ASTRONOMY 121, SECTION 1, SPRING 2009

INTRODUCTION TO THE SKY
AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Contact Information

• Office: 251B Astronomy Building (530 McCormick Rd)
• Office hours T,R 2-3; W 1-2, or by appointment.
• Phone: 924-7494
• Email: rwo
• Class schedule code: 404FN

• Office: 267 Astronomy Building (530 McCormick Rd)
• Office hours by appointment
• Phone: 924-7494
• Email: bc5tq

Texts and Supplements

• The Cosmic Perspective , by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, & Voit [Fifth Edition].

• iClickers: we will be using the iClicker electronic response system during lectures this semester. If you already have an iClicker unit, you do not need to buy a new one. New copies of the Bennett textbook include a $10 coupon toward the purchase of an iCliker.

• War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells. (Science fiction novel.) If you prefer electrons to ink, you can find a copy of this book in the UVa Electronic Text Center.

• Special materials, including study guides for the material covered in lectures and a short set of supplementary notes which will substitute for some of the reading in Chapters 5 and 6 in the text, will be posted on the course home page.

• The MasteringAstronomy website (www.masteringastronomy.com) contains a large amount of good supplementary information, including interactive tutorials, all of which is keyed to the presentation in the textbook. If you purchase a new text, you will receive a free subscription to the site; if you purchase a used text, you must buy your own subscription. You will not be expected to use this site during the course, but it may be helpful in understanding or reviewing the material.

Web Pages

Course Home Page: The home page for this course is located at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/class/oconnell/astr121/. This is a public site that contains the syllabus, schedule, announcements, study guides, supplementary notes, exam reviews, Weblinks, and observing weather information. If you have a question, this is where you should look first.
Class Collab Page: The Collab page for this class will be used to post interim and final grades and perhaps other resources. This is a secure site, and you will need your UVa login and Eservices password to access it. (But please note that the main course homepage is not on Collab.)
Astronomy Department Home Page: The Astronomy Department home page contains general information on courses, out-of-class activities for this course, and useful links to other sources of astronomical information. You can find the page at: http://www.astro.virginia.edu/.

Schedule

Click here for the lecture schedule, dates of exams, and other important deadlines.

Lectures

Lectures are given TR 12:30-1:45 in Clark 107.
Each study guide contains notes, illustrations, and links covering the material discussed in one lecture. Study guides will be posted to the course home page prior to a given lecture.
Most guides are in HTML format for fast and easy retrieval over the Web. To take full advantage of them, you should print out a hardcopy of each guide before the lecture, bring it to class with you, and annotate it during the lecture.

Lecture Attendance: I don't require attendance at lectures, so it's up to you. But it's a proven fact that students who regularly attend the lectures get better grades. If you miss some lectures, the study guides will help fill in. "Puzzlah" credit (see below) is also only available during lectures (no make-ups possible).

Grading and Course Credit

Your final grade will be determined from a curved grading system with a 1000 point maximum possible score. The grading curve I aim for is the following: A(25%), B(35%), C(30%), D/F(10%).
The assignment of letter grades will be adjusted according to the performance of this particular class. However, the following minimum point cut-offs are guaranteed: 930 points = A-; 830 points = B-; 700 points = C-. These cut-offs may be moved lower if the class overall does not perform as well as expected, but they will not be increased.
• Examinations: There will be two midterm exams and the final. The two midterms will each be worth a maximum of 285 points. The final will be worth 325 points. The three exams are therefore worth a maximum possible 895 points. All exams will be primarily objective, with roughly equal weight on the reading and the lectures. The final will be cumulative but will emphasize material from the last half of the course. For those interested, there will be a review for each exam given outside of regular class time.

