ASTRONOMY 101 - SOLAR SYSTEM ASTRONOMY FALL 2002 INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Thomas Balonek HEAD TEACHING ASSISTANTS: Joseph Converse, Jeyhan Kartaltepe OFFICE/LAB: 151 Lathrop (Office) phone: 228-7767 159 Lathrop (Astronomy Research Laboratory) email: Tom Balonek (tbalonek@mail.colgate.edu) web site: astronomy.colgate.edu course bulletin board: outside Lathrop 159 OFFICE HOURS: M 4:10 - 5:00 pm T 2:00 - 4:00 pm W 4:10 - 5:00 pm other times Ð by appointment TA HELP SESSIONS: Wednesday nights, 8:30-9:30 pm, Lathrop 158; also by appointment. ITEMS TO BUY: 1. Text: Jeffrey Bennett, Megan Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit, The Cosmic Perspective, 2nd edition (be sure it contains ÒSkyGazerÓ CD-ROM and www.astronomyplace.com access code) 2. The Night Sky (Òstar wheelÓ) Additional readings will be on reserve in Cooley Library or available on the web at: astronomy.colgate.edu (select ÒInstructional MaterialsÓ or "Links[General]") LECTURES: 1:20 - 2:10 M W F in Lathrop 209. OBSERVING: This course will feature three required pre-scheduled observatory events and several observations which you will make on your own. These observing requirements will involve several hours of work throughout the semester. To offset the time required to undertake these observations, four classes will be canceled during the semester. Three nighttime observatory sessions (of forty five minute duration) are scheduled for September 10-12, October 1-3, and October 16-17. If weather conditions result in the postponement of these sessions, the events will be rescheduled for the following week(s). There will be a sign up sheet on the board outside Lathrop 159 for times to visit the observatory. These observatory events will be conducted on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from the end of twilight until about midnight. During the observing sessions, you will make observations both with the naked eye and telescopes of specific astronomical objects and phenomena. You will submit the observations to an assistant before you leave the observatory. You are required to make several observations on your own. Instructions and forms for the observations will be provided. These observations include: acquainting yourself with the night sky, observing the motion and phase of the Moon, observing the daily and annual motion of the Sun, solar observations with a telescope, and nighttime telescopic observations. [The telescopic solar observations should take less than thirty minutes to complete, depending on how many other students are observing. Hours when the solar telescopes will be available for use - at the quad entrance to Lathrop Hall - will be posted throughout the semester.] EXERCISES: Four exercises will be assigned during the semester. They will be collected and graded. Special evening help sessions, conducted by the teaching assistants, will be available if you find the exercises difficult. WORKSHEETS: Additional handouts containing short exercises or problems will be provided throughout the semester to assist you in your studies. These will not be collected or graded. Answer sheets will be posted. Assistance on these exercises will be available from the teaching assistants or instructor. COSMOS: The COSMOS television series (by Carl Sagan) videos will be shown Monday nights. The videos are one-hour in duration. You are required to attend THREE showings, of your selection, during the semester. GRADE POLICY: Quiz on Celestial Motions 10% First Hour Exam 15% Second Hour Exam 25% Final Exam (Cumulative) 30% Attendance, Exercises and Observing Assignments 20% NOTE: Attendance in class lectures will be taken. Final course grades will be adjusted significantly for those students with unexcused absence from more than four lectures. (If you will miss classes this semester as a result of your required participation in a Colgate sponsored function, contact the professor during the first week of classes.) ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION THE OBSERVATORY SESSIONS, EXERCISES, AND ATTENDANCE AT COSMOS VIDEOS ARE A REQUIRED PART OF THIS COURSE. THEY WILL CONSTITUTE 20% OF YOUR COURSE GRADE. (A) OBSERVING SESSIONS: Required Nighttime Observing Sessions (first clear night of Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights): Observatory Event #1: Week of September 10-12: Using the Star Wheel & Finding Your Way Around the Sky (learn how to use your StarWheel to identify the brightest stars and constellations). Bring Your StarWheel. [If skies are cloudy all three days, we will try again the next week.] Observatory Event #2: Week of October 1-3: Measuring Celestial Positions and Motions (learn how to measure the altitude, azimuth and separation between of stars as they move in the nighttime sky). [If skies are cloudy all three days, we will try again the next week.] Observatory Event #3: Week of October 16-17: Observing the Moon (use the observatory's telescopes to view features on the lunar surface). [If skies are cloudy both days, we will try again at a later date.] ADDITIONAL OBSERVING: The observatory will be open on several nights in September and October for casual observing (feel free to bring a friend). Hours will be announced in class. {Be sure to get up early - or stay up all night - to view the Leonid Meteor Storm Tuesday, November 19.} (B) EXERCISES: Four exercises will be distributed in class. Each exercise will take one to two hours to complete. The exercises will be collected and graded. Assistance on these exercises will be available from the teaching assistants or instructor. Exercise 1: Using the Star Wheel and Voyager SkyGaze [due Friday September 13] Exercise 2: The Celestial Globe [due Wed September 25] Exercise 3: Lunar Topography [due Wed October 30] Exercise 4: The Jovian Planets and Satellites [due Wed November 13] (C) COSMOS: The COSMOS television series (by Carl Sagan) videos will be shown Monday nights (beginning September 9) at 8:00 pm in Lathrop 217. The videos are one-hour in duration. You are required to attend THREE showings, of your selection, during the semester. Attendance at more than the required three sessions will improve the ÒAttendance, Exercise and ObservingÓ grade. Monday September 9: I. The Shores of the Cosmic Horizon Monday September 16: II. One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue Monday September 23: III. The Harmony of the Worlds Monday September 30: IV. Heaven and Hell Monday October 7: V. Blues for a Red Planet Monday October 14: FALL BREAK, NO MOVIE Monday October 21: VI. The TravelersÕ Tales Monday October 28: VII. The Backbone of Night Monday November 4: VIII. Travels in Space and Time Monday November 11: IX. The Lives of the Stars Monday November 18: X. The Edge of Forever Monday November 25: XI. The Persistence of Memory Monday December 2: XII. Encyclopedia Galactica Monday December 9: XIII. Who Speaks for Earth? ASTRONOMY 101 - SOLAR SYSTEM ASTRONOMY FALL 2002 DATE TOPIC / ASSIGNMENT M 2 Sep Introduction; Survey of the Universe Preface (xii-vxii), How to succeed in your astronomy course (xviii-xix), Chapter 1.4 (pp 34-35), Appendix H, check out http://astronomy.colgate.edu -- select links[general] W 4 Sep Contents of the Solar System and Universe Chapter 1.1 (pp 1-10) F 6 Sep Scale of the Solar System and Universe Chapter 1.2 (pp 10-27), Appendices A (distances, times, earth reference values), C, E M 9 Sep Observing the Sky - Motions of the Stars and Sun; Astronomical Frames of Reference Chapter 2.1-2.2 (pp 39-50), Chapter 1.3 (pp 27-34), Appendices I & J, StarWheel ***** September 10-12: Observatory Event #1: Using the Star Wheel & Finding Your Way Around the Sky W 11 Sep "The View Depends on Where (and When) You Are" Chapter S1.4-S1.5 (pp 73-87) F 13 Sep Deducing Patterns in the Moon's Celestial Movements Chapter 2.3 (pp 50-58) DUE September 13: Exercise 1: Using the Star Wheel and Voyager SkyGazer M 16 Sep Making Sense of the Celestial Movements of the Planets Chapter 2.4 (pp 58-63) W 18 Sep Subtle Celestial Phenomena Chapter S1.1-S1.3 (pp 65-73)) F 20 Sep ***** NO CLASS ***** [The Observatory will be open this evening 8:00-10:30 pm for Family Weekend] M 23 Sep Foundations of Western and Non-Western Astronomy - Ancient Observations Chapter 3.1-3.2 (pp 91-100) W 25 Sep ** QUIZ: Astronomical Observations, Celestial Motions ** DUE September 25: Exercise 2: The Celestial Globe F 27 Sep Greek Cosmologies: Ptolemaic Relations Chapter 3.3-3.6 (pp 100-109) M 30 Sep The Copernican Revolution Chapter 5.3 (pp 133-134), review Chapter 1.3 (pp 27-30) ***** October 1-3: Observatory Event #2: Measuring Celestial Positions and Motions W 2 Oct Tycho, Kepler and Galileo Test the Copernican Model Chapter 5.3 (pp 134-139) F 4 Oct Of Apples and Fig(ure)s: Newtonian Mechanics, Gravitation, and Planetary Motion Chapter 5.4 (pp 139-142), Chapter 5.6 (pp 145-147), [skim over Chapter 5.1-5.2 (pp 125-133) and 5.7 (pp 147-148)] M 7 Oct The Earth-Moon System: Tides, Rotation, Revolutions & Phases Chapter 5.5 (pp 142-145) W 9 Oct ** FIRST HOUR EXAM ** F 11 Oct ***** NO LECTURE ***** {optional solar observing if clear} M 14 Oct ***** FALL (MIDTERM) RECESS ***** W 16 Oct Characteristics of Our Solar System Review Chapter 1 (pp 10-23), Chapter 8.1-8.2 (pp 197-203), Mathematical Insight 4.1 (p 113), Chapter 4.3 (pp 117-120), Chapter 7.6 (pp 189- 192), Appendix E ***** October 16-17: Observatory Event #3: Observing the Moon F 18 Oct Theories for the Formation of Solar Systems Chapter 8.3-8.6 (pp 203-218) M 21 Oct Terrestrial Planets I: Physical Processes in Planetary Interiors and Surfaces W 23 Oct Terrestrial Planets II: Modifying Planetary Surfaces Chapter 9.4 (pp 235-246) F 25 Oct Terrestrial Planets III: The Terrestrial Worlds Closeup Chapter 9.5 (pp 246-255) M 28 Oct Terrestrial Planets IV: Physical Processes in Planetary Atmospheres Chapter 10.1-10.3 (pp 259-271) W 30 Oct Terrestrial Planets V: Changes in Planetary Atmospheres - Weather, Climate and Evolution Chapter 10.4-10.6(pp 270-284) DUE October 30: Exercise 3: Lunar Topography F 1 Nov ***** NO CLASS ***** M 4 Nov Jovian Planets I: Physical Processes in Planetary Interiors Chapter 11.1-11.2 (pp 287-293) W 6 Nov Jovian Planets II: Atmospheres and Magnetospheres Chapter 11.3-11.4 (pp 293-302) F 8 Nov Jovian Planets III: The Larger Satellites of the Jovian Planets Chapter 11.5 (pp 302-315), Appendix E.3 M 11 Nov Jovian Planets IV: The Smaller Satellites of the Jovian Planets Review Chapter 11.5 (pp 302-315), Appendix E.3 W 13 Nov Jovian Planets V: Planetary Rings Chapter 11.6 (pp 316-320) DUE November 13: Exercise 4: The Jovian Planets and Satellites F 15 Nov ** SECOND HOUR EXAM ** M 18 Nov ***** NO CLASS ***** ---> Tuesday morning, November 19: LEONID METEOR SHOWER (optional observing) <--- W 20 Nov Between the Planets: Asteroids Chapter 12.1-12.2 (pp 323-330) F 22 Nov Solar System Vagabonds: Comets (and Pluto?) Chapter 12.4-12.5 (pp 333-340) M 25 Nov Cosmic Impacts: Comets, Meteorites and Meteor Showers Chapter 12.3 (pp 330-333), 12.6 (pp 341-348) W 27 Nov ***** THANKSGIVING RECESS ***** F 29 Nov ***** THANKSGIVING RECESS ***** M 2 Dec Detecting Other Solar Systems Chapter 8.7 (pp 218-221) W 4 Dec The Earth as an Abode for Life Chapter 13.1-13.3 (pp 351-365) F 6 Dec Astrobiology - Life in the Cosmic Context Chapter 13.4-13.5 (pp 365-374) M 9 Dec Is There Life Elsewhere in the Solar System? Or in Other Solar Systems? Chapter 13.6 (pp 374-378) W 11 Dec The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe Chapter S5.1-S5.4 (pp 655-665) F 13 Dec Our Place Amidst the Stars