Instructor: Professor Rogier A. Windhorst.
Location and Time: PSH-153; We. 6:40-9:30 pm.
Since this is a double length class, we will take a 15 min break at 7:55 pm.
Office hours: 2:30-3:30 pm on Mondays and Thursdays, 5:00-6:00 pm on
Wednesdays, all in room PSF-246. Messages can also be left in my mailbox in
room PSF-470. Please ask the person at the front-desk to put it in my mailbox.
TA: Mr. Rui Cao. His office hours are: MWF 10:30-11:30 am in room
PSH-350 (Tel. 965 0518). He will help with setup of the class audiovisual
equipment and the telescopes on the roof of the PSF-wing that we will sometimes
use after classtime. He can also help you with questions about lectures and
exams. His Email is Rui.Cao.1@asu.edu.
Other Help: Help may also be obtained from the TA's
that teach the AST-Labs during their office hours. Their office hours and rooms
will be posted on the door of room PSH-563. I can also help you find a tutor,
if needed.
Textbook: Astronomy, Journey to the Cosmic Frontier'',
by John D. Fix, 3rd Edition (New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education Publishers;
ISBN 0-07-283302-5 or 0-07-299697-8 with CD's). Older editions do not suffice.
Available for about $ 94.25 (new) or $ 70.75 (used, if available) at the ASU
Bookstore and other bookstores around campus. Check
www.university-bookstore.com
and www.amazon.com for better deals. AST 111
covers chapters 1-15, parts of chapter 16.5 and 18.5, plus Appendices.
Syllabus: An outline for AST 111 is given in the
attached syllabus. We will follow this schedule in principle, but some changes
may be announced later. I strongly urge you to read the chapter of the book (on
the day) before the corresponding lecture will be given.
Class Web Page: The Class Web Page will be at:
http://phyastweb.la.asu.edu/ast111-windhorst
WARNING: This site is under development, and we may update it during the semester. The Web-version of this syllabus thus supersedes the printed version, although I will likely not change the exam dates. A printed list of relevant Web address is attached to the syllabus.
Lecture notes and voluntary reading: You are strongly
advised to make your own notes. During my lectures, I will regularly give
examples of what kind of questions may be asked at the exams. A PDF file
of lecture notes from previous years made by Prof. Burstein is still available
on:
http://phyastweb.la.asu.edu/ast111-windhorst/ast111notes.pdf (read with Adobe Acroread).
These lecture notes have not been updated recently, and
some of the material in these lecture notes is also beyond the scope of our
class. The text-book is therefore your primary reference for this course. As
voluntary outside reading, I suggest you take advantage of the following
popular magazines: Scientific American, Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, Mercury
etc. These are on display in the Noble Science Library.
Prerequisites: Knowledge of elementary high school
algebra and geometry is required, although I will briefly explain the relevant
math in class. I will keep the use of formulae to a minimum, but expect you to
learn not to be "scared" of simple math.
WWW pages relevant to AST 111/112: Since a stunning
number of NASA images relevant to AST 111/112 has become available in the last
few years, I will continue to teach with an overhead projector connected to a
PC that can show real-time WWW pages. Please be patient with the sometimes
rather slow Net-speed. The WWW pages relevant to AST 111/112 will be given to
you on a separate hand-out, and are also posted on the class Web-site. Since I
often receive over 100 Emails a day, I apologize that I cannot answer all Emails
individually. But if you have a question, please come to my office hours, or ask
questions in class after it starts, so that all can benefit.
Interaction: Despite the fact that this large lecture
hall might be intimidating, I invite you to ask questions about the material.
I like to have interaction with the class, and will give plenty opportunity to
ask questions. The first few minutes after class starts am will be set aside for
questions in particular. The 15 min immediately before and after class are
strictly off-limits for questions, since I need this time to setup and store
away the audiovisuals. My office hours are available if you need personal
help. Please feel free to raise your hand during class-time if you have a
question, and when I call your question, please speak up loudly, so that
everyone can hear it.
Planetarium shows: You will benefit from attending one
of the Planetarium shows in room PSB-350 (the building West of the PSF-wing).
These are organized by Mr. Dan Matlaga (Room PSB-350, tel. 965-6891 or 3561).
