Astronomy
Course Syllabus
Course Syllabus for Astronomy
Astronomy Syllabus: Homework, Reading Assignments, Discussion Topics, and Labs
Use the Links in the Homework column to find your homework assignment. Homework is usually due on the date given, unless otherwise stated in the assignment.
| Week | Date | Chapter | Topic | Lab | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 1, 2020 | HW00 | Introduction to Course: Methods and online Resources | Lab Reports | |
| 2 | Sep 8, 2020 | HW01 | 1.1-8 | Astronomy and the Universe | Observing Techniques |
| 3 | Sep 15, 2020 | HW02A | 2.1-4 | Knowing the Heavens | Observing Constellations |
| 4 | Sep 22, 2020 | HW02B | 2.5-8 | Finding your way around the year | Observing Using Coordinate Systems |
| 5 | Sep 29, 2020 | HW03 | 3.1-6 | Eclipses and the Motion of the Moon | Observing the Moon |
| 6 | Oct 6, 2020 | HW04A | 4.1-4 | Gravitation | Planetary Orbits |
| 7 | Oct 13, 2020 | HW04B | 4.5-8 | Derivation of Kepler's Laws | Determining the Mass of Jupiter |
| 8 | Oct 20, 2020 | HW05A | 5:1-4 | The Wave Nature of Light | Spectroscopy |
| 9 | Oct 27, 2020 | HW05B | 5.5-9 | The Particle Nature of Light | Refraction and Reflection |
| 10 | Nov 3, 2020 | HW06 | 6 | Optics and the Telescope | Telescopes |
| 11 | Nov 10, 2020 | HW07 | 7 | Comparative Planetology 1 | Observing Mercury and Venus |
| 12 | Nov 17, 2020 | HW08 | 8 | Comparative Planetology 2 | Observing Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn |
| 13 | Nov 24, 2020 | HW09 | 9 | The Living Earth: Geology [Terrestrial Plate Tectonics and Atmosphere] | Earth's Rocks |
| 14 | Dec 1, 2020 | HW10 | 10 | Our Barren Moon [Surface Features w/o plate tectonics or erosion] | Crater Formation |
| 15 | Dec 8, 2020 | HW11 | 11 | Mercury, Venus, and Mars [Planetary core structures and planetary development] | The Greenhouse Effect |
| 16 | Dec 15, 2020 | Focus on Terrestrial Planets | |||
| Dec 22, 2020 | CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY | ||||
| Dec 29, 2020 | NEW YEAR's HOLIDAY | ||||
| 17 | Jan 5, 2021 | HW12 | 12 | Jupiter and Saturn [Atmospheres II] | Differential Rotation |
| 18 | Jan 12, 2021 | HW13 | 13 | Jupiter and Saturn's Satellites: Moons, Rings and Tidal Forces | Ice Under Pressure |
| 19 | Jan 19, 2021 | HW14 | 14 | Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and the Kuiper Belt; Roche Limit | Observation of Jupiter's Moons |
| 20 | Jan 26, 2021 | HW15 | 15 | Vagabonds of the Solar System | Comet Observations |
| 21 | Feb 2, 2021 | Project Presentations, Review, and Exam | NO LAB | ||
| 22 | Feb 9, 2021 | HW16 | 16 | Our Star, the Sun | Sunspots |
| 23 | Feb 16, 2021 | HW17 | 17 | The Nature of the Stars | Stellar Motions and Distances |
| 24 | Feb 23, 2021 | HW18 | 18 | The Birth of Stars | Stellar Spectra |
| 25 | Mar 2, 2021 | HW19 | 19 | Stellar Evolution: On and After the Main Sequence | Stellar Evolution |
| 26 | Mar 9, 2021 | What we can learn from starlight | |||
| 27 | Mar 16, 2021 | HW20 | 20 | Stellar Evolution: Death of Stars | Variable stars - Period Luminosity Relationships |
| 28 | Mar 23, 2021 | HW21 | 21 | Black Holes | Binary Stars |
| 29 | Mar 30, 2021 | HOLY WEEK HOLIDAY | |||
| 30 | Apr 6, 2021 | HW22 | 22 | Our Galaxy | Observing HII Regions |
| Apr 13, 2021 | HW23 | 23 | Galaxies | Classifying Normal Galaxies | |
| 31 | Apr 20, 2021 | HW24 | 24 | Quasars and Active Galaxies | Classifying Active Galaxies |
| 32 | Apr 27, 2021 | HW25 | 25 | Cosmology | Hubble's Law |
| 33 | May 4, 2021 | HW26 | 26 | The Early Universe | The Curvature of Space |
| 34 | May 11, 2021 | HW27 | 27 | The Search for Extra Terrestrial Life | The Search For ExoPlanets |
| 35 | May 18, 2021 | Current events in astronomy | |||
| 36 | May 25, 2021 | Project Presentations, Review, and Exam | |||
| 4-Jun | End of Term |
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