COURSE OUTLINE AND SYLLABUS: Astronomy 102, Spring 2014

DATE TOPIC The Cosmos READING

W 2/5 Introduction and Preview Ch. 1

T 2/11 Light, Matter, and Energy Ch. 2

R 2/13 Doppler Shift; Light and Telescopes Ch. 3

T 2/18 Telescopes Outside the Optical Spectrum Ch. 3

R 2/20 Motions in the Sky Ch. 4

T 2/25 History of Astronomy Ch. 5

R 2/27 History of Astronomy Ch. 5

T 3/4 First Hour Exam Ch. 1-5

R 3/6 The Earth Ch. 6

T 3/11 The Moon – Our Only Satellite Ch. 6

R 3/13 Mercury – Closest to the Sun Ch. 6

T 3/18 Venus – Beneath the Shroud Ch. 6

R 3/20 Mars – We're Crawling Around On It Ch. 6

T 4/8 Jupiter – The Gas Giant Ch. 7

R 4/10 Saturn – Lord of the Rings Ch. 7

T 4/15 Uranus and Neptune – Ice Giants Ch. 7

night of April 15: total lunar eclipse visible from Williamstown

R 4/17 Pluto and other Dwarf Planets Ch. 8

T 4/22 Comets: Primordial Stuff Ch. 8

R 4/24 The Sun and Solar Eclipses

T 4/29 Second Hour Exam Ch. 1-8

April 29: partial solar eclipse visible from Australia; annular in Antarctica

R 5/1 movie: potentially Roving Mars; Cosmos

T 5/6 Meteors, Asteroids, and Kuiper Belt Objects Ch. 8

R 5/8 Exoplanets: Other Planetary Systems Ch. 9

T 5/13 The Search for Extraterrestrial Life Ch. 20

R 5/15 Review and Overview