Planetarium attendance will yield 10 extra credit points, provided you give me
your original attendance card that Mr. Matlaga issues during the
Planetarium show before Oct. 31. You must write your name and ASU
ID number on it this card. No extra credit will be given for the
Planetarium show under any other conditions. (Social Security numbers are no
longer used as ID numbers at ASU. Instead please use the Affiliate ID number on
your ASU Suncard, which usually starts with 1000).
Planetarium Shows for AST 111 Fall 2004:
1. September 14 12:00 noon
2. September 15 9:40p.m. (after class)
3. September 22 5:30p.m. (before class)
4. September 27 11:40a.m.
5. October 06 10:40a.m.
Exams: There will be three midterm exams, each
consisting of 50 questions, and one final comprehensive exam of 100 questions.
All questions are multiple choice with 4 or 5 alternatives, worth 1 point each.
Midterms will be given on September 22, October 20, and November 17. These are
held during the second lecture hour of 8:15-9:30 pm. Since the class only meets
on 17 nights this semester, the schedule is tight, and so the first lecture
hour during those exam nights will be used for regular instruction and for
review of the lecture material.
These exams cover roughly the first, second, and third 25-30% of the material, respectively. For each midterm exam, you need to study between about 90 and 130 new pages of the book, as indicated in the syllabus. The final comprehensive exam is scheduled for Wednesday December 15, 6:40-9:30, and covers Chapters 1-15 plus 16.5 and 18.5. All exams will be held in this room (PSH-153) and are closed book. Just bring a sharp, soft (No. 2) pencil with eraser. Exam questions are based for about 65% on material in the book and for 35% on material discussed in my lectures. The exams require knowledge of all material from the chapters in the book as indicated in the syllabus, except for several sections pointed out during my lectures (a separate list of these will not be given). In addition, you need to study your own notes from all my lectures.
IMPORTANT: YOU MUST BRING YOUR VALID ASU PICTURE ID TO
EACH EXAM. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN ZERO POINTS FOR THAT EXAM ! ASU
requires me to verify your ASU Affiliate ID number on your Suncard before I
can give you credit.
Grading: Your final grade will be determined from your
total score over the exams, plus optional Planetarium show. It is allowed
to drop your worst semester test, but NOT the final exam. No make-up
tests will therefore be given. Absence from an exam will result in zero points
for that exam, and may result in a final grade of D or E. The total possible
score is 200 points (excluding a maximum of 10 extra credit points for
the Planetarium show). Your final grade will be determined "on the curve".
Usually, this means that about 10% of the students with the lowest scores
(i.e., less than 80-100 points out of 200) will receive a D or an E. The true
numbers depend on the final shape of the curve. The exams are graded by
computer, and the results will be posted within a week on the bulletin board
across from the elevators on the second floor of the PSF-wing. Please consult
this bulletin board before asking us about your grade. Because it is illegal, I
will not give any grades over the phone. I will not engage in
negotiations about scores.
Cheating: If different exams of alternating color are
given, you are not allowed to make the same color test as you neighbor.
Doing so, or copying from neighbors, allowing others to copy, the presence of
books/notes, talking, and any other suspicious behavior during the tests will
all be considered cheating and result in an E for the course. No
exceptions. Your wrong answers will be correlated by computer against those of
everyone else, and students with exams suspiciously similar to those of who
they were sitting close to will be investigated for cheating.
AST Labs: The labs that go with AST 111 and 112 are AST 113 and AST 114,
respectively. Contact the instructor of these labs, who may be able to give
some overrides if you need one. Some ASU Colleges require that you take Lab AST
113 only with Lecture AST 111, and Lab AST 114 only with Lecture AST 112. We
will let you take Lab AST 113 with Lecture AST 112, or AST 114 with AST 111, as
long as you keep the book used in the Lectures while you are doing the Lab.
During my office hours, I can provide you with a supporting memo to this
effect, should someone require our permission in writing. All questions re. the
AST 113/114 Labs need to be directed to the Lab instructor, which is:
Name: Will, Lisa Phone: (480)965-5732 Title: Instructor Dept: Physics & Astronomy Bldg: PSF Room: 417 Mail code: 1504 E-mail: lisa.will@asu.edu
Overrides and Withdrawals: Please see me during my
office hours in room PSF-246 if you need an override for this class, or if you
want to withdraw before the withdrawal deadline.
