Department: Physics and Astronomy
Class time and place: MWF,9:00-9:50 am, Me 113
Section: 1 (CRN=30769)
Instructor: Dr. Jason Pinkney Office hours:
in 111 Science Annex on Tue at 10 am and 1 pm, Wed at 1 pm and Thu at 9-11 am.
E-mail j-pinkney@onu.edu
or call
419-772-2740.
Instructor's Home page: https://jpastro.net
Credit hours: 3
Observatory Phone: 772-4028
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NEW STUFF
(Watch
this spot for new links, outlines, solutions, etc.)
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"). Cost of rental should
be about $76. I don't require you to bring the text to class.
Course Description: Stars and Galaxies
is an introductory astronomy course. You will learn about the
nature of stars, galaxies and the universe. The details of our solar system
are left to PHYS 1051. We will begin with a survey of the
naked-eye universe (mostly nearby objects) and end with cosmology
(the distant universe). In-between we will discuss such topics
as the electromagnetic spectrum, the sunspot cycle, how stars are born
and die, and galaxies. A recurrent theme will be distances and
the distance ladder , a battery of techniques that take us
from the Earth all the way out to the most distant galaxies.
A tentative calendar of topics is outlined below.
Physics 1061 fulfills a general education learning outcome
called 'knowledge of the physical/natural world'.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will:
Obtain knowledge of astronomy, including stars, galaxies and the universe as a whole
Recognize some of the laws of physics inherent in astronomy
Develop scientific skills related to astronomy
Expand their personal cosmology ("theory of everything")
Understand the nature of science in general
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 100%.
There is a legal pad in the control room that you must sign for credit.
I plan to be at the observatory for 1 hour on Friday nights (if < 50%
cloudcover) so that I can help you fulfill your observing duties.
Another time to visit is during meetings of the ONU Astronomy Club every
other Wednesday night at 9 pm.
Still another time is during "Public Events" which
are held on Friday nights for two hours.
When you visit, bring along your constellation sheets
and observing forms (see below),
and try to get some views through our telescopes and binoculars.
It is best if you label your constellation sheets
before going out to the observatory!
I can help you with your sheets and forms, although
my attention may be divided if I'm holding a lab or public event.
You can bring a friend or two (not necessarily signed
up in the class) for the long, dark walk to and from the Observatory.
Grading:
You will be graded on the following:
Observing
Observing forms, 3 visits to Observatory
5%
In-class
Homework, in-class activities, attendance
20%
Quizzes
Quizzes (drop lowest grade)
25%
Exams
There will be two exams and a final.
50%
Total
100%
Score to letter grade conversion:
<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 75, I will grade more leniently.
Schedule
(approximate):
Week of
Topic
Chapter(s)
Tests
8/25,27,29
Syllabus. Powers of 10 Cosmology.
1
Pre-course Survey
9/1
LABOR DAY
9/3,5
Naked Eye Universe, Celestial Sphere
1
9/8,10,12*
Celestial Sphere: coordinates, seasons
1
quiz 1
9/15,17,19
Time, precession, parallax. History
1,2
quiz 2
9/22,24,26
History: Geocentric vs Heliocentric solar system
2
quiz 3
9/29,10/1,3
History: Kepler, Newton, the A.U.
2
Exam I
10/6,8,10
Light & Spectroscopy
3, 4
10/13-14
FALL BREAK
10/15,17
The Sun - Observatory visit
16
quiz 4
10/20,22,24
Stellar Properties
17
10/27,29,31
ISM,Star formation
18,19
quiz 5
11/3,5,7
Stellar Evol. - low-mass stars like Sun
20
11/10,12,14*
Stellar Evol. - High mass, supernovae
20,21
Exam II
11/17,19,21
The Milky Way Galaxy
23
quiz 6
11/24,26,28
THANKSGIVING BREAK
-
-
12/1,3,5
Galaxies / The Distance Ladder
24
quiz 7
12/8,10,12
Cosmology.
26
Turn in constel. shts.
12/17 Wed
Comprehensive Final Exam on Wednesday 12/17, 9:15-11:15 am.
_
Final exam.
* 9/15 is last drop, Nov 14 is last day to W
Other Course Policies
Canvas
will be used minimally for this course. This web page is my LMS!
I may use Canvas to post your grades by importing them from my spreadsheet.
This can be used to check that I have the correct scores for you on
individual assignments or tests. Do not trust any letter grades or calculated
scores (e.g., average quiz score) that Canvas spits out automatically.