• "Puzzlahs": These are brief, in-class questions or exercises which you can do in consultation with other students. A correct answer is worth 2 points; a wrong answer is worth 1 point. This means that you will receive some credit for simply attending class. There will several Puzzlahs offered in each class. You will need to use your iClicker to answer Puzzlahs.
  Puzzlah credit is recorded as follows: the first 80 points are awarded to you in the same way as examination credit. Points over the first 80 are awarded as "extra credit" at half value. So, if you answer, say, 50 Puzzlah questions correctly, you will receive 90 points of credit toward your final grade.
  This modest in-class credit is intended to encourage you, but not compel you, to attend lectures.
  Puzzlah scores will be recorded electronically. In order to use your iClicker, you must first register it. Click here for instructions.

• Constellation Quiz: All students are expected to take a nighttime constellation quiz, in which they will be guided by a TA in learning the constellations and becoming familiar with the night sky. A brief introduction will be given in class. The quiz is worth a maximum of 25 points.
  Full details on the quizzes are given at the Student Lab Information site. The quizzes will be given at the Student Observatory (outside the Astronomy Building) Monday through Thursday nights. You can complete the quiz in one evening. The last night for the Quiz is Tuesday, April 28.
  There will be two quiz sessions each night, beginning at 9 PM and 10 PM, respectively. You must be present at the start of your session. Because space is limited for each session, you must register for the quiz in advance using an on-line sign-up page.
  There will be no observing on cloudy nights. Nights within one week of New Moon (the darkest sky) are best---see the Sky Events listed on the course schedule. A telephone recording giving the status of the Observatory (open/closed, likely observing conditions, etc.) is available by calling 924-7238 after 7 PM each night. You can also check the weather forecasts and maps on the Web. Please note: weather is unreliable. You should do your best to complete the quiz as early in the semester as possible.

• Extra Credit: By doing the following optional assignments, you can obtain extra course credit. This can be used, for instance, to offset a low exam score or to substitute for the Puzzlah credit. A maximum of 75 points can be earned this way, roughly equivalent to a difference of one letter grade. You can do any or all of the optional assignments (each worth a maximum of 25 points).
  Work submitted after Friday April 10 will be worth a maximum of only 10 points each. The deadline for submission of extra credit work is Friday, April 24.
1. Telescope Observing. Here you will make and record observations of several different astronomical objects using the historic 26-in refractor and two smaller telescopes at McCormick Observatory. You must meet the TA guides in the parking lot outside the Astronomy Building at 9 PM sharp. Bring a car if you have one.
   Telescope observing will be held only on Monday and Thursday nights, and, again, you must register in advance. See the Student Lab Information site for details. Instructions and worksheets will be provided by the TA's, who will also collect worksheets. No observing on cloudy nights; call the 924-7238 recording after 7 PM for information on that night's session.

2. The Orbit of Mars. Here you will use Kepler's actual data to determine the shape and size of the orbit of Mars, a re-creation of a classical investigation which changed the course of science. Instructions are at the Student Lab Information site. Requires about 3 hours and involves high-school level math.

3. Revolution of the Moons of Jupiter. Here you will use the motions of Jupiter's satellites to determine the mass of Jupiter. You make simulated "observations" of the four bright satellites using a computer program. Requires about 3 hours of time, and involves high-school level math. You must use ITC computers to do the lab after downloading the instructions and answer sheet (2 separate items) from the Student Lab Information site.

Course Level and Pre-requisites

This course satisfies 3 hours of the College Natural Sciences Area Requirement. It is primarily a descriptive and qualitative introduction to astronomy designed for liberal arts students. There are no pre-requisites. No prior exposure to college-level science or math is assumed, and you will not be expected to understand the subject mathematically. You will, however, be asked to place your understanding of the subject in a quantitative perspective. For instance, you should be familiar with the relative sizes of the various objects we discuss in the solar system and the relative lengths of the timescales involved in their evolution.

Independent Work

Except for the Puzzlahs, collaboration of any kind on any submitted work in this course is expressly forbidden. All work must be pledged, and your pledge will be taken to signify a completely independent effort. The only help you should seek should be from me or the TA's.

Last modified January 2009 by rwo

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