Telescope Viewing after class: For those interested, I
will try to arrange opportunities to view the skies through telescopes on the
roof of the PSF or PSH building after class -- or in some cases when an
important event is visible at the end of the regular class time. This will be
especially useful for those students who could not get into an AST Lab. Since
the regular technical personnel that sets-up the A/V equipment during the day
is not available at night, I will need 15 minutes to store away all equipment
right after class. Hence, telescope viewing will only work if I can get some
help from a TA who will setup the telescopes on the roof before our class ends.
We are working on arranging TA help, so please stand by for details. There
will be no regular class credit for this telescope viewing, but I will consider
extra credit for other work below.
Public Viewing Nights: Interested students may want to
go to the ASU Public Viewing Nights. These are held during the last Friday of
each month -- starting in August or September -- on the roof of the PSH-wing.
This may be useful to those students who are not taking the AST Labs. You can
also go to public viewing nights at the Kitt Peak National Observatories near
Tucson (to make a reservation, call 1 520 318 8000 or 8600). There is no extra
credit for these activities..
Extra Credit or Honor's Credit: I will consider extra
credit or honor's credit for special class projects, often by Honor's College
students. In the past, these have been usually related in some way to the
``Great Debate on ET'' in the last week of classes.
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SYLLABUS --- INTRODUCTION TO ASTRONOMY I --- AST 111 --- Fall 2004
Lect Book
No. Date Planned topics (Tentative!) Chapters
01 We Aug. 25 Introduction of the course 1
The scientific method. Astronomy as a science 1
Review of the Cosmos. Size scales in the Universe 1
The celestial sphere and coordinate systems 1
02 We Aug. 25 Daily motions in the sky. Motion of the Sun 2
The motions and phases of the Moon 2
Motions of the Planets. 2
The origin of the seasons. Precession 2
Astronomical time and calendars 2
03 We Sep. 01 Ancient astronomy. Constellations 3
Early Greek Astronomy 3
Late Greek Astronomy: How it was found the Earth is round 3
A brief history of other astronomical observations 3
Eclipses of the Moon and the Sun 3
04 We Sep. 01 Astronomy after Ptolemy. Renaissance astronomy 4
Copernicus' heliocentric world model 4
05 We Sep. 08 Tycho Brahe's observations of the solar system 4
Kepler the theoretician and his three laws 4
06 We Sep. 08 Galileo and the first telescope 4
Galileo's and Kepler's work before Newton 5
07 We Sep. 15 Newton's three laws of Mechanics 5
The universal law of gravity. Mass and weight 5
08 We Sep. 15 Concepts of mechanics: mass, density, angular momentum 5
Orbits of planets, satellites, interplanetary spacecraft 5
Origin of the tides. Consequences of tidal interaction 5
09 We Sep. 22 REVIEW FOR FIRST EXAM 1-5
The finite speed of light. Light as waves and particles 6
The Doppler effect of sound and light 6
10 We Sep. 22 FIRST EXAM (pg. 1-128 + 137-140= 132 new pages) 1-5
11 We Sep. 29 DISCUSSION OF FIRST EXAM 1-5
The observable electromagnetic spectrum. Temperature 6+7.3
12 We Sep. 29 The law of Wien and colors of the stars 7.3
The laws of Planck and Stefan-Boltzmann 7.3
Introduction to optics: Reflection and refraction 6
13 We Oct. 06 Breeds of optical telescopes; telescope mounts 6
Optical cameras, spectrographs and detectors 6
Major optical observatories; atmospheric limitations 6
Space Observatories: IR, Optical, UV, X-ray, gamma-ray 6
The future of ground-based and space-astronomy 6
Radio astronomy and interferometry 6
14 We Oct. 06 Chemistry of the solar system. Cosmic abundance 7
Nuclear reactions and radioactivity 7
Atoms and ions. Sub-atomic particles. Spectrum of Hydrogen 7+16.5
Kirchoff's laws of spectroscopy 16.5
Structure and basic building blocks of the solar system 7
Internal heat in planets 7
Formation of the Sun and the giant planets. Cosmogony 7
15 We Oct. 13 The Earth's rotation and revolution 8
The Earth as a planet: surface, rocks and minerals 8
The Earth's interior, mantle, and crust. Geology 8
Continental drift; faults; volcano's; earthquakes 8
