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| Date | Topic(s) | Images/Resources | Reading |
| Introduction January 29 |
Course
Logistics; getting to know one another |
Darby | |
|
Our Place in Space February 3 |
We'll take a whirlwind tour through the Universe and spend some time investigating how big space really is. |
Universe p. 8-29 Interactive Universe Atlas Wikipedia Universe (for reference purposes) Astronomy Picture of the Day |
|
| History of the Universe February 5 HW #1 due Feb. 5 |
Today we'll present a short historical perspective on pre-20th century views of the universe, including Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler (and his Laws) | History Channel Universe: Season 1, Beyond the Big Bang Kepler's Laws: 1, 2, 3, 4 |
Universe: 82-93 |
| Spectroscopy February 10 |
Today we'll cover some fundamental aspects of spectroscopy, including how we take the temperature of stars! Homework notes |
Intro to Waves Electromagnetic Waves Electromagnetic Waves |
Universe: 32-35 |
| Compositions of Stars February 12 |
How do we use spectroscopy to tell us what stars are made of? Spectroscopy of stars Flame colors of different elements Spectral signatures |
Origins Video: Back to the Beginning Ch. 1 Origins Video: Back to the Beginning Ch. 2 & 5 |
|
| BANG! and the Origin of the Universe February 12 and 17 Quiz #1 Feb. 12 |
A short overview of the Big Bang and how our
universe was formed. We'll learn about Edwin Hubble, red shift and blue
shift, and how we know the universe is still expanding. Flame colors of different elements Spectral signatures |
Cosmic Mystery Tour Doppler Shift: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 song police radar |
Universe: 42-43, 44-51 Also read "The Great Debate" and "The Expanding Universe"on p.92-93 & the Big Bang section on p.96 History of the Universe PBS Origins Site Origins Exploratorium EM Spectrum and this link on spectroscopy Big Bang 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Hubble's Constant: Quantifying the velocity and age of the universe Feb 19 HW #2 due Feb. 19 |
We'll conclude our discussion of the expanding universe by using simple calculations to tell us how fast a start is moving and how old the universe is! Lecture Notes |
Origins Video: Back to the Beginning, parts 6 and 7 | |
Today we'll discuss the life cycle of stars, the great battle between good and evil pressure and gravity, and how this process has created the seeds for life. |
Origins Video: Earth is Born |
Universe: p. 50-51 (Early Stars & Galax.) p. 230 (What is a Star? only) p. 246 (Main Seq. Stars), p. 31 (Fission & Fusion) p. 232-237, 250-251 (Life Cycle of Stars) Triggered Star Formation Ten-step Star Formation These Links on Galaxy, Star & Planet Formation |
|
| Planets Feb. 26 (JL) |
Here we'll find out about the origin of our own Solar System. Key Concepts |
Liquid Nitrogen/Ballon Demo | p. 116-117 (SS formation) Origin of the solar System Solar System Overview Origin of the Moon Planetary Orbits Earth's Weight |
| Lecture on the Structure & Compositon of the Sun - ever wonder why we see sunspots?? Key Concepts |
Solar forecast |
Universe: p. 120-123 SOHO site, including real-time images! Recent Article on Sunspots from NYTIMES SpaceWeather |
|
Mercury and Venus |
The MESSENGER mission is now on its way to Mercury, and exciting science is already being produced. We'll contrast what we know about Mercury with Venus, Earth's twin... | Mercury day/night |
Universe: p. 124-137, 160-161,162-175 Kepler's Laws Newton & Gravity NYTimes Article on Mercury (Oct. 30, 2008) Earth/Venus/Mars Comparison Runaway Greenhouse Effect Earth vs. Venus |
| Science Fact and Fantasy March 24 and 26 no quiz or homework this week! |
Science Fact vs. Fantasy: Representations of Astronomy in Different Types of Media (Sarah Oelker) | On March 26, meet at usual time IN FRONT OF RAO'S in Library | |
The Dynamic Earth |
Here we will examine what gives a planet a magnetic field,
and draw comparisons between the Earth and other planets. Is Earth's magnetic
field in the process of reversing? What effects will this have on people
and other species? |
Magnetic
Storm (NOVA video) |
Universe: p. 138-147 |
| Target Earth: Asteroids, Comets, & Meteorites April 7 and 9 Quiz #4 April 9 |
On the 7th, Darby will bring meteorite samples to class, and talk about their origins and classification. On April 9, Tim Spahr, director of the Minor Planet Center (data repository for the entire world's observations of asteroids, comets, & dwarf planets) will talk about the comets and asteroids. | 2009DD45 | NASA's Planetquest Universe: 290-291, 52-53 |
|
Moon |
The moon is the closest extraterrestrial body to Earth. From it, we can learn about geologic time, rocks and minerals, and some basic geological principles, especially volcanism, that we can apply to understanding other bodies. The Moon is also an excellent laboratory for understanding impact craters. | lunar eclipse lunar formation lunar phases Minerals Intru. Ig Rx Extru Ig Rx |
Animations: 1, 2, 3,4, Universe: p. 148-159, 62-63 Formation of the Moon The Moon Connection |
| Mars is my favorite planet at the moment... | Universe: same as above NASA's Mars Exploration Programs Check out this article on the death of the Phoenix lander |
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| Science and the Popular Media, II April 23 Quiz #5 |
Today we'll have our quiz, then do a movie viewing for the extra credit homework that's due on April 30th. |
Movie Screenings in L2: |
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| The Outer Solar System April 28 and 30 HW #6 due April 30 Quiz #6 April 30 Your final grade will be calculated from the best 10 of 12 assessments. |
We'll finish up the course by talking about the outer planets, which have much in common. |
Universe: |
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| Bart's Comet May 5 |
Who knew, Bart Simpson is an astronomer!? Get back all papers, eat cookies, get grades... |
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