PHYS 1051 Planetary Astronomy   Fall 2026

Class Web page: https://jpastro.net/AST1051/syll-ast1051.html  (this page!)
Department: Math and Physical Sciences
Class time and place:  MWF, 9:00-9:50 am, Meyer 113
Section: 1 (CRN=20764)
Instructor: Dr. Jason Pinkney 
Office hours  in 111 Science Annex at  these times:   9-11am(R), 1-3pm(W), and 2-3pm(M).
Email j-pinkney@onu.edu or call 419-772-2740. 
Instructor's Home page: https://jpastro.net/
Credit hours: 3
Observatory Phone: 772-4028
JWST gas planets
NEW STUFF      (Watch this spot for new links, solutions, etc.)
This is a link about solving word problems in general.
Week 1 outline (PDF)
All 4 Sky Maps. (PDF)
Pumba, Timon, and Simba wondering about the universe
Powers of 10 (9 minute video shown in class)
Interactive Scale of the Universe Updated (and fun) Powers of 10 info!
Course Description:

Astronomy has so many subfields that it is impossible to cover them all in one semester. This course deals mainly with the solar system (hence "Planetary Astronomy"). Stars, galaxies and cosmology are covered in PHYS 1061. We begin historically with man's interpretation of the nighttime sky; the "naked eye universe" is that which we can see without a telescope.   We then look in detail at the Sun and planets. Two natural categories of planets emerge: the terrestrials and the Jovians. We are now in a golden age of discovery with space missions like the Parker Solar Probe, James Webb Space Telescope, Juno, BepiColombo, and the Artemis Program in the news this year. Finally the comets, asteroids and Kuiper Belt Objects are small but important for understanding the early formation of the solar system. We now have data on over 5000 extrasolar planets (planets around other stars) which challenge our theories of solar system formation and evolution. 

Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will: Pre-requisites:  None.

Text: Astronomy Today, 9/E   (9th Edition)  by Chaisson and McMillan. This 2017 edition has a "rent-only" ISBN-13 of 978-0134450278. This is what we have in the bookstore. Do NOT buy the Volume 1 or 2 versions ("The Solar System" and "Stars and Galaxies"). I don't require you to bring the text to class.

Observatory: Your visits to the ONU Observatory will weigh into the "Observing" portion of your grade (see below). You should try to visit at least 3 times for full credit. There is a legal pad in the control room that you must sign for credit. You can visit for as little as 10 minutes for credit, but to make progress on your observing forms and constellation sheets, you should plan to stay at least 30 minutes. Bring your pre-labelled sheets along with you. The best times to visit are on Friday nights when the weather calls for < 50% cloudcover. The exact times will be announced in class. I'm planning for some (about 5) of the Fridays to be Public Events in which the surrounding community is invited. These last for 2 hours. The other Friday observing sessions will last for only 1 hour. Another time to visit is during meetings of the ONU Astronomy Club every other Wednesday night at 9 pm. You can bring a friend (not necessarily enrolled in the class) for the long, dark walk to the Observatory. While there, follow these rules: 1) don't shine lights in other people's eyes, 2) keep lines spread out, and 3) don't push on the telescopes or touch their optics. Again, bring along the observing forms and constellation sheets that were given to you in class, and label the constellation sheets ahead of time.

Week of Topic Chapter(s) Tests Celestial Events
8/24,26,28 Syllabus. Survey of Universe. Powers of 10. 1 Survey E0 W-fest (8/23), LunEclip (8/27)
8/31,9/2,4 Naked Eye Universe - the Celestial Sphere 1 quiz 1
9/7 LABOR DAY BREAK
9/9,11 Daily, monthly, yearly cycles 1 quiz 2
9/14,16,18 Moon and eclipses 1,2 quiz 3
9/21,23,25 Copernican Revolution 2 E1 Fall Equinox (9/22)
9/28,30,10/2 Copernican Rev., Solar system physics 2 Exam I Saturn's Opposition (10/4)
10/5,7,9 Light and spectroscopy 3,4 quiz 4 E2 Draconid meteors 10/7
10/12-13 FALL BREAK
10/14,16 The Sun 16
10/19,21,23 Solar System Overview 6 quiz 5 Orionid Meteors (10/21-22)
10/26,28,30 Earth 7
11/2,4,6 Moon, Mercury, Venus 8,9 Exam II E3 Taurid Meteors
11/9,11,13 Venus, Mars 9,10
11/16,18,20 Jovian planet atmospheres 11-13
11/23-27 THANKSGIVING BREAK
11/30,12/2,4 Jovian planet atmospheres / Moons 11-13 quiz 6
12/7,9,11 Jovian Moons and Rings 11-13 E4 Geminids
12/18 (Fri) Comprehensive FINAL at 9:15-11:15 AM, usual classroom. _ Final exam.


Grading:
Component Percent
Observing Constellation sheets, 2 observing forms, 3+ visits to Observatory 5%
In-class Homework, in-class worksheets, participation 20%
Quizzes Quizzes (drop lowest grade) 25%
Exams There will be two exams and a final. 50%

Your final letter grade is assigned roughly as follows:

< 55 55-70 70-80 80-90 90-100
F D C B A
I will not grade any "harder" than the above. However, if the class mean drops below about 75, I will grade more leniently.

