Astronomy 101: Descriptive Astronomy (M4), Section/CRN# 47012 , Fall 2018, Mesa College Instructor: David E. Coleman Time: 7:10-10:10 pm, Tuesdays, Room: MS102 (Math/Science Building)

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Astronomy 101: Descriptive Astronomy (M4), Section/CRN# 47012 , Fall 2018, Mesa College Instructor: David E. Coleman Time: 7:10-10:10 pm, Tuesdays, Room: MS102 (Math/Science Building)

Contact by: Email dcoleman@sdccd.edu No phone. Class Census Date: Sep 4.

Office Hours: Office hours at MS115C on Mondays and Wednesdays 9:25-10:25 am between 8/20 and 12/10.

Notable Dates: Aug 31 (Fri) – last day to add, and last day to drop without a W. Oct 26 (Fri) – last day to drop with a W.

New Moons: 9/9, 10/8, 11/6, 12/6.

Meteors/Eclipses: Orionids Oct 21 (Moon almost Full), Leonids Nov 17 (Moon sets 2am) and Geminids Dec 13.

Description: 3 hours lecture, no lab hours, 3 units. An introductory survey course to develop the appreciation of contemporary

astronomy. Topics include the solar system, stars and stellar evolution, the Milky Way galaxy, and cosmology.

The student is NOT required to take a lab class to get credit for this course. Transfer Credit: UC, CSU.

This syllabus is subject to change if unforeseeable circumstances occur (e.g. teacher out sick).

Texts: (1) Discovering the Essential Universe, 6 TH

edition only (2015), by Comins and Kaufmann. Ebook is OK.

The library probably does not have copies on reserve. Internet orders/rentals: Expedited shipping required!

(2) “Descriptive Astronomy” packet of notes by D. Coleman – available only at the school store (2018 edition!)

Required items: The above texts, #2 pencils, and 3 green half-sheet Scantrons (4¼”×11″, code 882-E) from the campus bookstore.

Readings: Reading assignments are due by the days listed below. Bring class notes packet to class (not textbook).

Reading Due Lecture EC=Extra Credit Dates By Each Date Notes Sec. Likely Topic QS=Homework Announcements & Assignments Due 8-21 N/A 1A Scientific Notation Reading assignment #4 has some of the 1A The Universe material for later homework (QS#2). 8-28 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 1B Birth of Astronomy QS #1 due (online homework) – see next page 2 Star Patterns Enter your answers on Blackboard! for these ID’s That ONE assignment can still 9-4 7 3 Kepler, Newton, Gravity be input up to one week late. 8 4 Seasons, Phases, Precession 9-11 9 and 10 5A Forces and Light QS #2 due (homework) 9-18 11 5B Atoms and Spectra 9-25 EXAM #1 (on lecture note sections 1-5A) – If teacher misses any day of class, an exam might be postponed. 12 6 Telescopes 10-2 13 and 14 7 The Sun QS #3 due 8 Stars & Their Spectra 10-9 15 8/9A Stars on the HR Diagram, Earth 16 9A/9B Climate/Tides, Merc/Venus Reminder to watch your total number of absences! 10-16 17, 18, 19, 20 9B Mars QS #4 due 9C Debris 10-23 21, 22, 23 10B Exoplanets EC #1 & MU #1 due 11 Origins (EC = Extra Credit Assignment) (MU = make-up paper for an exam) 10-30 EXAM #2 (lecture note sections 5B-10B) – If teacher misses any day of class, an exam might be postponed. 24 11/12 Origins, Stellar Evolution QS #5 due, but I’ll give you extra week! 11-6 25 13 Nova and Supernova Explosions 26 and 27 13 Neutron Stars & Black Holes 11-13 28, 29, 30, 31 14 Milky Way QS #6 due 15 Galaxies NEXT WEEK OFF (THANKSGIVING) 11-27 32 and 33 16 Active Galaxies Watch your attendance! 16/17a Galaxy Collisions 12-4 17a Cosmology EC#2 & MU#2 due 17b Cosmology QS #7 due (Answers visible 6

TH at 4 am)

12-11 EXAM #3 (lecture sections 11-17) e-grades: https://sdccd.blackboard.com/ and http://studentweb.sdccd.edu

http://studentweb.sdccd.edu/
READING ASSIGNMENTS – Parts of your large textbook

READ THIS: Reading assignments on the first page of the syllabus are listed with simple ID numbers. Below you see a chart describing what parts of your textbook you need to read for each reading assignment ID number. When I say below that a particular reading assignment includes particular sections of a chapter (instead of the whole chapter), you will notice that where some of these sections begin, there is a small blurb of text right before that section of the textbook begins. You should read that too. So some of these reading assignments start one paragraph earlier than what I have listed below. It should be obvious. Just make sure you are starting each reading assignment where it is clear in the book that a new topic is starting. An example is in Chapter 1, where Section 1 really starts a bit above the Section 1 label in the book. Also, a lot of the sections on planets in chapters 5 through 8 have this same behavior. ID number Chapter Parts of Chapter Topics Relevant homework assignments

