Syllabus Astronomy Fall 2013

Astronomy 101-001 Fall2013 Tues & Thurs, 0930 1045, Regener Hall 103 3 hrs credit Instructor: T. Howard thowardz@unm.edu Office hours: available after class, office area behind Regener; see me at end of class Week 1 begins Tuesday, 20 August (first class meeting) Week 16 ends Thursday, 5 December (last class meeting) Course description from UNM catalog: Conceptual description of our fascinating universe: early astronomy, Newtonian synthesis, Earth, Moon, planets, asteroids, comets, the sun, our solar system, stars, black holes, galaxies, dark matter, dark energy and cosmological mysteries. Course objectives: to achieve a comfortable working knowledge of the sky and major celestial objects; to learn the basic structure of our universe as we currently know it; and to understand the important questions being addressed by modern-day astronomy, and the scientific methods used to do so. Text: Astronomy: A Beginners Guide to the Universe, 7th ed., Chaisson & McMillan (Addison-Wesley, 2013) ISBN 10: 978-0-321-81535-4. Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites. Grades: will be based on the following assignments and weightings -2 project assignments worth 8 points each Mid-term exam (in-class, open book/notes) worth 45 points Final exam (in-class, open book/notes) worth 45 points Total grade is sum of all points earned More details and posting of instructions in week 2 Final grade based on 100 point scale with + and grades (UNM standard) A = 93 100, B = 85-92, C = 76 84, D = 68 75. Top and bottom 2 pts in each range are +/-. Attendance Policy: Regular attendance and participation in class is required. I do not grade on the basis of attendance; nevertheless, students are responsible for all assignments and other course administration announcements as given in class. UNM Pathfinder policies apply, which in part means that instructor drops based on nonattendance are possible. This policy applies regardless of the grading option chosen. Accommodation Statement: Accessibility Services (Mesa Vista Hall 2021, 277-3506) provides academic support to students who have disabilities. If you think you need alternative accessible formats for undertaking and completing coursework, you should contact this service right away to assure your needs are met in a timely manner. If you need local assistance in contacting Accessibility Services, see the Bachelor and Graduate Programs office.

Syllabus Astronomy Fall 2013

Academic Integrity: The University of New Mexico believes that academic honesty is a foundation principle for personal and academic development. All University policies regarding academic honesty apply to this course. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating or copying, plagiarism, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. The Universitys full statement on academic honesty and the consequences for failure to comply is available in the college catalog and in the Pathfinder. Cell phones, laptops, etc: Please mute or turn off your cell phones or other electronic gadgets while in class. Course Website: will be available next class; used for reference materials

Class schedule and reading list by week and topic: approximate Date Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Topics Introduction, practical astronomy Planetary motion Light & Telescopes Solar System *** NOTE *** Earth, Moon, Terrestrial Planets Jovian Planets The Sun The stars Fall Break Thurs 10/10 Stars, Interstellar medium Stellar evolution The Milky Way Galaxies Intro to Cosmology Cosmology Life in the Universe Thanksgiving week Exoplanets, Astrobiology Text chapters Ch. 0, 1 Ch.1, 2 Ch. 2, 3 Ch. 4, 5 Ch. 5, 6 Ch. 7, 8 Ch. 9 Ch. 10 Ch. 10, 11 Ch. 12, 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15, 16 Ch. 16, 17 Ch. 17 Ch. 18 Ch. 18 Week of (Monday) Aug 19 Aug 26 Sep 2 Sep 9 ** No class 9/12 ** Sep 16 Sep 23 Sep 30 Oct 7 ** No class 10/10 ** Oct 14 Oct 21 Oct 28 Nov 4 Nov 11 Nov 18 Nov 25 ** No class 11/28 ** Dec 2