Astronomy 110G: Announcements

A Grand Tour of the Universe
19 January 2006

You must make your initial down payment on tuition and registration fees to the cashier by this Friday, January 20. You will be dropped from all of the classes in which you are currently enrolled if you do not meet this deadline.
Read Chapter 1 (Our Place in the Universe) of our textbook: The Cosmic Perspective, by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, & Voit
The lab sections will not meet officially until Tuesday, January 24. Next week, on Tuesday, January 24, we will hold a quick mathematics review at the time of the lab section.
Sign in sheets:
- Sign in every day, so that we know you're here!
- Please pass the sign-in sheet up to the front when completed

An Astronomical Toolbox
24 January 2006

You should have made your initial down payment on tuition and registration fees to the cashier by now. You will have been dropped from all of the classes in which you were enrolled if you did not meet the deadline of last Friday.
Read Chapter 2 (Discovering the Universe for Yourself) of our textbook: The Cosmic Perspective, by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, & Voit.
We will hold a quick mathematics review at the time of the lab section on Tuesday and Thursday.
February observing begins next Monday evening (campus telescopes will be open Monday through Thursday evenings, from 8:00 - 9:00pm). Check the weather before attending, as the skies must be clear to observe.

Office hours:

Nicole:	Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:35 - 12:50,	Astronomy #203
T.A. #1:	Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays T.B.D.,	Astronomy #XXX
T.A. #2:	Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays T.B.D.,	Astronomy #XXX

Understanding the Moon
31 January 2006

Read chapter 3 (The Science of Astronomy).
Lab sections will meet officially starting Tuesday. Review the lab manual, Appendices A - D, for the first session.
February observing begins Monday evening (campus telescopes will be open Monday through Thursday evenings, from 8:00 - 9:00pm). Check the weather before attending, as the skies must be clear to observe.

Office hours:

Nicole:	Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:35 - 12:50,	Astronomy #203
T.A. #1:	Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays T.B.D.,	Astronomy #XXX
T.A. #2:	Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays T.B.D.,	Astronomy #XXX

Observing the Sky
6 February 2006

Read chapter 4 (A Universe of Matter and Energy) and chapter 8 (Welcome to the Solar System).
Review the lab manual entry for lab #1 (The Surface of the Moon), and read pages 271-274 in The Cosmic Perspective (background material). You will perform this exercise during the weekly lab session.
February observing continues.
Sign in every day, so we know you're here! If your total score lies between two grades, good attendance and participation will raise your final grade.

The Solar System
13 February 2006

Models of the Solar System
20 February 2006

Read chapter 10 (Planetary Geology: Earth and the other Terrestrial Worlds), and pages 299-302 of chapter 11 (Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the other Terrestrial Worlds).
Review lab #3 (Geology of Terrestrial Planets) and page 263-270 in The Cosmic Perspective.
February observing ends Thursday.

The Formation of the Planets
27 February 2006

Midterm examination will be held next Tuesday. Review chapters 1-5, 8-10, and 12. Review session T.B.D.
Read chapter 12 (Jovian Planet Systems).
Review lab #4 (Kepler's Laws) and pages 72-73 in The Cosmic Perspective.
March observing begins on Monday; turn in February observation notebook Tuesday.

The Planets
7 March 2006

Midterm examination will be held this Tuesday. Review chapters 1-5, 8-10, and 12.
A review sheet, with sample questions similar to those on the midterm examination, and answers.
Read chapter 6 (Light: The Cosmic Messenger) and chapter 7 (Telescopes: Portals of Discovery).
Review lab #5 (The Orbit of Mercury) and pages 89-90 in The Cosmic Perspective.
March observing continues; Night Sky project check-up #2 is due Tuesday.

Midterm Examination
14 March 2006

Midterm examination will be held Tuesday. Review chapters 1-10 and 12. Review session Monday, at 1:30 in Astronomy #119.
Review lab #6 (Parallax) and page 525 in The Cosmic Perspective.
For your write-up of last week's lab #5 (The Orbit of Mercury), you may use as actual values the following: the semi-major axis a of the orbit of Mercury is 0.38 AU, the eccentricity e is 0.21, and the period P is 87.96 days.
March observing continues.

Waves and Energy
28 March 2006

Atoms
4 April 2006

Read chapter 16 (Properties of Stars).
Review lab #8 (Telescopes and Detectors) and pages 187-190 in The Cosmic Perspective.
March observing ends Thursday (extended due to poor weather); turn in March observation notebook next Tuesday.

Stars
11 April 2006

Read chapter 17 (Star Stuff).
Review lab #9 (Understanding Spectroscopy) and pages 157-163 in The Cosmic Perspective.
April observing begins on Monday; turn in March observation notebook and Night Sky project check-up #3 on Tuesday.

The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
18 April 2006

Read chapter 18 (The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard).
Review lab #11 (The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram) and pages 532-535 in The Cosmic Perspective.
April observing continues.
Public talk on Space Exploration and Indigenous People in Australia, by archaeologist Alice Gorman, at 3:00pm on Tuesday at the University Museum (in Kent Hall, at the corner of University and Solano).
Open house, Friday evening at 7:30pm, at the campus observatory (observing and slide show).

Stellar Death
25 April 2006

Galaxies
2 May 2006

Read chapter 20 (Galaxies: From Here to the Horizon), and pages 650-661 of chapter 21 (Galaxy Evolution), and review chapters 15-19 for final examination.
Review lab #15 (Hubble's Law) and pages 636-638 in The Cosmic Perspective.
Night Sky projects are due Tuesday.
April observing ends Thursday.
April observing notebooks and lab #13 reports are due next Tuesday.
All extra credit assignments are due in class by next Tuesday.

The Fate of the Universe
9 May 2006

The final exam will be held next Tuesday, 1:00 - 3:00. You may be allowed one handwritten list of useful formulas during the exam.
A review sheet, with sample questions similar to those on the final examination, and answers.
Review session, next Monday (10 May) at 4:00, in BX102.
Read chapter 23 (The Beginning of Time), and review chapters 15-20 for final examination.
Review lab #13, (How Many Galaxies Are There?) and pages 626-631 in The Cosmic Perspective.
Turn in April observing notebook Tuesday.
All extra credit assignments are due Tuesday.
Scores for work to date are posted anonymously on the class website. Please check that you have received the correct score for all assignments.

Final Examination
9 May 2006

Final exam will be held on Tuesday, 10:30 - 12:30, covering chapters 15-20 and 23, and all labs done in lab session.
Final class grades will be posted on the class website a few days after the final exam has been taken.