ASTR 203
Exploration of the Universe Norbert Vance
The lecture course meets on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 124 B Strong
evening from 5pm to 6:50pm in 300 Strong. .....(734) 487-4146
Text: Explorations Arny 5th Ed. ..........................................Sherzer Observatory
with Starry Night© CD-ROM ; ............................................(734) 487-3033
Astronomy Lab ASTR 204 Lab Instructor: Maggie Bacon
An optional lab meets twice a week Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in the Astronomy Lab, 402 Sherzer. The lab is separate from the lecture in that the student receives an independent grade and one credit for the course. Note, too, that it can be taken concurrently with the lecture or opted for at a later date. Required lab manual: Astronomy Lab Course Pack from the Student Center bookstore.
Observing Sessions
Evening observing sessions at Sherzer Observatory will be announced in lecture (slated for clear Tuesday evenings) if weather looks promising. Views of the sun, moon, planets, and stars with our 10" apochromatic refractor telescope, Celestron 14" SCT (C14), a Celestron Nextstar 8 GPS, and a variety of other telescopes are superb, as is the view of the campus from the deck. Dress for Michigan weather! An optional one night field trip to EMU's KEEC (Fish Lake) biology field station is scheduled for Saturday, June 7. These trips have been a very popular and enjoyable experience for many ASTR 203 students. A $20 fee covers 1 night stay, 1 meal, hikes, observing, rocket launches, etc. No previous experience required! Check our Astronomy Club web site for details plus images from previous trips.
The EMU Astronomy Club is open to anyone with an interest in astronomy. The club meets on alternate Thursday evenings at 8:30pm in the Astronomy Lab, 402 Sherzer Hall for spring/summer starting in May. Members can usually be found in Sherzer Observatory after the meeting, especially if clear. An active schedule is planned! Additional observing hours on other nights will be announced in class. Attending club meetings, observing sessions, and field trips is an excellent way to learn more about astronomy in an informal setting.
Reading Assignments and Hour Exams
Reading assignments are given during lecture and a list of relevant chapter terms displayed. Note that some select terms will be excluded and a few that do not appear in the text may be included. Additional supplements are available via your text CD-ROM and our web site. There will be four multiple choice, one hour exams. Each exam is worth 100 points. Your grade will be based upon the numerical average of these four exams. The date of each exam will be announced in class at least one week before it is to take place. Arrive on time with pencil in hand. The chapter schedule covered on each exam follows:
Course Sequence:
EXAM I
Chapter
1 History of Astronomy; understanding the night sky
2 Gravity and Motion; the people who figured this out
3 Light and Atoms; knowing what those distant things are made of
4 Telescopes; tools of the trade
EXAM II
11 The Sun, Our Star; understanding our life-giving star
12 Measuring the Properties of Stars; they are much more than dots in the sky!
13 Stellar Evolution; stellar birth and mid-life
14 Stellar Remnants; stellar death- white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes
EXAM III
15 The Milky Way Galaxy; our home galaxy
16 Galaxies; it's a BIG universe out there!
17 Cosmology; the story of the universe, prospects of other life in the universe
EXAM IV
5, 6 The Earth, The Moon; our home planet and satellite
7 Survey of the Solar System; formation of the planets
8 The Terrestrial Planets; Mercury, Venus, (Earth), Mars
9 The Outer Planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and "dwarf planets"
10 Meteors, Asteroids, and Comets; debris of the solar system... are we in danger?
YOUR TOTAL AVERAGE = Sum of 4 exams (+ quizzes)
400
Letter grades are assigned according to the following scale:
A 100-88 C 71-65
A- 87-85 C- 64-62
B+ 84-82 D+ 61-59
B 81-78 D 58-55
B- 77-75 D- 54-52
C+ 74-72 E 51-0
To be successful in this course, class attendance is very important!! Remember, a missed day during this short term is akin to missing nearly a week during fall/winter! Topics and terminology discussed in class are drawn from the text and highlighted. Good notes are an effective outline for the exams. Additional references will be posted to the instructor's web site at www.physics.emich.edu/nvance/index.htm on occasion. I encourage you to participate in class and visit the observatory ...take advantage of your brief time with us!
In addition, pop quizzes will be given at random times during the term, the results of which will be added to your total score. These will serve as a check of attendance and familiarity with the material in a given unit. Though the point total may appear small, those points could make the difference between, say, a B- and a B when averaged in at the end of the term (no make-ups for missed quizzes under any circumstance).
Make-up exams are given at the discretion of the instructor and only if the student provides a documented reason for an excused absence. Examples of potentially acceptable excuses are the following: sickness-with a doctor's note, court appearance, funerals, or major religious holidays- with one week prior notification. (Note that Exam IV is NOT cumulative but is held during the Final Exam period. You must appear for this exam at the scheduled time- no make up.) As a courtesy, please turn off iPods, cell phones, and laptop computers while in class as they often interfere with the educational process!
EXAM IV 5pm, Wednesday, June 25
Some select observing events for Spring Term 2008**
May
5 Mars forms a lovely line with Pollux and Castor in Gemini in W, 10pm
9 waxing crescent moon near Mars in Gemini in W, 10pm
11 first quarter moon between Saturn and Mars in W, 10pm, pretty!
12 waxing gibbous moon near Saturn and Regulus high in W, 10pm
21 Mars found among the stars of the "Beehive Cluster", M44, in W, 10pm, June 21-23!
24 waning gibbous moon near Jupiter low in SE, 2am
** Take note of subtle changes such as sunset/sunrise times and position of the stars of the spring sky like Ursa Major (Big Dipper) overhead, Cassiopeia in the north, and the changing positions of Jupiter low in the south in Sagittarius, Saturn near Regulus in Leo, and of Mars high in the western sky. Carefully observe the changing positions and phases of the moon, especially when near the planets. Use your text’s CD-ROM program Starry Night© to simulate some of the above events to get an idea of what should occur. Saturn is also situated high in the western sky after sunset this term giving us beautiful views of this magnificent but distant world! Be sure to stop by Sherzer Observatory early in the term and see the planet for yourself before it disappears into the glare of the sun by early July.