Astronomy 11 Fall 1998 Course Page

	Astronomy 11 Fall 1998:

	Astronomy 11 Introduction to Astrophysics I Fall 1998 Prof. Steven T. Myers

	T Th 12pm-1:30pm DRL A7

	Last update: 14 January 2000

	Notes:

Note: This version is a copy of the webpage used for my course given at the University of Pennsylvania. (14 Jan 2000)

Go straight to the lecture notes and problems.

I have compiled the list of the top 5 errors YOU SHOULD NOT MAKE AFTER THIS CLASS (but seem to have on the final):

Forget to convert arcseconds to radians in doing angular-diameter-distance calculations.
Use km instead of m in an MKS formula.
Confuse luminosity and flux.
Use the planet's orbital distance (~AU) instead of the planet's radius (~5000km) (or visa versa).
Get an answer many orders of magnitude off and not comment on it (let alone go back and check your math or the equation)!
(Dis)Honorable Mention: using magnitudes in problem 4 even though there was no mention of them, JUST BECAUSE WE USED THEM IN THE HOMEWORK!

Some of you claimed to be caught be surprise by the exam, yet nearly all the questions were versions of problems on the homeworks (especially the last 3 homeworks). Sigh. (posted 12/17/98)

You can view the list and links for proposed missions to EPS451 now. (posted 12/16/98)

Be sure to get your final versions of the project proposal/web page locator, as well as any outstanding projects or extra credit reports, to me by Thursday. I will be turning in the final grades on Friday. (posted 12/16/98)

Well, that wraps up the semester. I hope you enjoyed it, and learned some cool stuff about our solar system! I hope to see some of you next semester for Astro 12! In the final lecture, I passed out course surveys, including a special one asking about particular course ingredients. If you took one, please take time to complete it and hand it back to me (you dont need to sign your name or anything, it can be anonymous). Detailed comments are better than just a yes/no! Feel free to tell me the stuff you didnt like or wished we covered more of! If you didn't pick one up, and would like to give me your input, or if you already turned one in and have further comments, you can get one here:
Course Survey (HTML | PS)

As I mentioned in class, you may have problems reaching the SOHO website to do the SOHO project. If the US site is down, you will be directed to the European site, and you can just manually address the desired page with the prefix: http://sohowww.estec.esa.nl/ instead of the US prefix http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/. This occurred over this last weekend, and may continue for a while so be warned! (posted 12/9/98)

	Available Resources:


	Some Extra Credit Reports: The Mars Pathfinder Mission (Sumit Niogi) The Mars Pathfinder Rover (Ravi Adhikary) Mars Pathfinder - Walking on Mars (Ron Hung) NEAR (Rachel Courtland) Mars ? (Mridul Sharma) Now available: Lecture Notes and Problem Sets Extrasolar Planet Mission Team Project Observing Computer and Web Labs Extra Credit Course Guide Course Schedule Syllabus Constants and Formulae (also in Postscript) Also of interest: WISP - Women Interested in the Study of Physics Astronomy News and Current Events I will be teaching Astronomy 12 next semester Spring 1998. Those of you interested in taking this course might want to look at the Astro 12 Page (Spring 1999) for an idea of what we will be covering.	Don't take jesters into outer space, that's my advice. Fourteen lifeless planets, a few comets, two stars. By the time you take off for the third star, your jesters will be out of humor. --- Wislawa Szymborska, from "Warning".

	How to Contact Me:

Steven T. Myers

       National Radio Astronomy Observatory
       P.O. Box O
       1003 Lopezville Rd.
       Socorro, NM 87801
Phone: (505) 835-7294 or 835-7000
  FAX: (505) 835-7027
Email: smyers@nrao.edu
  URL: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~smyers

Steven T. Myers

National Radio Astronomy Observatory P.O. Box O 1003 Lopezville Rd. Socorro, NM 87801 Phone: (505) 835-7294 or 835-7000 FAX: (505) 835-7027 Email: smyers@nrao.edu URL: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~smyers