Astronomy
Course Syllabus
Course Syllabus for Astronomy
Astronomy Syllabus: Homework, Reading Assignments, Discussion Topics, and Labs
This syllabus is for the 2022-2023 academic year. It will be updated for the 2023-2024 year in June, 2023..
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 6, 2022 | HW00 | Introduction to Course: Methods and online Resources | Lab Reports | |
| 2 | Sep 13, 2022 | HW01 | 1.1-8 | Astronomy and the Universe | Observing Techniques |
| 3 | Sep 20, 2022 | HW02A | 2.1-4 | Knowing the Heavens | Observing Constellations |
| 4 | Sep 27, 2022 | HW02B | 2.5-8 | Finding your way around the year | Observing Using Coordinate Systems |
| 5 | Oct 4, 2022 | HW03 | 3.1-6 | Eclipses and the Motion of the Moon | Observing the Moon |
| 6 | Oct 11, 2022 | HW04A | 4.1-4 | Gravitation | Planetary Orbits |
| 7 | Oct 18, 2022 | HW04B | 4.5-8 | Derivation of Kepler's Laws | Determining the Mass of Jupiter |
| 8 | Oct 25, 2022 | HW05A | 5:1-4 | The Wave Nature of Light | Spectroscopy |
| 9 | Nov 1, 2022 | HW05B | 5.5-9 | The Particle Nature of Light | Refraction and Reflection |
| 10 | Nov 8, 2022 | HW06 | 6 | Optics and the Telescope | Telescopes |
| 11 | Nov 15, 2022 | HW07 | 7 | Comparative Planetology 1 | Observing Mercury and Venus |
| 12 | Nov 22, 2022 | HW08 | 8 | Comparative Planetology 2 | Observing Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn |
| 13 | Nov 29, 2022 | HW09 | 9 | The Living Earth: Geology [Terrestrial Plate Tectonics and Atmosphere] | Earth's Rocks |
| 14 | Dec 6, 2022 | HW10 | 10 | Our Barren Moon [Surface Features w/o plate tectonics or erosion] | Crater Formation |
| 15 | Dec 13, 2022 | HW11 | 11 | Mercury, Venus, and Mars [Planetary core structures and planetary development] | The Greenhouse Effect |
| 16 | Dec 20, 2022 | CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY | |||
| Dec 27, 2022 | NEW YEAR's HOLIDAY | ||||
| Jan 3, 2023 | Focus on Terrestrial Planets | ||||
| 17 | Jan 10, 2023 | HW12 | 12 | Jupiter and Saturn [Atmospheres II] | Differential Rotation |
| 18 | Jan 17, 2023 | HW13 | 13 | Jupiter and Saturn's Satellites: Moons, Rings and Tidal Forces | Ice Under Pressure |
| 19 | Jan 24, 2023 | HW14 | 14 | Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and the Kuiper Belt; Roche Limit | Observation of Jupiter's Moons |
| 20 | Jan 31, 2023 | HW15 | 15 | Vagabonds of the Solar System | Comet Observations |
| 21 | Feb 7, 2023 | Project Presentations, Review, and Exam | NO LAB | ||
| 22 | Feb 14, 2023 | HW16 | 16 | Our Star, the Sun | Sunspots |
| 23 | Feb 21, 2023 | HW17 | 17 | The Nature of the Stars | Stellar Motions and Distances |
| 24 | Feb 28, 2023 | HW18 | 18 | The Birth of Stars | Stellar Spectra |
| 25 | Mar 7, 2023 | HW19 | 19 | Stellar Evolution: On and After the Main Sequence | Stellar Evolution |
| 26 | Mar 14, 2023 | What we can learn from starlight | |||
| 27 | Mar 21, 2023 | HW20 | 20 | Stellar Evolution: Death of Stars | Variable stars - Period Luminosity Relationships |
| 28 | Mar 28, 2023 | HW21 | 21 | Black Holes | Binary Stars |
| 29 | Apr 4, 2023 | Holy Week Holiday | |||
| 30 | Apr 11, 2023 | HW22 | 22 | Our Galaxy | Observing HII Regions |
| Apr 18, 2023 | HW23 | 23 | Galaxies | Classifying Normal Galaxies | |
| 31 | Apr 25, 2023 | HW24 | 24 | Quasars and Active Galaxies | Classifying Active Galaxies |
| 32 | May 2, 2023 | HW25 | 25 | Cosmology | Hubble's Law |
| 33 | May 9, 2023 | HW26 | 26 | The Early Universe | The Curvature of Space |
| 34 | May 16, 2023 | HW27 | 27 | The Search for Extra Terrestrial Life | The Search For ExoPlanets |
| 35 | May 23, 2023 | Current events in astronomy/Project Presentations | |||
| 36 | May 30, 2023 | Review, and Exam |
Observations Planning Calendar
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