I may also give a quiz on Canvas if we need to do remote learning or
classes get cancelled.
Attendance
is important for doing well in this course.
Absenteeism indirectly lowers your grade because you miss
lecture material and in-class activities.
Being absent also directly effects the "In-class" part of
your grade. When I take attendance I give those who
are present one point. If you are absent you don't get
this point even if it is an "excused" absence. The only
way to make up these points is by reporting on astronomy
news in class, which adds up to one point on a given day.
If you miss on a day that a test is given or handed out, then
you get a 0 on that test unless you have a valid excuse.
If you have a valid excuse, I will allow you to make up the
test so long as it can be done before the graded test is returned.
Let me know in advance (e-mail is good), providing a
valid reason for your absence. This may be that
your team or musical group is on the road (the coach
or director should also send out an e-mail listing students involved).
If you miss
because of sickness or an emergency, let me know as soon as possible, and
provide proof of the situation. "Proof" may consist of a signed
note, or a name and phone number of a parent or authority figure who
knows your situation, or a digital photo.
Do not schedule appointments, capstone activities,
flights, etc at the same time as this class.
Graded Homework consists primarily of
answering questions and problems from the textbook.
Homework will be accepted late, but will only receive 50%
credit if it has already been graded. Try to turn it in before
an impending absence. Homework will be
scored on completeness and correctness, but not every question will be
checked. Look for keys posted after your homework is due.
I encourage you to discuss homework with your classmates, but don't
copy their work verbatim. You may be docked points for this.
Quizzeswill
be given on most non-exam weeks. They will consist
of 5-15 multiple choice/short answer questions. They cover
the assigned reading and especially the material discussed in
class. The exact time and day of the quiz will be announced
in class. (They will not always be given on the same day shown
on the calendar.)
You can only make up a quiz that was missed because of a
valid conflict or emergency.
Also, you can only make up the quiz before the
answers are revealed, which is usually the next time the class meets.
For this reason, I will drop your lowest quiz score.
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.
The final will occur on Monday of finals week.
Do not schedule anything to conflict with your final exam!
Do not ask to get out of this time! Drop NOW if this will
be a problem.
Review Questions
will be provided to help you prepare for quizzes and exams.
They will appear under "NEW STUFF". Many of these questions
will appear on the quizzes and exams and so it is strongly
recommended that you use them to prepare. Typically, more than
half of the questions on a given test will be found in the review.
Answers to these questions will not be included in the document,
but you can ask about them in the 5-10 minute review sessions
just prior to the tests.
Observing
consists of filling out Constellation Sheets ,
Observing Forms , and visiting the ONU Observatory.
I'll provide you with your first hardcopy of these pages.
If you need more, you can print out these PDF files:
SkyMaps.pdf,
and ObservingForm.pdf .
The Constellation Sheets (or "sky maps") PDF has a total of 4 pages:
a North and South facing map for 9:00 pm on 2 dates, early and late spring.
Your job is to 1) write the names of the constellations within all of
the constellation boundaries on all 4 sheets, 2) label the 6 brightest stars
on each sheet, and 3) fill out an
Observing Form on
two different occasions in which you actually viewed the sky.
#1 and #2 can be done on your laptop using a planetarium program (e.g, Stellarium).
#3 must be done under open skies, but not necessarily at the ONU Observatory.
For full observing credit, you must visit the observatory at least 3
times. Additional visits give you extra credit in
the "Observing" portion of your grade.
You must sign the log inside the observatory's north entrance
in order to get credit for a visit.
The Observing Forms and Constellation Sheets are due on the last
day of class.
Tutoring is available.
You are welcome to drop by during my office hours, or you can make an
appointment. Physics tutoring sessions should occur on Thursday evenings,
starting at 7:00 PM.
Disruptions:
Please do ask questions during class, and talk during group activities,
but in general 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.
Do NOT use your phones and laptops during class. If you want
to make a case that you should take notes with your laptop/tablet rather
then traditional paper, come and show me which software you use.
Academic Misconduct:
In PHYS 1061 (this class), the biggest
temptation will be to look at another person's work during tests. Do not
wear caps during quizzes or exams or store information on electronic devices.
The penalty for cheating is a zero score for the quiz or exam.
See the link to the university's "Academic Honesty" in the table below.
Common syllabus information..
Here is
common course information
which applies to all courses. This includes the covid Safety Plan, Grading Modes, Readmission,
Repeat Policies, and more.
Other Mandatory Syllabus Information: