Dr. Keel
Lectures (section 2) MWF 10:00-10:50 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, 4th ed., by Bennett et al.
The target topics for each lecture are listed below, 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. Its specific learning goals are that students will:
| Date | Topic (chapter) |
|---|---|
| Jan 8 | No class |
| Jan 11 | Introduction to astronomy; ideas and philosophy of science |
| Jan 14 | Distances and sizes in the Universe (1) |
| Jan 16 | Our view of the Sky (2) |
| Jan 18 | Eclipses (2) |
| Jan 23 | Ancient roots of astronomy (3) |
| Jan 25 | Copernicus decenters the Earth (3) |
| Jan 28 | Galileo and Newton - science takes form (3) |
| Jan 30 | Orbital motion and energy in the Universe (4) |
| Feb 4 | Light and matter (5) |
| Feb 6 | Atoms and light: spectra and their messages (5) |
| Feb 8 | Telescopes (5) |
| Feb 11 | Telescope - beyond visible light (5) |
| Feb 13 | Planetary systems and their formation (6) |
| Feb 15 | Earth as a planet (7) |
| Feb 18 | Exploration of the Moon |
| Feb 20 | Terrestrial words: Venus, Mars, Mercury (7) |
| Feb 22 | Planetary atmospheres(7) |
| Feb 25 | Giant planets (8) |
| Feb 27 | Moons and rings (8) [End of midterm reporting period] |
| Feb 29 | Asteroids and comets (9) |
| Mar 2 | Our local star - the Sun (10) |
| Mar 5 | Nuclear energy and sunlight (10) |
| Mar 7 | Surveying the stars (11) |
| Mar 10 | Patterns among stars - the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (11) |
| Mar 12 | Interstellar material (12,14) |
| Mar 14 | Moon hoaxes, faces on Mars, and missing days - what should we believe? |
| Mar 24 | Starbirth (12) |
| Mar 26 | Life and death of low-mass stars (12, 13.1) [End of withdrawal period] |
| Mar 28 | Life and death of massive stars (12) |
| Mar 31 | Relativity, neutron stars, and black holes (13) |
| Apr 2 | Our galaxy - the Milky Way (14) |
| Apr 4 | Other galaxies (15) |
| Apr 7 | Other galaxies - dark matter (15, 16.2) |
| Apr 9 | Supermassive black holes, quasars, and active galaxies (15) |
| Apr 11 | Quasars(15) |
| Apr 14 | Galaxy clusters, superclusters, and the cosmic web (16.3) |
| Apr 16 | Cosmology - the universal facts (16.4) |
| Apr 18 | No class (honors day) |
| Apr 21 | Cosmology - seeking the Big Picture (17) |
| Apr 23 | Life in the Universe (18) |
| Apr 25 | No class |
| Apr 28 | No class |
| Apr 30 | No class |
| May 2 | Life in the Universe (18) |
Grading and exam policies: 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 (which are done only for medical reasons or because of required absences). Attendance points may be given in conjunction with diagnostic questions or observing activities at intervals during the course, and there will be the opportunity for extra-credit essays. The final exam is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 7.
Other important information:
Academic misconduct: All students in attendance at the University of Alabama are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. The University expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than the minimum required to avoid discipline. Academic misconduct includes all acts of dishonesty in any academically related matter and any knowing or intentional help, or conspiracy to help, another student. The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.
Students with disabilities are encouraged to register with the Office of Disability Services (348-4285). Thereafter, you are invited to schedule appointments to see me during office hours to discuss accomodations or other special needs.