Nuclear Powerhouse 22 Stars from Adolescence to Old Age |
| W | ||
| Th | Evolution of Low Mass Stars | |
| F | Project plans due |
|
| _________________________________ | ||
| Mar. 16 | Spring Break | |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 8- M Mar. 23 | ||
| T | Evolution of Low Mass Stars Evolution of High Mass Stars |
23 The Death of Stars |
| Project plans due Tuesday, Mar. 24 at 11:59 PM via BlackboardMid-Course Survey via Blackboard / Course Information by 11:59 PM anonymous, optional, worth 3 P-E points |
||
| W |
Lab 6: Planetary Nebulae AND Lab 7: Dying Stars and the Birth of the Elements Pre-lab questions due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
|
| Th | Evolution of High Mass Stars | |
| F | Homework 5 AND 6 due via Blackboard11:59 PM | |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 9- M Mar. 30 | ||
| M |
Bb help session with Dr. Scott 3-5 PM. Labs 6 |
|
| T |
Evolution of High Mass Stars Lab 7 due via Bb 11:59 PM |
|
| W | Standard Candles Pre-lab questions (for BONUS credit) due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
|
| Th |
Relativity and Black Holes Homework 7 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
24 Black Holes and Curved Spacetime |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 10- M Apr. 6 | ||
| T | Relativity and Black Holes, Galaxies | 26 Galaxies |
| W | The Great Debate Pre-lab questions due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
|
| Th |
Galaxies Homework 8 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
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| _________________________________ | ||
| 11- M Apr. 13 | ||
| T |
2nd Hour Exam Tuesday, Apr. 14 Exam covers Interstellar Medium through Relativity and Black Holes See Bb Announcements for information about exam format. lecture will resume after the timed exam period Galaxies |
|
| W | Galaxies in the Sloan Survey Pre-lab questions due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
|
| Th |
Galaxies, The Milky Way Homework 9 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
27 Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes 25 The Milky Way Galaxy |
| F | Project draft summaries and products due Friday, Apr. 17 at 11:59 PM via Blackboard | |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 12- M Apr. 20 | ||
| T | The Milky Way The Expanding Universe |
29 The Big Bang |
| W | Rotation Curves and the Mass of the Milky Way Galaxy Pre-lab questions due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
|
| Th |
The Expanding Universe Homework 10 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
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| F | Exam 2 Bonus Questions (Coming Soon!) submit via Blackboard by 11:59 PM | |
| _________________________________ | ||
| 13- M Apr. 27 | ||
| T | The Expanding Universe | |
| W | Hubble’s Law Pre-lab questions due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
|
| Th |
Large Scale Structure Homework 11 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM |
28 The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies |
| F | ||
| _________________________________ | ||
| 14- M May 4 | Homework 12 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM | |
| T |
3rd Hour Exam Tuesday, May 5 See Bb Announcements for information about exam format. lecture resumes after the exam period |
|
| W | ||
| Th | Cosmology | 29 The Big Bang |
| F | ||
| Project final summaries and products due Friday, May 8 at 11:59 PM via Blackboard | ||
| Extra Credit due Friday, May 8 at 11:59 PM via Blackboard | ||
| _________________________________ | ||
| 15- M May 11 | Homework 13 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM | |
| T | Cosmology | |
| Homework 14 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM | ||
| W | Homework 15 due via Blackboard 11:59 PM | |
| _________________________________ |
Final Exam
Sec. 1,2: Thursday, May 14, 12:30 – 2:30 PM
Sec. 5: Tuesday, May 19 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM