ASTRONOMY 2 – FALL 2008

GENERAL SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

 

Week

#

Week

Beginning

Lecture Topics and Activities

Textbook

Reading*

Homework**

3rd Hr

Exercise

CPS

Quiz

1

8/25

Enrollment Check, Introduction and Objectives

Overview of Astronomy and the Universe

Distance and Time Scales, Our Place in the Cosmos

Chapter 1

Assignment 0

No Due Date

PT

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2

9/1

Monday

Holiday

Planetarium Sky Demonstrations – Terminology and Motions

Seasons, Precession, Moon Phases, Eclipses

Ancient Mysteries – Retrograde Motion and Stellar Parallax

Chapter 2

Assignment 1

Due 9/5

A

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3

9/8

Early History and the Geocentric Models, Ptolemy

Origins of Modern Astronomy – Copernicus, Brahe, and Kepler

Galileo – Nature of Science, Observations, and Inertia and Motion

Chapter 3

Assignment 2

Due 9/12

B

AA

4

9/15

Newton’s Three Laws of Motion, Force and Acceleration

Conservation Laws, Momentum and Energy

Law of Universal Gravitation, Orbits and Tides

Chapter 4

Assignment 3

Due 9/19

C

BB

5

9/22

Properties of Light, Waves & Photons, Electromagnetic Spectrum

Properties of Matter, Atomic Structure, Phase Changes

Atoms and Spectra, The Stefan-Boltzmann and Wien Laws

Doppler Shift, Radial Velocity and Rotation

Chapter 5

Assignment 4

Due 9/26

D

CC

6

9/29

Telescopes – Refractors & Reflectors, Interferometers

Light Gathering, Angular Resolution, Magnification

Observations at Nonvisible Wavelengths, Instrumentation

Atmospheric Effects – Light Pollution, Twinkling, Windows

Chapter 6

Assignment 5

Due 10/3

E

DD

7

10/6

Comparative Planetology, Spacecraft Investigations

Structure and Dynamics of the Solar System

Clues to the Formation of the Solar System

Chapter 7

Assignment 6

Due 10/10

F

EE

8

10/13

Physical Processes and the Creation of the Solar System

Formation of the Planets and the Aftermath

The Age of the Solar System

Planetary Geology, Connecting Interiors and Surfaces

Take-Home Midterm Available (Part 1)

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Assignment 7

Due 10/17

G

FF


ASTRONOMY 2 - FALL 2008

GENERAL SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

(continued)

Week

#

Week

Beginning

Lecture Topics and Activities

Textbook

Reading†

Homework††

3rd Hr

Exercise

CPS

Quiz

9

10/20

The Geologies of the Moon and Mercury,

The Geology of Mars and the Geology of Venus

The Unique Geology of Earth

In-Class Midterm (Part 2) in Third Hour (Bring Scantron 882)

Extra Credit (first 10 pts) – Due 10/24 by 12:00 Noon

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Take-Home

Midterm

(Part 1-50 pts)

Due 10/24

In-Class

Midterm

(Part 2 – 50 pts)

GG

10

10/27

Atmospheric Basics, Weather and Climate

The Atmospheres of the Moon and Mercury

Atmospheric Histories of Mars & Venus, The Earth’s Atmosphere

Chapter 10

Assignment 8

Due 10/31

H

HH

11

11/3

Overview of the Outer Planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Jovian Weather and Magnetospheres

The Jovian Moons and Ring Systems

Chapter 11

Assignment 9

Due 11/7

I

II

12

11/10

Monday

Holiday

Solar System Debris – Asteroids, Meteoroids, Comets

Pluto, Dwarf Planets, and the Kuiper Belt

Cosmic Collisions and Consequences

Chapter 12

Assignment 10

Due 11/14

J

JJ

13

11/17

Thu, Fri

Holiday

Other Planetary Systems – Detection and Nature

Formation of Other Solar Systems

Searching for Earth-Like Planets

Chapter 13

Assignment 11

Due 11/21

K†††

KK

14

11/24

Physical Characteristics and Processes of the Sun

Sunspots, Solar Activity Cycle, and the Sun-Earth Connection

Chapter 14

Assignment 12

Due 11/28

L

LL

15

12/1

Life on Earth, Life in the Solar System, Life Around Other Stars

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Interstellar Travel and The Implications for Civilization

Chapter 24

Assignment 13

Due 12/5

M

MM

16

12/8

Final Exam (110 pts, 3 parts – see Final Exam Outline)

      and Sky Quiz (30 pts)

Balance of Extra Credit Due 12/12 by 12:00 Noon

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Final

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