Dr. Keel
Lectures (section 2) TTh 9:30 am, in room 227 Gallalee
Office hours for AY101: in 311B Gallalee, 1:15-3:15 Wednesday, 1:30-3:00 Tuesday, and other times by appointment (348-1641). I can also be reached by email at keel@bildad.astr.ua.edu .
Text: The Essential Cosmic Perspective, by Bennett et al.
The target topics for each lecture are listed before, with relevant chapters in parentheses. Copies of my lecture outlines are also available at the Supply Store. Additional activities - telescope usage and computer/network resources - will be available. A Web page for this section of AY 101 is available here.
This course deals with the objects and techniques of astronomical investigation. We will consider planets, stars, and galaxies, with regard to their physical nature, history, and interrelations. Course objectives are:
| Date | Topic (chapter) |
|---|---|
| 25 Aug | Intro to course, ideas and philosophy of science(1) |
| 30 Aug | Patterns in the sky (2.1-2.2) |
| 1 Sept | Eclipses (2.3) |
| 6 Sept | Astronomy in history (3) |
| 8 Sept | Motion, gravity and orbits (4)(Quiz 1) |
| 13 Sept | Light and the electromagnetic spectrum (5) |
| 15 Sept | Light and telescopes (5) |
| 20 Sept | The solar system and its history (6) (Quiz 2) |
| 22 Sept | Terrestrial planets - inside and out (7) |
| 27 Sept | Exploration of the Moon and Mars (7) |
| 29 Sept | Giant planets (8)(Quiz 3) |
| 4 Oct | Rings and moons (8) [End of midterm reporting period] |
| 6 Oct | Asteroids, comets, Pluto,and more (9)(Quiz 4) |
| 11 Oct | The Sun - a giant fusion reactor (10) |
| 13 Oct | The Sun - structure and activity cycle (10)(Quiz 5) |
| 18 Oct | Surveying the stars (11) |
| 20 Oct | Interstellar material and starbirth (12) (Quiz 6) |
| 25 Oct | Lives of the stars (12) |
| 27 Oct | Supernovae, gamma rays, and neutron stars (12.3)(Quiz 7) |
| 1 Nov | Relativity and black holes (13) [End of withdrawal period] |
| 3 Nov | The Milky Way Galaxy (14)(Quiz 8) |
| 8 Nov | Galaxies (15) |
| 10 Nov | Galaxies over cosmic time (15)(Quiz 9) |
| 15 Nov | Quasars and active galaxies (15.4) |
| 17 Nov | Dark matter and the formation of cosmic structure (16)(Quiz 10) |
| 22 Nov | Moon hoaxes, Mars faces, and missing days |
| 29 Nov | Cosmology - first the facts (17) |
| 1 Dec | Cosmology - what does it all mean? (17) (Quiz 11) |
| 6 Dec | Life in the Universe (18) |
| 8 Dec | Life/course review (18) |
The course grade will be based on 11 in-class quizzes (2/3) and a comprehensive final exam (1/3). The worst quiz grade will be dropped in calculating the average grade, thus allowing a single miss with no makeup quizzes (done only for medical reasons or because of required absences). Attendance points may be given in conjunction with diagnostic questions at intervals during the course, and there will be the opportunity for extra-credit essays. The final exam is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 14.