Prof. Jay M. Pasachoff Spring 2014

ASTRONOMY 102 The Solar System: Our Planetary Home

http://www.williams.edu/Astronomy/Course-Pages/102/syllabus.html

Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:55-11:10 in Thompson Physical Lab 203

Text: The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium, 4th edition (2014), by

Jay M. Pasachoff and Alex Filippenko (Cambridge University Press),

See http://thecosmos4.com (misconceptions/podcasts/critical-thinking/updates), glow.williams.edu

Chapter-by-chapter podcast summaries are available through iTunes.

Instructor: Professor Jay M. Pasachoff, Thompson Physics and Astronomy Lab 115, x2105

jay.m.pasachoff@williams.edu; office hours by appointment.

Observatory Supervisor and Laboratory Instructor: Dr. Steven P. Souza, Thompson Physical Lab 117, x3210, ssouza@williams.edu; Office hours: Wed. 10-11 AM, and by appointment.

Teaching Assistants: Observatory Control Room, 4th floor TPL, x2165, in observing hours.

Observing Program: Students will observe with the Hopkins Observatory's 24-inch telescope, and with other telescopes and equipment. Details and requirements will be described in a separate handout, given at observing orientation sessions held in the Observatory on Feb 10, 11, &12.

Organization: Most lectures will start with current events in astronomy, often linked with the course topics; you are responsible for this material on exams, so this is one of may reasons that class attendance is necessary.

Daytime Labs: There are five scheduled daytime lab exercises; note that these are not weekly. You have been assigned by the Registrar to one of four lab sections: Tuesday or Wednesday, 1:00-2:30 PM or 2:30-4:00 PM. All labs are in TPL301, except the Lunar Samples lab that will be held in Room 305 in Clark Hall (Geosciences). Details will be given in class.

Lab I: The Virtual Sky (Starry Night software) TPL 301 2/25, 26

Lab II: Lunar Samples Clark 305 3/12 and TBA

Lab III: Transit of Venus TPL 301 3/18, 19

Lab IV: Moons of Jupiter TPL 301 4/15, 16

Lab V: Comets & Asteroids TPL 301 5/6, 7

A planetarium demonstration will be scheduled on Tuesday, February 18th, at 8 pm.

Exams and Grading: tentatively—First hour exam: Tuesday, March 4; Second hour exam: Tuesday, April 29; Reading Period May 17-20; Final exam: to be scheduled by the Registrar during May 21-26.

Passing the course requires taking all exams, completing all lab exercises, attending almost all lectures, and completing all observing requirements. Inadequate observing will lead to subtractions from the final grade. Makeup exams will be scheduled for those who arrange beforehand to be excused and for those with medical excuses from the Infirmary. The judgment of being "intellectually present" needed for a Gaudino grade of G would be determined in large part by mastery of fundamental concepts and facts as demonstrated on the exams and not by mere completion of the required activities.

Final grades will be calculated according to the following: 25% first hour exam; 25% second hour exam; 50% final exam, with the quality of work on labs and observing possibly modifying the grade obtained from the average of the exams. This modification gives lab and observing performance a higher importance than mere averaging would. Attendance at labs and observing is required; the labs/observing should also be fun!

Course attendance at each lecture is also required, except for medical or other special excuses. Those who often miss many classes for whatever reasons should not take this course.

Critical Thinking: Certain aspects of the course meet "critical thinking" desiderata (linked to the williams.edu/astronomy/cosmos Web page).

Honor Code: Students are strongly reminded of the honor system as described in the Student Handbook. No collaboration is allowed on exams. All observing work handed in must be exclusively your own. In labs, students will work in small groups, but each student must turn in his or her own lab write-up. If there is any question as to how the honor code applies, please consult the instructor(s).

The course is highly organized, but the organization should be followed by textbook sections.