Astronomy Syllabus

36101

Instructor: Thomas M. Stadelmann

Email: tstadelmann@massasoit.mass.edu

Office: S-109 Phone ext. 1925

Office hours: Posted on door to office.

Text: Explorations an Introduction to Astronomy, 2th Edition by Thomas T. Arny and Published by WCB/McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA

Course description:

This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of and appreciation of our universe, within the limitations of an introductory level course. An emphasis is placed on understanding scientific concepts as opposed to rote memorization. Some of the major topics included in the course are: the nature of the Earth and it's place in the cosmos, the nature of the cosmos and it's scale, the motions of celestial bodies as observed from Earth, seasonal changes in the night sky, the Solar System, the nature of Light and radiation, the Sun and stars. In addition students will be expected to make some observations of the night sky on their own and to become familiar with it's appearance with the help of class discussion and star charts that your instructor will provide.

Prerequisite:

Students in this course should have successfully completed intermediate algebra.

Grading :

Student's grades for this course will be determined at the end of the term based on their results on various tests and the work they do in the class and on their assignments.The numerical average of these tests will represent 60% of the grade you earn for the course . The final exam represents 30% of the course grade. Finally 10% of the grade for the course represents the instructor's evaluation of the student's day to day work on assignments and participation in the class. A one week notice will be given for each test.

Note. There are no make-ups for tests that students miss during the term. Your score on the final exam will replace that of any test missed during the term.

The letter grade given at the end of the term will be determined from the student's numerical average as follows:

100-93 = A	82-80 = B-	69-67 = D+
92-90 = A-	79-77 = C+	66-63 = D
89-87 = B+	76-73 = C	62-60 = D-
86-83 = B	72-70 = C-	59 or less = F

Teaching Procedures:

Classes are conducted in an informal lecture and discussion mode in which students are expected to take an active role. The best way to prepare for this role is to come to class having carefully read the assignment. In addition there will be “hands on” group exercises assigned to be completed in class. In addition, weather permitting, we will go outside to observe and become familiar with the night sky.

Using Your Text Effectively:

Learning astronomy, like acquiring any knew knowledge or skill, requires work. In my on-going, personal process of continuing education, I’ve found the following steps to be very effective. Most importantly, be realistic, while some concepts can be understood easily and almost immediately, understanding other concepts may come more slowly and require a great deal more effort on your part. All of us will have this experience so be patient with yourself. The important thing is to set aside time each day for study and/or review in all your subjects.

In reading any assignment, begin by reading the introductory paragraph and by looking at the pictures in order to get a general sense of the subject matter. Turn the pages of the chapter and familiarize yourself with what the objects you will be reading about look like. Pictures can be worth a thousand words. Next, turn to the summary at the end of the chapter. Finally, start again and read the assigned material. Depending on the length of the assignment, you may not be able to complete this task in one sitting. If not, read the assignment by section so that you don’t end in the middle of a topic. This way, when you are refreshed, you can come back to the assignment at a logical beginning point. As you read, make notes of things you don’t understand. For example, if you don’t understand why eclipses don’t occur each month, make a note. You should ask your instructor for help in understanding these questions. I would urge you not to rely on highlighting as you read. It will be much more effective for you to get into the habit of writing down short notes and constructing a simple outline of what you have read.

Look carefully at the pictures and diagrams. If the caption of a figure poses a question, try to answer it. Make your own diagrams, without referring to the one in the text, to be sure you understand what they represent.

As you encounter words or terms in the text that you aren’t familiar with, look them up in the index or glossary at the back of the book. It is a waste of your time to be reading a description of an object or concept without having an understanding of the terms used in describing it.

If you encounter some math that presents a problem for you, don’t let it bog you down during your first reading. Skip it for the time being, but be sure to read the material leading into the math and if possible try to express the meaning of the law in your own words. After you have read the chapter you can go back to the math parts and try to work through them. You should seek help from your professor and/or assistants in the academic resource center whenever that assistance is needed. Don’t be shy about asking questions. This is how we get to an understanding of new ideas.

Attendance :

Attendance in class is essential if students are to be successful in this course. You are allowed four absences from this class without any academic penalty. For each absence (for whatever reason) in excess of this number your semester average will drop two points. For example, if at the end of the semester, your numerical average were an 81 your letter grade for the term would be a B-, provided that you had four or less cuts. If you had 5 cuts your grade for the course would be reduced to a 79 and your letter grade would change to a C+. If you have to miss a class make sure that you speak with your instructor as soon as possible to determine what was covered in class and if there were any class assignments.

