The

 Solar  System Paul  A.  Russell

AST  103  -­‐  Fall  2010  -­‐  3  Credits Email:  paul.russell@csn.edu
WCH  H-­‐107  TR    2:00  p.m.  -­‐  3:20  p.m. Office  H-­‐301-­‐A,  by  appointment

TentaAve  Class  Schedule hFp://ast103.posterous.com

Date Chapter Subject
Required  Text
Astronomy  Today  by  Chaisson  &  McMillan
08/31/10 -­‐ IntroducPon Either  the  full  text  or  Volume  1  -­‐  The  Solar  System
09/02/10 1 The  Night  Sky
Course  DescripAon
09/07/10 1 The  CelesPal  Sphere
An  elementary  course  which  considers  the  solar  
09/09/10 2 Ancient  Astronomy system,  stellar  systems  and  stellar    evoluPon  according  
09/14/10 2 Galileo  &  Newton to  currently  accepted  concepts.  This  course  designed  
for  non-­‐science  majors  with  liFle  or  no  background  in  
09/16/10 3 ProperPes  of  Light
science  or  mathemaPcs.
09/21/10 4 The  ElectromagnePc  Spectrum This  course  is  divided  into  three  secPons:
09/23/10 4 The  Nature  of  MaFer 1. Principles  of  Astronomy
2. The  Planets
09/28/10 5 Telescopes 3. The  Sun  &  other  solar  system  objects
09/30/10 TEST  1 Chapters  1  to  5
Course  ObjecAves
10/05/10 6 The  Solar  System AUer  complePng  this  course,  students  will  be  able  to:
10/07/10 7 The  Earth 1. Demonstrate  a  conceptual  knowledge  of  basic  
The  Moon astronomical  principles.
10/12/10 8
2. Debunk  pseudoscience  and  converse  intelligibly  
10/14/10 8 The  Moon  &  Mercury about  the  nature  of  the  Universe.
10/19/10 9 Venus 3. Follow  new  developments  in  astronomy  long  aUer  
the  course  is  completed.
10/21/10 10 Mars
10/26/10 11 Jupiter EvaluaAon
10/28/10 12 Saturn The  course  grade  is  based  on  the  scores  from  three  
exams  and  five  homework  assignments.
11/02/10 TEST  2 Chapters  6  to  12
Each  exam  is  worth  25  points  and  each  homework  
11/04/10 13 Uranus  &  Neptune assignment  is  worth  5  points,  for  a  total  100  points.
11/09/10 13 Pluto  &  Dwarf  Planets
The  exam  dates  are  listed  on  the  class  schedule.  The  
11/11/10 -­‐ No  Class exams  are  open  note  but  NOT  open  textbook,  so  make  
11/16/10 14 Asteroids  &  Comets sure  you  have  a  good  set  of  notes  as  part  of  your  exam  
preparaPon.  Note:  Photocopies  of  textbook  pages  are  
11/18/10 15 Planetary  FormaPon
not  acceptable  as  notes  in  the  exam!
11/23/10 16 The  Sun
Students  are  responsible  for  being  present  at  all  
11/25/10 -­‐ No  Class specified  exam  dates  and  Pmes.  Those  who  cannot  
11/30/10 16 The  Sun  (ConPnued) aFend  on  a  given  exam  date  must  contact  me  BEFORE  
12/02/10 -­‐ No  Class the  exam  date  to  arrange  a  Pme  and  place  to  take  the  
exam  without  penalty.
12/07/10 -­‐ Cosmology
12/09/10 28 Life  in  the  Universe Student  who  fail  to  aLend  an  exam  without  prior  
Chapters  13  to  16  &  28 noAce  may  take  the  exam  in  the  tesAng  center,  but  
12/14/10 TEST  3
will  lose  10  points  per  day  aPer  the  scheduled  exam  
12/16/10 -­‐ date.
The  homework  assignments  and  due  dates  are  given   Student  ResponsibiliAes
in  the  table  below: 1. Students  are  responsible  for  all  informaPon  
presented  both  in  the  lectures  and  in  the  text.
Due  Date Homework  Assignment 2. It  is  assumed  that  the  students  have  read  the  
chapters  for  each  session’s  discussion  before  
09/09/10 Homework  Assignment  1 that  session.
09/23/10 Homework  Assignment  2 3. Students  are  expected  to  aFend  all  classes;  no  
aFendance  points  will  be  given.
10/07/10 Homework  Assignment  3 4. Students  are  responsible  for  all  dates  and  
10/21/10 Homework  Assignment  4 deadlines  listed  in  the  class  schedule.
11/30/10 Homework  Assignment  5
Classroom  Behavior
Homework  assignments  may  be  submiFed  at  any   Professors  have  the  responsibility  to  set  and  
Pme  up  to  the  beginning  of  class  on  the  due  date   maintain  standards  of  classroom  behavior  conducive  
shown.  Late  submissions  will  automaPcally  lose  50%   to  learning.  Students  may  not  engage  in  any  acPvity  
of  their  score. which  the  professor  deems  disrupPve  or  
counterproducPve  to  the  achievement  of  the  goals  
of  this  course.  Professors  have  both  the  duty  and  
Grading  Point  System Points % right  to  remove  offending  students  from  class.  Any  
repePPon  of  offenses  will  result  in  immediate  
Total  Semester  Points: 100 100%
expulsion.
Points  required  to  receive  an  A: 90 90%
During  every  class,  all  cell  phones  must  be  silenced.  
Points  required  to  receive  a  B: 80 80% Only  emergency  calls  may  be  answered  during  class  
Points  required  to  receive  a  C: 70 70% Pme,  and  students  must  leave  the  classroom  to  do  
so;  no  calls  or  texts  are  allowed  during  the  class.  The  
Points  required  to  receive  a  D: 60 60% professor  reserves  the  right  to  remove  students  who  
refuse  to  observe  this  common  courtesy  to  
Points  required  to  receive  an  F: <60 <60%
everyone  else  in  the  class.

Disability  Resource  Center

If  you  have  a  documented  disability  that  may  require  
assistance,  you  will  need  to  contact  the  Disability  
Resource  Center  located  in  the  Student  Service  
Center  on  each  campus.  The  DRC  can  be  contacted  
at  the  following  numbers:

Campus Phone  Number

Cheyenne 651-­‐4045
West  Charleston 651-­‐5644
Henderson 651-­‐3086

For those students that would like to earn a little

extra cash, stop by the Disability Resource
Center to fill out a job interest card. The office
hires students as note-takers, readers, proctors,
scribes, lab assistants and research assistants
as needed.
Spiral  Galaxy  M74