Astro 120: Fall 2008

The Sky and the Solar System

Prof. Steven Kawaler

Astro 120, an introductory course in modern astronomy for non-scientists, folliows the growth of our understanding of our solar system (and the Universe) from ancient times through modern times. The development of astronomy over the millenia will serve as an illustration of the history of science itself. We begin with a study of the sky (night and day): we will learn the constellations, study the motions of the Sun, moon, and planets, and review the reasons for the seasons, eclipses, and tides, and the genesis of the modern calendar. We then begin exploring the bodies of our solar system -- the sun, the planets and their satellites, and comets, asteroids, and meteorites. We then address the bigger questions about the origin and evolution of our solar system, and discuss the hundreds of recently-discovered other solar systems in our Galaxy. We conclude with a discussion of the possibility of life beyond the Earth.

Throughout the course, we will be looking at the many exciting results from NASA probes, as well using the ISU planetarium.

A poem...

Announcements

Final course grades have been posted on WebCT
Have a great holiday break!

Final Exam: was Tuesday, December 16, 4:30-6:30
- Grades were posted for Exam 3 and for the course on Thursday, late afternoon.
  Note: The your multiple choice total includes question 20 (the 'version' question) which does not count towards the total. So the number under Exam3MC needs to be decreased by 1 to see how many questions you got right.
  In other words, your Exam3 grade is 2.5x(Exam3MC-1) + Exam3SA
- Here is the essay question
- Here is a review sheet for the last part of the course.
- and here is a sample set of multiple choice questions and here are the answers
- Rooms
  - Michelle's sections: Physics 3
  - Bert's sections: Lagomarcino 142W
  - Riley's sections: Physics 5

"Everyday" things for class...

Here is the syllabus for Astro 120 this term.
Homework assignments (new ones issued on most Thursdays during the term)
Electronic versions of lecture notes
Reading Assignments
related links
The Astro Help Room.
Constellation and Star list
A terrific computer planetarium program, Stellarium is a free download - it is the same program we use to run the planetarium projector, so you might find it a useful program to run on your own computer.
Predictions for visible satellite passages for Ames, IA
Some more music for Astro 120 - boy, I wish I had found this sooner - could have tortured all of the students for a whole term! Try out 'Longitude and Latitude' for a sample. This does have the original version of "Why Does the Sun Shine" though.

Items from earlier in the course

Carbon Dioxide and other molecules identified in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet - new Hubble Space Telescope result
New views of the very early Earth
Direct imaging of planets around another star from the Astronomy Picture of the Day.
First image of an extrasolar planetary system - APOD November 17, 2008
Homework 10 was due in recitation on December 5/8. It will be returned to you the last week of class. Please see your TA if you don't get to pick it up there.
I note with sadness the passing of Prof. Edwin Salpeter. Ed was one of the great physicists of the 20th century, whose work in astrophysics included the discovery of the way that stars burn helium, crystallization of white dwarf matter, and the rate of star formation as a function of mass (among many other singular accomplishments). He was a brilliant but gentle soul who I only knew briefly as an undergrad at Cornell - but his impact has been much stronger on my professional career. One of his grad students was Hugh Van Horn, who was my thesis advisor's thesis advisor. This made Ed my great grand-prof (as he put it).
Astronomy Picture of the Day for November 18: the first view of the Earth from the Moon, 1966
WWW-based reading for Tuesday, November 18, class
EXAM 2: was on Thursday, November 13, from 6:30-8:00PM
- Essay question for the second exam
- Here is a review sheet with topics for the second exam
- Here is practice exam (multiple choice only) (and here are the answers)
Please note: the Course Outline has been modified for the dates November 6, 11, and 18.
Homework 9 was a bit different than the other homeworks - click on the link to see what is up. It counts as two homeworks. It was due in recitation on 11/7,10 and your participation in recitation was strongly advised...
Homework 8 was due in recitation on October 31/November 3.
The Sount Pole of Saturn: Astronomy Picture of the Day for Monday, October 27.
Midterm grade estimates are available on WebCT. This is an estimate of the grade you would get if Astro 120 ended just after Exam 1. It is based on your exam grade (75%) and your recitation work (25%).
Homework 7 was due in recitation on October 24/27.
A crater in the North Polar Cap on Mars
Homework 6 was due in recitation on October 17/20.
The strange Saturnian moon Enceladus was the Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 14.
MESSENGER spacecraft flew by Mercury on Monday, Oct. 6, getting as close as 125 miles (not kilometers!) in a gravity assist maneuver leading towards reaching orbit in March 2011.
Asteroid explodes in Earth's atmosphere - October 7.
Homework 5 was due in recitation on October 10/13.
EXAM 1 was on Thursday Evening, October 2
Exam Room assignments are here
- Here is the essay question for Exam 1
- Review sessions were held during regular lecture times on Thursday, October 2.
- Exam 1 Review notes
- Exam 1 sample questions
  - and here are the sample answers
Homework 4 was due in recitation on September 26/29.
Reading for Thursday, September 25: Here is the short web-based article on transfer orbits.
A titanic collision of planets around another star system!
Happy Autumnal Equinox!
Hazards of "equinox driving":
- Be careful driving around sunset for the next few weeks...
- accidents caused by the Sun
Homework 3 was due in recitation on September 19/22.
Possible "Bad Science" Moment: ABC-TV aired a Primetime special: UFOs: Seeing is Believing on Tuesday evening, September 16. If you have 90 minutes to waste, you might want to watch the show and see if it qualifies for the "bad science TV of the month" award...
Homework 2 was due in recitation on September 12/15.
Homework 1 was due in recitation on September 5/8.
What really makes the world go 'round...