Students with Disabilities:

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in the classroom are encouraged to contact the Learning Disability Coordinator, Nancy Sullivan at extension 1082, or Disability Councilor, Stan Oliver at extension 1464, as soon as possible, in order to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Course Outline:

Week	Topic	Assignment
1.	Introduction. The Cosmic Landscape	Read the introduction. Answer the review questions and do the problem at the end of the chapter. Also complete the exercise on scientific notation.
2.	The Night Sky	Read Overview One and chap. 1, History of Astronomy. Answer review questions and problems 1,3-6. Also complete the exercise Scale of the Solar System.
3.	Continue the previous topic	Continue previous assignment and familiarize yourself with the star chart and celestial coordinates.
4.	Gravity and Motion	Read Essay One, Overview Two and chap. 2. Answer the review questions and problems 1-4, 6-8.
5.	Continue previous topic.	Complete the exercise on Orbit of Mars.
6.	Earth Film: Formation of Earth	Read Overview 3 and chap. 4, The Earth. Answer the review questions.
7.	Continue the previous topic.	Continue previous assignment.
8.	The Moon	Read chap.6 on the Moon and answer the review questions. Complete the exercise on the Earth-Moon System
9.	The Solar System	Read Overview 4 and chap. 7 on the Solar System and answer the review questions and problems 1-3.
10.	The Terrestrial and Jovian Planets.	Read chapters 8 and 9 and answer the review questions.
11.	Light and Atoms.	Read chap. 3 on Light and Atoms and answer the review questions and problems 1-4.
12.	The Sun	Read Overview 5 and the chapter on the Sun. Answer the review questions and do the exercise involving measuring the light intensity of the Sun.
13.	Continue previous topic	Continue with previous assignment.
14.	Properties of Stars	Read chap. 12 on the properties of stars and answer the review questions and questions 1-6, 8, 10, 11, and 13.
15.	Semester wrap-up and final exam.

Objectives by chapter

After reading and studying the material in the assigned chapters, students should be able to do the following:

Introduction.

· Be able to explain the meaning of each of the key terms listed at the end of the chapter.

· Describe the solar system and name its components.

· Discuss the nature of the differences between the Sun and the planets.

· Explain the difference between a solar system and a galaxy.

· Describe the forces involved in holding together atoms, components of solar systems and galaxies and galaxy clusters.

· Explain both how and when lunar and solar eclipses occur.

Chapter 1 History of Astronomy

· Be able to explain the meaning of each of the key terms listed at the end of the chapter.

· Be able to explain the reasons why Earth experiences seasons.

· Explain the logic involved in the early Greek belief that the Earth was a sphere.

· Explain how Eratosthenes determined the size of the Earth.

· Explain how Eratosthenes determined the relative sizes of and distances to the Earth, Moon and Sun.

· Discuss the significance of Galileo’s telescopic observations of the Moon, Jupiter, Venus and the Sun relative to the debate pitting the heliocentric and geocentric models against one another.

· Be able to cite Kepler’s three laws pertaining to the planetary orbits.

Chapter 2 Gravity and Motion.

· Be able to explain the meaning of each of the key terms listed at the end of the chapter.

· Explain the meaning of each of Newton’s laws of motion and give an example where each is used.

· Be able to write out Newton’s law of gravity and explain how the mass and radius of a body influences its surface gravity.

· Be able to determine the orbital velocity of a planet knowing the Sun’s mass and the planet’s distance from the Sun.

· Explain the concept of escape velocity and be able to determine it, supplied with the appropriate information.

Chapter 3 Light and Atoms.

· Be able to describe both the wave and particle nature of light and give an example to illustrate both.

· Describe the electromagnetic spectrum and explain the differences between its components.

· Explain how the Stefan-Boltzmann law and Wien’s law influences the appearance of stars and enables astronomers to distinguish among stars.

· Explain how the energy of a photon is related to its wavelength and frequency.

· Distinguish between absorption, emission and continuous spectrums and explain how each is produced in a black body.

· Describe the structure of an atom and explain how spectral lines are related to the movement of electrons from one energy level to another.

· Describe the Doppler effect and explain its significance in the spectrum of a star.

Chapter 4 The Earth.

· Describe the size and shape of the Earth.