1 Chapter 1 Section 14 Scale of the Universe

2 Chapter 2 Section 1 Scientific Method

3 Appendix A1 At back of book Scientific notation

4 Chapter 2 Sections 2 to 7 Early Astronomy (Not on QS1. It is on QS2)

5 Chapter 10 Section 1 Parallax

6 Chapter 1 Section 1 to 13 Sphere, Constellations, Moon (QS1 is through this point here)

7 Chapter 2 Section 8 Orbits and Gravity

8 Chapter 12 Section 11 Curved Spacetime

9 Chapter 3 Sections 1 to 4 Radiation & Temperature (Sections 1 to 4, 12, and 13)

10 Chapter 3 Sections 12 to 18 Spectra and Atoms (Sections 14 to 18) (QS2 goes to here)

11 Chapter 3 Sections 5 to 11 Telescopes

12 Chapter 9 All sections The Sun

13 Chapter 10 Sections 2 to 6 Stars & Their Spectra

14 Chapter 10 Sections 7 to 12 HR Diagram & Binaries (QS3 now goes to here)

15 Chapter 6 All sections Earth (1 to 5), Moon (6-10), Merc/V/Mars (11-25)

16 Chapter 7 Sections 1 to 13 Jupiter and Saturn

17 Chapter 7 Sections 14 to 17 Uranus and Neptune (QS4 now goes to here)

18 Chapter 4 All sections Planet formation (Sections 1 to 4 and 10) and Debris (Sections 5 to 9)

19 Chapter 8 Sections 3 to 13 More on Debris of the Solar System

20 Chapter 8 Sections 1 to 2 Pluto

21 Chapter 5 All sections Exoplanets

22 Chapter 11 Section 1 The Interstellar Medium

23 Chapter 11 Sections 2 to 6 Stellar Evolution I: Formation of Stars

24 Chapter 11 Sections 7 to 11 Stellar Evolution II: Evolution of Low-Mass Stars (QS5 goes to here)

25 Chapter 11 Section 15 Stellar Evolution III: Mass Transfer

26 Chapter 12 Sections 1 to 5 Deaths of Stars

27 Chapter 12 Sections 6 to 18 Neutron Stars (Sections 6-10), Black Holes (Sections 12 to 18)

28 Chapter 11 Sections 12 to 14 Variable Stars

29 Chapter 13 Sections 1 to 7 The Milky Way (QS6 goes to here)

30 Chapter 13 Sections 8 to 12 Galaxy Types

31 Chapter 13 Sections 13 to 15 Galaxy Clusters (Sections 13 & 15), Galaxy Collisions (Section 14)

32 Chapter 13 Sections 16 to 22 Hubble’s Law (Sections 16 to 18), Active Galaxies (Sns 19-21), Lenses (S. 22)

33 Chapter 14 All sections Cosmology (QS7 goes to here)

ELECTRONICS: Please turn off cell phone, pagers, and other audible electronic devices during class or change to silent or vibrate

mode. Use of laptop during class is not permitted, even to take notes. But it is okay to record the class. Water is allowed, NO food.

PLEASE READ THE REST OF THE SYLLABUS. You are responsible to follow all guidelines described in the syllabus.

THE REST OF THIS SYLLABUS IS AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY, unless you specifically request a printed copy be made.

EXAMS: These are not cumulative. The final exam only includes new material from the last fraction of the course. Each

exam has a study guide. Every exam question relates to something on the study guide. Each exam contains 60 multiple choice

questions during 60 minutes. IF YOU WILL MISS EXAM 1 or 2: If you miss an exam (other than the final exam) and qualify for a

make-up exam, you may take that make-up exam during the final exam week. This will either be at the same time as your final exam

(if you are taking a 3-hour-per-day class) or during the final exam of another of this instructor’s classes. If you miss the final exam

for an acceptable reason, you will likely be provided an “incomplete” in the class (but unlikely if 2 exams are missed). If this class is

at Southwestern College, then a zero will be given with conditions for a later change of final grade formulated.

