| Date | Number | Topic | Reading (Bennett) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 23 | 1 | Overview: Our Universe, Solar System, and Species | Chapter 1, pp. 1-18, 22-23 |
| 25 | 2 | The Cosmic Fishbowl - celestial coordinates and motions | Chapter 2, Sect. 2.1 - 2.2 Chapter S1, Sect. S1.4 - S1.5 |
| 30 | 3 | The apparent motion of the Sun; Time | Chapter 2, Section 2.3 |
| Sept. 1 | 4 | The motion of the Sun; the seasons; the Moon | |
| 6 | 5 | Phases of the Moon - the Moon's orbit | Chapter 2, Section 2.5 |
| 8 | 6 | Lunar and solar eclipses | Chapter 2, Section 2.5 |
| 13 | 7 | Planetary Motions | Chapter 2, Section 2.6 |
| 15 | 8 | A Historical Interlude - astronomy from Ancient Greece to Copernicus |
Chapter 2, Section 2.6 Chapter 3, Section 3.1-middle of 3.4, 3.5 |
| 20 | 9 | Galileo, Kepler, and Newton | Chapter 3, Section 3.4 Chapter 5, thru Section 5.3 |
| 25 | 10 | Rocket Science! | JPL Web page on transfer orbits |
| 27 | 11 | The structure and properties of our solar system | Chapter 8 |
| 29 | -- | EXAM 1; 6:30 PM | |
| Oct. 4 | 12 | Planetary Surfaces I - Physical Processes | Chapter 10, Section 10.1, 10.3 |
| 6 | 13 | Planetary Surfaces II - Ages of surfaces, and the Moon | Chapter 9, Section 9.5 Chapter 10, Section 10.3-10.4 |
| 11 | 14 | The surfaces of the terrestrial planets: Moon, Mercury, and Venus | Chapter 10 , Section 10.4, 10.6 |
| 13 | 15 | Mars | Chapter 10, Section 10.5 |
| 18 | 16 | Atmospheres of the inner planets, and global warming on Earth | Chapter 11, Sections 11.1-11.3, 11.5-6 |
| 20 | 17 | Giant Planets I: Interiors and atmospheres | Chapter 12, through Section 12.4 |
| 25 | 18 | Giant Planets II: Phenomena, tides, and rings | Chapter 5, Section 5.4 Chapter 12, Section 12.6 |
| 27 | 19 | Icy Satellites, Pluto, and KBOs | Chapter 12, Section 12.5 Chapter 13, Section 13.5 |
| Nov. 1 | 20 | Asteroids and meteorites: remnants of the origin of our solar system | Chapter 13, Section 13.1-13.3 |
| 3 | 21 | Planetary collisions: past, present and future | Chapter 9, Section 9.4 Chapter 13, Section 13.6 |
| 8 | 22 | Astrology and pseudoscience | in-class "quiz" and web assignment |
| 10 | -- | EXAM 2; 6:30PM | |
| 15 | 23 | Comets and their origins | Chapter 13, Section 13.4 |
| 17 | 24 | The Sun: an ordinary star | Chapter 15 |
| 29 | 25 | The origin of our solar system | Chapter 9, Section 9.1-9.4 |
| Dec. 1 | 26 | The search for life in the Universe I: Searches for new planetary systems | Chapter 9, Section 9.6 |
| 6 | 27 | The search for life in the Universe II: Searches for life and intelligence | Chapter 24 |
| 8 | 28 | The fate of our solar system. Conclusions | Chapter 24 |