Astronomy 104 Stars and Galaxies Fall 2007 

 252 JSMC 9:00 - 10:00 MWF; 7:00 - 10:00 pm Tuesday

Group 1 Lab, Q 

Dr. M. P. Kertzman 233 JSMC kertzman@depauw.edu

academic.depauw.edu/~kertzman/astro104f07/a104f07.htm

1. Course Goals

2. Text and other required materials

3. Course overview

4. Schedule

5. Office hours

6. Q certification

7. Course Web Site 

8. Course Grade

9. Exams and assignments

10. Lab

1) To learn to observe the night sky with your eyes, binoculars, and a telescope.

2) To gain an understanding of the objects you observe in the night time sky

3) To learn of the methods and techniques used by astronomers to learn about the universe

4) To gain an understanding of the underlying physics concepts that are essential to astronomy.

5) To practice your quantitative reasoning, analytical, and mathematical skills.

6) To become familiar with astronomy resources on the Internet (e.g. astronomy news, images, observatories, etc. )

7) To use the Internet to learn about current research in astronomy.

8) To become familiar with the content of popular astronomy magazines such as Sky and Telescope and Astronomy, and with astronomy articles in Scientific American, Science and Nature.

9) To become more comfortable with the kinds of calculations used by astronomers in measuring and discussing properties of stars, galaxies, and the universe.

-Astronomy Today, fifth edition, Chaisson and McMillan, Available at the DPU bookstore and at Fine Print Bookstore.

-Class/lab Folder: Cost: $10. This cost will be directly billed to your student account.

-Calculator

-Lab kit (cross staff, quadrant and compass): A $10 lab deposit is required, and will be refunded when you return the instruments at the end of the semester. The lab deposit will be charged to your student account. At the end of the semester, when  you return the lab kit, your account will be credited for the amount of the deposit, minus any cost for missing equipment.

Clear plastic ruler (metric, clear)

Compass

Protractor

Pencils for lab (not pens)

You will need a separate notebook for a lab journal. Follow this link for more information about the Lab Journal.

A loose-leaf notebook is preferred for this course. There will be many handouts and in-class activities which would be best kept integrated with your notes in a loose-leaf binder.

Always bring a calculator to class and lab. It is best to always have one with you. It does not need to be fancy, but should have trigonometric functions.

Always bring a ruler (metric, clear) and a protractor to lab.

On most activities in class and lab I prefer you to use a pencil, so please be sure to have a pencil and an eraser at all times.

The course consists of three parts, each four to five weeks long.

Part 1: Basic Astronomy and Stellar Properties (5 weeks)

In part 1 we cover the fundamentals you need to know, including properties of light, atomic structure, spectra, Newton's law of gravity, Kepler's laws of planetary motion (as applied to stars), spectral classification of stars, the HR diagram, stellar properties, binary stars, star clusters, celestial coordinates, and how to use a star chart and a telescope. Our focus in this part is on stellar properties that we can measure or deduce from measurements.

Part 2: Stellar Evolution (5 weeks)

In Part 2 we will learn what a star is, how stars are formed, how they produce energy, how they evolve, and how they die. Topics included in this part are planetary nebula, red giants, supergiants, white dwarfs, neutron stars, pulsars, black holes, nova, and supernova (type II and type Ia).

Part 3: Galaxies and Cosmology (4 weeks)

In part 3 we will look at the overall structure of our galaxy, types of galaxies, formation, location and distribution of galaxies. Topics include: the Milky Way, galactic structure, classifying galaxies, galactic rotation, dark matter, the Hubble Law, and distribution of galaxies. We will finish the semester with a study of cosmology. How did the universe begin? How does it evolve with time? What will happen to it in the future? Topics include: the Big Bang, large scale structure of the universe, microwave background radiation, the geometry of space-time, the destiny of the universe, and the conditions in the very early universe.

A tentative schedule for the semester is on the class web page. There will be a detailed schedule for each week posted on the web page by Friday of the preceding week. The weekly schedule will have detailed readings assignments from the text and other sources, announcements, and assignments due that week.

SCHEDULE:

A schedule for the entire semester is available online here. The full schedule gives you an overview of the entire semester. It also lists corresponding readings from the text, as well as exam and major assignment dates. Detailed weekly schedules will also be posted on the full schedule page. These schedules list topics day by day, as well as text readings, any additional readings, and any due assignments. Links to study questions  for each week are given as well. I prefer the course to be flexible and to take extra time on a topic if needed, or allow time for relevant current events in astronomy. However, as a consequence of being flexible, the schedule may vary. In particular, the detailed weekly schedules should not be considered final until 5:00 p.m. on the previous Friday. Any weekly schedule with the label "preliminary" is just that: a preliminary estimate of where I think we will be. At the end of each  week, I will adjust the next weeks detailed schedule as needed to accommodate what we actually did in class. The weekly schedules contain links to study questions for the course. The study questions are organized by chapters from the text, and are ordered in the order we will cover them (the oddity is that material from chapter 2 is covered in conjunction with chapter 17). By consulting the weekly reading list, you should be able to correlate the chapter study questions with the weekly material. The study questions are further grouped (and posted) to match the three main themes of the course.

My office hours this semester are 2:00 - 4:00  Monday and  3:00 - 5:00 Wednesday. I am also available by appointment. Check with me in class to make an appointment if these office hours do not fit your schedule. If you find that this policy is not working for you please tell me so I can change it. When you come to my office, I ask that you come prepared with your questions organized and readily available.

Q CERTIFICATION: Certain labs and homework assignments are designated as "Q". Parts of the exams and lab exams will also be "Q". To achieve "Q" certification, you must have an average of "C" or better on all designated "Q" work AND have a "C" grade for the course. It is possible to pass the course but not receive a "Q"; it is not possible to fail the course and receive a "Q".

The web site for this class can be found at:  academic.depauw.edu/~kertzman/astro104f06/a104f06.htm  The web site contains the full schedule, detailed weekly schedules, announcements about assignments, useful links, study questions, and other resources for the class. Links on the weekly schedule pages will take you to the Power Point shows used in class. These will be available after each class. The Power Point slide shows are located on the class I drive account, and you must be logged into the local Novell network in order to link to them.

COURSE GRADE:

Your final grade is determined from the following scale:

90% - 100% A

80%- 89% B

70% - 79% C

60% - 69% D

<60% F

Your final course grade is based on the following factors:

Exam 1: 16%

Exam 2: 16%

Exam 3 16%

Lab: 17%

Assignments: 17%

Final Exam: 18%

Plus an optional  bonus assignment (maximum of 2.5% of your final grade)

Assignments and Exams:

Seventeen percent of your course grade will be determined by several assignments throughout the semester. There are three major components to this category, and two short assignments. The  assignments are:

                    1) "Observations of the night sky", (2%) (Part I due: Monday, August 27; Part II due  Wednesday Nov. 14.....Updated Due Date is Monday Nov 19 )

2) "Constellation Guide@: a 2 -4 page guide to a constellation (30%) (Due: Friday, Sept. 21 )

3) "Stellar Properties" (3%) (Due: Monday Sept. 24)

3) "Star Stories@: a 6 - 8 page paper relating what you can observe in the sky to stellar evolution (50%) (Due: Monday Nov. 5)

4) "Current Events@: a 2 -3 page summary of an article reporting on some current event in astronomy research (15%). (Due Friday Nov. 30....Updated Due Date is Monday Dec. 3 )

Details, deadlines, and grading criteria will be handed out separately for each of these assignments.

There are three mid semester exams and a three hour comprehensive final exam. The format of the exams will be discussed in detail in advance of the first exam. There are no makeups for exams except in the most extreme situations (e.g. hospitalization, serious injury etc). The exam dates are given below.

Optional Bonus Assignments: There will be five short (1-2 page) optional  assignments. Many of these will be based on information from the internet. The grade for these is added on to the top of your overall grade, so in effect  these are "extra credit" assignments. There will actually be six of these assignments, but I will only count five of them towards your bonus grade. Each assignment if worth 0.5% of the total final grade, and collectively these assignments are worth 2.5%. This is enough to raise your grade one level, e.g. from a "B" to a "B+". Although optional from a grading standpoint, most of these assignments are constructed to be a starting point for other graded assignments. Each assignment is graded on a 10 point scale. Work that is the bare minimum requested in the assignment will receive 7.5 out of 10 points. Papers that show evidence of superior effort and work will receive 8 - 10 points out of 10. Papers that show less than the bare minimum requested will receive less than 7.5 points. Due dates for these assignments are listed on the weekly schedules. Since these are optional, and you have 6 opportunities to turn in 5, late assignments will not be accepted for any reason! Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date.

LAB:

Lab meets at McKim Observatory or 252 JSMC, Tuesday, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. You will need a separate notebook for a lab journal. Follow this link for more information about the Lab Journal.

The lab has two major purposes. First, it strives to help you become familiar with the nighttime sky. Becoming familiar with the night time sky includes learning to identify and find constellations, observing the motions of stars, learning how to measure locations in the sky, and observing stellar properties (e.g. color and brightness). This is also your chance to learn to use a telescope. Secondly, the lab is a time to explore material from class in a different context, and to learn some of the methods used by astronomers to study the objects in our universe.

Lab is Tuesday evening, 7:00 - 10:00 pm. Lab will meet outdoors at McKim Observatory as often as possible. Since we need clear skies to observe, the weather will determine what we do for lab. In addition, some observing labs require perfectly dark, moonless skies, while others can be done with a small amount of cloudiness or a small amount of moonlight. What we do on any particular night will depend entirely on the sky conditions. At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays (or as announced in class), I will post the lab plan on the web. See the main page for a link to the "lab update"  page. 

During the first part of the semester, it is not dark enough for observing until near the end of the scheduled lab time. For the first two weeks, lab will be indoors, regardless of the weather. The next two or three weeks lab will start indoors at 7:00, and then head out for observing after dark if the sky is clear. Then for a couple of weeks, outdoor labs will start at 7:45 or 7:30 (exact times will be posted on the lab update web page). Later in the semester, outdoor labs will start at 7:00.

Your lab grade is based on lab participation and lab proficiency. The proficiency grade is based on one or two lab exams and graded lab work.  Your participation grade is based on actively participating in lab. Each lab is worth 5 participation points. By coming to lab and doing the activity, you earn five points. If you miss a lab, for any reason, you receive 0 points for participation. If you are at lab, but not actively participating, you will earn between 1 and 4 points. In some cases you may be able to independently make up the lab work if you missed the lab, but you will not earn the participation points. Graded lab work includes informal lab reports (these will be data sheets and sample sample calculations, and will generally by due at the end of lab or the start of class the next morning.), any formal lab reports (there will be between 0 and 5 formal lab reports.) , and any independent observing project reports that may be assigned.

Your lab grade is determined by the following percentages:

Graded lab work and participation: 60%

Lab Exams: 40%