Astro 10 Mon 6-9pm: Spring ‘07 Schedule

The reading assignments under a given class day should be read BEFORE that class day. This is because you’ll want to be up to speed as you listen to my lecture, and feel more entitled to ask questions on things that aren’t clear. It’s a mistake to tell yourself “well, I don’t get it, but I’ll figure it out later when I study for the exam”. BIG mistake - take advantage of having a real live astronomer who can clear things up for you in real time! Disclaimer: I will promise to stick to this schedule as closely as possible, and to announce ahead of time my best guess as to whether we'll be ready for a given quiz on the announced date. BUT, it's possible we might have to move a quiz or two if we get ahead/behind.

Mon Feb 5: Course overview

Chapter 0 - Science and Clear Thinking handout

Mon Feb 12: Units 1-10: Overview of our place in the cosmos

                       Units 10-12: Motions of the earth, seasons, phases of the moon, eclipses

Mon Feb 19: Washington’s Birthday - holiday

Mon Feb 26: planetarium session (Rm 706) for another perspective on units 10-12: Earth and sky

Units 10-12: Early science; Aristarchus, Ptolemy, Copernicus

Mon Mar 5: Units 11,12: Kepler's 3 laws

          Units 12-19: Galileo and Newton, Newtonian gravity, relativity

          Quiz #1 on units 1-12: Science, Earth motions, early astronomy

Mon Mar 12: Units 21-25: Light and electromagnetic waves

Units 23,24: Spectra, emission vs. absorption, spectroscope demonstration

Mon Mar 19: Units 32-42: Formation of solar systems, discovering solar systems around other stars

           Quiz #2 on 12-25: gravity, light, spectra, relativity

           Units 32-42: Structure of the inner planets, structure of the outer planets and moons

Mon Mar 26: "Killer Asteroid! MegaDoom!" video + video quiz

          Units 41,42,47,48: Comets, asteroids, mass extinctions

          Units  49-51: The sun, structure of the sun

Apr 1-8: Easter break – no classes

Mon Apr 9: Units 49-51: The sun, nuclear fusion

Quiz #3 on parts of units 32-48; solar system

Last day for CR/NC option

Units 52, 54-58: Stars; properties, measuring methods

Mon Apr 16: Units 52, 54-58: Stars; properties, HR Diagram

Units 60, 69: Stellar birth

            Units 59-64: Stars; low, medium mass star evolution

Quiz #4 on units 49-58; The sun, stellar properties

Mon Apr 23: Units 64-68: Evolution and death of medium and high mass stars, supernovae, the stellar graveyard

           "Death of a Star" video + video quiz

Mon Apr 30: units 70-73: Our galaxy - the Milky Way

Quiz #5 on units 59-69; Stellar evolution

           Units 70-73: The Milky Way Galaxy

           Units 74,75: Galaxies

Mon May 7: Units 74-77: Galaxies, the distance ladder, Hubble Law and age of the universe

Galaxy collisions video clip (no video quiz)

          Units 75-77: Galaxy evolution, quasars and active galaxies

          Last day to withdraw from course with a "W"

Mon May 14: Units 76,78,79: Dark matter and large scale structure

Units 79-82: Beginning of Time; evidence for the Big Bang

Quiz #6 on units 70-78: Milky Way, galaxies, active galaxies

Mon May 21: Units 79-82: The cosmic microwave background, cosmological models

Units 79-82: Dark energy, Inflation, and the origin of the universe(s)

Units 79-82: cosmology and implications for life in the universe. "E.T. phone home"!

Tue May 29: 4-7pm in rm 828: Quiz #7 on ch 23,24; cosmology & life in the universe, followed by Final Exam.