Course Syllabus

Date

Topic

Reading

Assignment

Week 1

Jan 17

Course Intro/Overview

Ch 1

Lab 1: Math Review

PS #1: Syllabus Review

Jan 19

Archeoastronomy

Ch 2.2

Week 2

Jan 24

History of Modern Astronomy

Ch 2.4, 3.1-3.4

Lab 2: Scale Model

PS #2: Orbital Dynamics

Jan 26

Coordinates

Ch 2.1, 4.1

Week 3

Jan 31

Earth, Moon, and Sun

Ch 4.2, 4.5-4.7

Lab 3: Moon

PS #3: The Sky Above

Feb 2

Space Exploration

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Week 4

Feb 7

Solar System

Ch 7, 14 (skim)

Lab 4: Telescopes

PS #4: Observing

Feb 9

Light

Ch 5.1, 5.6, 6.1-6.2

Week 5

Feb 14

Spectra

Ch 5.3-5.5

Lab 5: Spectra

PS #5: Starlight

Feb 16

Stellar Properties

Ch 17.1-2

Week 6

Feb 21

Blackbody Radiation

Ch 5.2, 18.4          

Lab 6: Blackbodies

PS #6: Stellar Laws

Feb 23

Analyzing Starlight

Ch 17.3-17.4. 18.1-18.2

Week 7

Feb 28

Exam 1 Review

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Lab 7: Planetarium

PS #7: Project Ideas

Mar 2

Exam 1

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Week 8

Mar 7

Sun

Ch 15.1-15.3

Lab 8: Fusion

PS #8: Solar Physics

Mar 9

Stellar Interiors

Ch 16.1-16.3

Week 9

Mar 28

ISM & Star Formation

Ch 20.1, 20.5, 21.1-21.2

Lab 9: Clusters

PS #9: Star Lifecycles

Mar 30

Stellar Evolution

Ch 22.1-22.2, 22.4-22.5

Week 10

Apr 4

Milky Way

Ch 25.1-25.2, 25.4, 25.6

Lab 10: Galaxy Zoo

PS #10: Galaxies

Apr 6

Galaxies

Ch 26.1-26.3

Week 11

Apr 11

Hubble’s Law

Ch 26.5

Lab 11: Hubble

PS #11: Expansion

Apr 13

Black Holes and AGN

Ch 27

Week 12

Apr 18

Big Bang Theory

29.3

Lab 12: Quasars

PS #12: Universe at Large

Apr 20

Cosmology

29.1-29.2, 29.4-29.7

Week 13

Apr 25

Relativity

Lab 13:

PS #13:

Apr 27

Modern Astrophysics

Week 14

May 2

Exam 2 Review

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Lab 14: Annotated Bibliography
PS #14: Project Outline

May 4

Exam 2

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FINALS

May 16

Home Stretch!

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Final Project