Other Course Policies

Canvas will only be used sparingly for this class unless we have to go online. I will make files like homework keys or Powerpoints available on this web page. I plan to import my grades into the Canvas gradebook every few weeks. Canvas is here.

AI Usage In this course, students should make only limited use of AI. Use of AI or a search engine like Google is forbidden for tests (especially take home or online tests). Use of AI or search engines is discouraged in homework; AI should only be used after a good faith attempt at the problem and referral to the textbook. Also, AI is still imperfect and its answers should be questioned. AI search engines can be used for general study when you want an explanation to augment the explanations given by your instructor and your textbook. An example appropriate for our class is: "What are examples of misleading science produced by corporate scientists?" Another is: "How strong are tides from the Sun compared to tides from the Moon?"

Attendance is important for doing well in this course.  Absence can directly lower your grade if you miss a quiz or in-class activity.  Also, I record attendance on many days and then form a score out of your attendance which factors into the "In-class" part of your grade. Let me know 1-6 days in advance (by e-mail) if you plan to miss for a valid reason (e.g. your team is on the road, you are sick, you have a family emergency).  If you miss a quiz or exam because of a last-minute emergency, let me know as soon as possible, and provide some explanation and proof. "Proof" may consist of the name and phone number of some parent or authority figure who knows your situation, a sick note from a doctor, or cell phone pictures to corroborate your story. If you miss an in-class worksheet activity, you should get a copy of the worksheet to study but you won't necessarily receive credit for that work.

Homework will consist mainly of reading the textbook and writing answers to review questions from the textbook. Some math problems will also be assigned from the textbook.   Homework will receive 50% credit if turned in late. It will be scored on completeness and correctness, but not every problem will be checked. You can discuss homework with your classmates, but don't copy their work verbatim. After a warning, you'll be docked points. Look for keys posted after the homework is due.

Turning in Assignments. This semester I will be accepting only hardcopies of homework (as opposed to scanning and uploading). These can be written out by hand if you can write neatly, but printouts of documents written in, e.g., Word, are preferred. Do not email the assignments to me without special permission.

Quizzes will be given on some non-exam weeks.  They will consist of about 10 multiple choice or short answer questions.  They cover the assigned reading and especially the material discussed in class.  You can only make up a quiz that was missed because of an excused conflict or emergency.  Also, you can only make up the quiz before the answers are revealed (usually the next class). For this reason, I will drop your lowest quiz score. Expect a total of 5-7 quizzes.

Exams will be given roughly every 4-5 weeks. These will weigh most heavily towards your class grade. The final exam will be comprehensive, but will emphasize the last 2-3 weeks of material.

Review Questions will be provided to help you prepare for Quizzes and Exams. They will appear under "NEW STUFF" on this web page. Many of these questions will appear on the Quizzes and Exams and so it is strongly recommended that you use them to prepare. More than half of the questions on a given test will be found in the review. A link to the answers is NOT provided, but you can ask about the hardest ones just before a test is given.

Observing consists of filling out constellation sheets and visiting the ONU Observatory. The constellation sheets include a North and a South map for each of 2 dates during the semester (4 sheets total). Your job is to 1) write the names of the constellations within the constellation boundaries, and 2) Fill out this Observing Form on two different occasions in which you actually viewed the sky. #1 can be done on your laptop using the Stellarium planetarium program. #2 must be done under open skies, but not necessarily at the ONU Observatory. Label all of the constellations on the maps, and the 6 brightest stars on each map. For full observing credit, you must visit the observatory at least 3 times, although this is only a small fraction of the overall grade. Signing the log at the observatory will get you the observing credit. The Observing Forms and constellation sheets are due on the last day of class.

Disruptions You should ask questions during class, and talk during group activities, otherwise you shouldn't talk while the professor is talking. Anything that distracts your teacher or your neighbors is hindering the teaching/learning process. This includes playing with your phones, laptops or tablets, talking with neighbors, coming to class late, and leaving class early. If you want to use a laptop or tablet in class, you must show me how you can write equations and figures into your notes with it.

Academic Misconduct In PHYS 1051 (this class), the biggest temptation will be to look at another person's paper during tests. Spread out before tests. Do not wear caps during tests. Do not use phones or electronic devices to help you. A calculator (not a phone calculator) is acceptable if it isn't used to store information. The penalty for cheating is a zero score for the quiz or exam. See the link to the university code of conduct in the table below.

Calculators I encourage you to use a calculator in this class. A simple (non-graphing) calculator will suffice.

Tutoring is available. You are welcome to drop by during my office hours, or you can make an appointment for another time. The physics department usually has tutors on Thursday evenings (TBA) in the Heterick Library.

Common syllabus information. Here is common course information which applies to all courses. This includes Academic Dishonesty, AI policy, Accomodations, ONU Health Center, Title IX, Proctorio, Cancellations, and more.

Astronomy Links of all kinds Pinkney's Homepage The ONU Physics Homepage