Our atmosphere and magnetosphere; van Allen belts 8
The chemical evolution of our planet 8
Life on Earth and elsewhere (?) 8
16 We Oct. 13 The Moon. Revolution, Rotation, Phases and Eclipses 9
The Moon. A study of its surface. Tides 9
Geology of the lunar surface; impact craters 9
Missions to the Moon. Moon rocks 9
Chemical composition of the Moon. Interior. Atmosphere? 9
The origin of our Moon 9
17 We Oct. 20 The Moon-like planet Mercury. Missions to Mercury 10
Radio and radar observations. Interior and magnetosphere 10
Venus. Exploration of its surface. Magellan radar maps 10
The mystery of retrograde rotation. Its revolution 10
Venus' cloudy atmosphere. Active volcano's 10
Venus Interior. Evolution of Venus 10
The run-away greenhouse effect: the Greenhouse Inferno 10
18 We Oct. 20 The planet Mars. Martian geology 11
Exploration of the Martian surface. Viking Landers 11
Volcano's on Mars; craters, canyons, plains, rivers 11
The polar caps and atmosphere of Mars; its climate 11
The Mars Pathfinder and other recent Mars Missions 11
Recent Mars Rovers. The interior and evolution of Mars 11
Life on Mars? Life possible on other planets? 11
The evolution of terrestrial planets. 11
REVIEW FOR SECOND EXAM 6-11+16.5
19 We Oct. 27 1st HOUR: SECOND EXAM (pg. 130-262 + 378-381=133 new pg.) 6-11+16.5
20 We Oct. 27 Observe a real Lunar Eclipse on roof of PSF-F wing 10
21 We Nov. 03 DISCUSSION OF SECOND EXAM 6-11+16.5
The Giant planets 12
General properties, orbits, rotation of the outer planets 12
Chemical composition, atmospheres, internal heat sources 12
The giant planet Jupiter 12
Observations of and missions to Jupiter. Galileo 12
Jupiter's atmosphere and magnetosphere. The perfect storm 12
22 We Nov. 03 Observations of and missions to Saturn. Recent Cassini pics 12
The planet Saturn. Internal heat source 12
Saturn's atmosphere and magnetosphere. Big bad storms 12
The physics of planetary ring systems. The Roche limit 12
The outer planets. Rotation and magnetospheres 13
The planet Uranus. Voyager encounter of Uranus 13
Uranus' magnetic field. Retrograde rotation 13
The planet Neptune. Voyager encounter of Neptune 13
23 We Nov. 10 Data on Pluto. History 13
Pluto and Charon 13
Kinds of planetary satellites 14
General properties of planetary satellites 14
The two Martian moons 14
Giant planet satellites. Formation of Galilean satellites 14
24 We. Nov. 10 Observations of Jupiter's satellites. Flyby's 14
Satellites, volcano's, and rings. Io 14
The nature of large and small satellites 14
Saturn's icy moons 14
Titan and its atmosphere 14
Uranus' moons and rings 14
Neptune's moons and rings. Triton 14
25 We Nov. 17 Meteoroids, Meteorites, and Meteors 15
What are meteoroids? What is a meteor? Meteor showers 15
Interplanetary dust; the zodiacal light 15
Meteorites, a gift from heaven; composition; ages 15
Exploring the asteroid belt; orbits; collisions 15
Greeks and Trojans around Jupiter. Lagrangian points 15
Sizes and composition of asteroids 15
Orbits and Collisions. Earth approaching asteroids 15
REVIEW FOR THIRD EXAM 12-15.3
26 We Nov. 17 THIRD EXAM (pg. 264-354 = 91 new pages) 12-15.3
27 We Nov. 24 DISCUSSION OF THIRD EXAM 12-15.3
Comets. The physics of comets 15
Nucleus; atmosphere; tails 15
Origin and evolution of comets. 15
The SL-9 impact. Who killed the dinosaurs? 15
Are we heading for Doomsday? 15
28 We Nov. 24 GENERAL REVIEW OF LECTURE MATERIAL THUS FAR
29 We Dec. 01 The formation/evolution of stars and planetary systems 18.5
Recent discoveries of planets around nearby stars 18.5
The origin of life 27
The search for life in the Solar System 27
Review of physical laws relevant to Life in the Universe 1-15,18.5
30 We Dec. 01 The Great Debate on "Life in the Universe?" (public forum) 1-15,18.5
Technical feasibility of interstellar space travel 1-15,18.5
The Drake equation: Are we alone? 27
Where is ET? (How) Do we prepare for an encounter? 27
Interstellar communication. Main lesson from class 27
31 We Dec. 08 REVIEW OF ALL LECTURE MATERIAL (voluntary session) 1-15,16.5,18.5
32 We Dec. 15 FINAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAM at 6:40-9:30pm in PSH-153 1-15,16.5,18.5
(pg. 1-368 + 378-381 + 431-436 = 378 total; 22 new pages)
Includes Ch. 1-15 + 16.5 + 18.5 + all lecture material (NOT Ch. 27).