· Using the aid of a diagram describe the internal structure of the Earth and explain how we know what it is.

· Describe the changes in composition and density of the Earth’s interior zones.

· Discuss what plate tectonics is and the importance of it in shaping the geology of the Earth.

· Describe the chemical makeup of the Earth’s atmosphere and its origin.

· Discuss how the planets formed according to current scientific understanding.

· Describe the structure of the Earth’s atmosphere and the importance of the ozone layer.

Chapter 6 The Moon.

· Describe the Moon’s surface features.

· Contrast the Moon with the Earth in terms of its mass, volume, density and geologic activity.

· Contrast the rocks which are found in the lunar highlands with those of the lunar maria.

· Describe the current theory for the Moon’s origin.

· Explain the conditions under which eclipses of both the Sun and Moon occur and their frequency.

· Explain the relationship between lunar phases and tides.

Chapter 7 Survey of The Solar System.

· Describe and discuss the two classes of planets found in the solar system.

· Describe the formation of the solar system from a solar nebula.

· Discuss the effect that the distance from the Sun has on the characteristics of the planets as they formed out of the solar nebula.

· Describe the kind of world one would have experienced on Earth or any other planet during the first billion years of the solar system.

· Discuss how the planets formed according to current scientific understanding.

Chapter 8 The Terrestrial Planets.

· Describe the location of Mercury and Venus in the solar system and explain how this impacts on when and where they are best observed from Earth.

· Contrast Mercury, Venus Earth, and Mars in terms of their mass, size, density, temperature, atmosphere and geologic activity.

· Describe Mars location in the solar system and explain how this impacts on when and where it is best observed from Earth.

· Discuss the likelihood of finding evidence of life (past or present) on each of these planets.

Chapter 9 The Outer Planets.

· Contrast the outer planets with the inner planets in terms of their compositions, the state of their matter, masses, densities, sizes, presence of moons, and temperatures.

· Describe what one sees in the visible features of Jupiter and explain the variation in color of these features.

· Explain the source of the strong magnetic fields associated with both Jupiter and Saturn.

· Contrast the geology of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter as revealed by their distinctive surfaces.

· Describe the makeup of the rings of Saturn.

· Contrast Neptune and Uranus with Jupiter and Saturn.

Chapter 10 Meteors, Asteroids, and Comets.

· Describe the location of the majority of asteroids in the solar system and discuss the nature of these objects.

· Describe the role that an asteroid may have played in the evolution of life on Earth about 65 million years ago. How likely is something like this of ever happening again on our planet?

· Discuss the makeup and origin of comets and describe their orbits within the solar system.

· Explain how and why the appearance of a comet changes as it orbits the Sun.

· Explain the relationship of comets to meteor showers on Earth.

· Explain the significance of the Kuiper belt of comets and the Oort cloud.

· Contrast meteoroids with asteroids and comets and explain where most of them probably come from.

Chapter 11 The Sun, Our Star.

· With the aid of a diagram, describe the structure of the internal Sun.

· Explain the significance of the granular structures observed in the Sun’s photosphere.

· Describe the structure of the Sun’s atmosphere.

· Describe the appearance of a sunspot and explain what its appearance tells us about the temperatures near such a spot.

· Explain how sunspots change over 11 and 22 year cycles.

· Explain the source of the energy flowing out from the Sun and why this energy is generated only in the Sun’s core.

· Describe the flow of energy from the Sun’s core, through the body of the Sun and out into space.

· Explain what hydrostatic equilibrium in a star is and why it is important.

Chapter 12 Measuring the Properties of Stars.

· Explain how one determines distances to the stars.

· Discuss the impact that distance to a star has on its luminocity.

· Explain how a star’s surface temperature affects a star’s spectrum.

· Explain the difference between apparent and absolute magnitude of stars.

· List the spectral classes for stars and explain the relationship between spectral class and stellar temperature.

· Make a diagram of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and identify the different types of stars found on it.

· Describe the relationship that exists between the mass of a main sequence star and its luminosity.

· Identify the types of stars that can be identified on an H-R diagram.

Chapter 13 Stellar Evolution.

· Identify the source and nature of the material from which scientists believe stars evolve.

· Discuss the role that gravity plays in the formation of a star.

· Identify the source of energy that heats up a star as it forms.

· Describe what happens to a star like our sun as it ages and evolves.

· Explain why massive stars evolve differently than ordinary stars like our Sun.

· Discuss the origin of Black Holes.