ASTR-2050 Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics Spring 2001

This is a four credit course, so it is expected to take no more than twelve hours per week to complete.This works out to four hours per week in class and up to eight hours per week to complete the homework, reading assignment, and quiz.The homework will typically be assigned on Tuesday, to be turned in at the beginning of class on the following Tuesday.If the class is taking more time than this, please let me know so I can help you reduce the required time (or adjust the course if many students are finding the course too time-consuming).

Tentative Course Schedule

Week 1: January 9 and 12

Course orientation, introduction to astronomy, and Kepler’s Laws

Activity: CLEA – Moons of Jupiter

Week 2: January 16 and 19

Tour of the solar system

Activity: Model Solar System

Week 3: January 23 and 26

Light as a probe of the Universe

Activity: Blackbody applet

*************** Exam #1, 10 AM February 6 **************

Week 4: January 30 and February2

Observations of stars – photometry

Activity: CLEA – Photometric Photometry of the Pleides

Week 5: February 6 and 9

Observations of stars – stellar spectra

Activity: CLEA – Classification of Stellar Spectra

Week 6: February 13 and 16

Theory of stars – stellar interiors

Activity: CUPS – Interior Model of Star

Week 7: February 23 (the 20^nd is a Monday schedule, so we will not have class)

Theory of stars – stellar evolution

Week 8: February 27 and March 2

Activity: CLEA – Radio Astronomy of Pulsars

Observations of stars – unusual stars

**************** Exam # 2, 10 AM March 9 ***************

Week 9: March 6 and 9

The Milky Way Galaxy

Activity: Map the stellar density in the Milky Way

SPRING BREAK

Week 10: March 20 and 23

Galaxies and Large scale structure

Activity: CLEA – Large Scale Structure

Week 11: March 27 and 30

Hubble’s Law and the Distance scale

Activity: Hubble Law

Week 12: April 3 and 6(GM WEEK)

Research topics in modern astronomy

Activity: Sunspots and solar telescopes

**************** Exam # 3, 10 AM April 13 ****************

Week 13: April 10 and 13

Active galaxies and quasars

Activity: M87 exercise

Week 14: April 17 and 20

Cosmology

Week 15: April 24

Review

FINALS WEEK