MISSING AN EXAM, no matter the reason, requires writing a make-up paper simply to qualify to take the make-up exam on a

later date. That paper is due at the same time as the next extra credit assignment is due. The topic for making up exam #1 will be

from the MU#1 list of topics which is found later in this syllabus, and for exam #2 the make-up would be from the MU#2 list. The

paper will follow the same format as the extra credit papers and logically will be Credit/No-Credit graded essentially on your

following the proper instructions for the paper. There are guidelines for how to write these papers on the extra credit page of this

syllabus. The teacher will allow you rewrite or fix the paper if it does not follow the guidelines (unless the paper was turned in late!).

Failure to turn in the paper on time means the grade on your make-up exam will be docked 5% and may also mean there is no

opportunity to make revisions if the paper was inadequate. A make-up exam likely will be on the same day as the final exam, right

after the final exam. Missing two exams results in an F in the course, unless an actual doctor’s note, evidence of a car accident on the

exact date of the exam, or evidence of a religious holiday is given for both exams.

COURSE GRADE BREAKDOWN:

Exams 66% On some exams, a curve will be added.

Question Sets 24.5% The student is responsible to study material from the lectures for exams and to complete the reading

Participation 9.5% assignments and accompanying question sets (homework). Exam curves will include the exception that

Extra Credit 0-6% no grade will go above 100% after a curve. Extra credit assignments are due as shown (EC#1, EC#2)

Question Sets (QS1, QS2, etc.) are due on dates indicated on page one. There are two optional

extra credit assignments (see special handout for rules). See below for how attendance can affect grades.

FINAL COURSE GRADES – A = minimum of 90.0% course average over all assignments, as weighted by the above “course grade breakdown” B = minimum of 80.0%. C = minimum of 70.0%. D = minimum of 60.0%. Pass/Fail option = minimum of 70.0%.

BLACKBOARD: Please try signing on to Blackboard immediately, since you will enter your homework answers into Blackboard

by the due date for each so that they can be graded. In Blackboard, you can access printable copies of your homework, grades,

announcements, and Powerpoint slides from lectures. The slides have fewer words than your class notes material, but they have more

numerous images and diagrams. https://sdccd.blackboard.com/ password and user name instructions are found on that page.

ABCD cards are provided in your class notes packet and can also be reprinted from Blackboard. Do not text during these exercises!

BLANKS IN THE CLASS NOTES PACKET: Each section of your class notes has various blanks to be filled in. The answers will

be revealed during class. They are not homework or graded. It is important that you fill in these blanks before you study for each

exam. If you miss a class, get answers from another student before class begins, during any break time (if there is one), or after class.

For the last blanks covered before an exam, I put answers in tiny text at the bottom of Powerpoint slides on Blackboard.

DURING CLASS: Bring your class notes to each class. Inability to participate in class due to missing class for unexcused absences

naturally affects your participation score. Roll is taken during each class. If a class meets for over 2 hours at a time, then there are

TWO rolls taken each class (not one), one very close to the beginning of class and another during the last 20% of class time. The

first two roll sheets missed automatically count toward a running total, no matter the legitimate reasons for the absences. For any later

absences, it is possible to get absences excused and subtracted from the running total. No more than six roll sheets missed in the

running total will be tolerated. Six is OK. Seven is not OK. Only documentation can excuse absences. The reason I allow the above

six unexcused roll sheets is simply because sometimes a student has a good reason to miss class or arrive late but is unable to

document it. No more than two roll sheets can be excused for job-related reasons. The student is expected to withdraw from the

course if unable to consistently attend due to conflicts with jobs, transportation, baby-sitting, etc.

Do not leave class in the middle of lecturing as it is distracting to everyone. If a student is tardy or leaves the class early before it is

fully over, the student will miss a roll sheet and will be counted as not participating. Missing three classes in a row without warning

may result in being dropped from the course without warning. Talking during classes at inappropriate times may result in being asked

to leave the class or re-seated. Use the bathroom during break time, if there is a break, or use it before or after class.

HOMEWORK: These assignments are called Question Sets. Print out these assignments from Blackboard under “Printable

Homework.” Use the print-outs to write down preliminary answers. Later, answer the same questions online on Blackboard under

“Homework.” This is the only way I accept your assignment as completed. Homework is due at class time. If you have any computer

issues when attempting homework, you should be able to contact me during the class that it is due or earlier through my other contact

methods on the syllabus. Blackboard will actually still allow you to enter answers past the class time as late as midnight. Homework

assignments are extra study material for your exams, and each study guide sometimes points to this material. After the next Saturday

night after the due date has passed, go to the “Grades” section in Blackboard, then pick a graded question set too look at, such as

QS1. On the next screen, your grade will appear again but in a blue color this time. It is a link. If you click it, you learn the correct

answers. If you never did the assignment, Blackboard might not allow you to see the correct answers ever, so you may need to ask

another student before your class begins to help correct your answers. Don’t skip homework assignments!