Mo Dec. 20 Final grades posted on PSF-2nd floor across from elevators
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WWW addresses used in AST 111 / AST 112 (Windhorst)
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(List under development, please bear with us)
(This list): http://phyastweb.la.asu.edu/ast111-windhorst/
(NASA Trips through SS): http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/
(Nice page for all SS bodies) http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/billa/tnp/
(Latest Mars Pathfinder): http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/past/pathfinder.html
(General Mars pages): http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome/mars.htm
(General comet page): http://encke.jpl.nasa.gov/
(Shoemaker-Levy 9): http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/sl9/sl9.html
(First Exo-planet found): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3644410.stm
http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2004/pr-23-04.html#note2
(Lunar Eclipse Oct 27): http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/13oct_lunareclipse.htm?list15500
(NASA HQ home page): http://www.nasa.gov/
(All NASA missions): http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/
(General Space Science News): http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/
(NASA Human Space Flights): http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/flights.html
(Launch calendar): http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/schedule/schedule.htm
(Intl' Space Station): http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/
(NASA Educational Site): http://spacelink.nasa.gov/index.html
(A Web page for children): http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html
(Satellite Weather images): http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/index.html
(General Astronomy topics): http://www.windows.umich.edu/windows2.html
(Doomsday Asteroid Quiz): http://www.skycalendar.com/skycal/index.html
(Astro Picture Of the Day): http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
(Faint Blue Galaxy Mystery): http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950907.html
(Galaxy Building Blocks): http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960905.html
(Ultraviolet Galaxies): http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010117.html
(End of the Dark Ages): http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/2003/05/
(Dawn of Galaxy Formation): http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/2004/28/
(Space Telescope Science Institute): http://www.stsci.edu/
(Space Telescope Science Institute): http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/hst/index.html
(Best of Hubble Space Telescope): http://www.seds.org/hst/hst.html
(Detailed list of Hubble images): http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/edugroup/educational-activities.html#resources
http://www.stsci.edu/exined/picturebooks.html
(Trip through Universe): http://anzwers.org/free/universe/universe.html
(Sky and Telescope site): http://skyandtelescope.com/
(Astron. Soc. Pacific materials): http://www.astrosociety.org/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/edugroup/educational-activities.html#resources
http://www.stsci.edu/exined/picturebooks.html
(Hubble Press releases occur every week, so list below is not updated!)
(Hubble Space Telescope images relevant to AST 111 can be found on):
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/venus/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/mars/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/jupiter/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/saturn/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/uranus/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/neptune/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/pluto/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/planetary%20moon/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/planetary%20ring/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/weather_atmosphere/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/minor%20body/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/minor%20body/asteroid/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/minor%20body/comet/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/solar%20system/minor%20body/kuiper%20belt%20object/
(Hubble Space Telescope images relevant to AST 112 can be found on):
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/star/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/nebula/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/nebula/planetary/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/nebula/reflection/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/star%20cluster/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/galaxy/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/galaxy/dwarf/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/galaxy/elliptical/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/galaxy/interacting/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/galaxy/irregular/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/galaxy/magellanic%20cloud/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/galaxy/spiral/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/galaxy/quasar_active%20nucleus/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/exotic/black%20hole/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/galaxy/cluster/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/cosmology/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/cosmology/distant%20galaxies/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/cosmology/universe%3A%20age_size/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/exotic/dark%20matter/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/exotic/gamma%20ray%20burst/
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/category/exotic/gravitational%20lens/
(Back to top of this list): http://phyastweb.la.asu.edu/ast111-windhorst/index.html
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