Astro-11 Fall 1998 Syllabus

	Astronomy 11 Fall 1998: Syllabus

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

	T Th 12pm-1:30pm DRL A7

	Last update: 16 November 1998

	Text: Introductory Astronomy & Astrophysics (Fourth Edition) by Zeilik and Gregory (ZG4)

	Reading Assignments and Key Questions:

Week 1: The Two Great World Systems
Reading - Chapter 1 Celestial Mechanics and the Solar System.
- Lecture 1: Cosmological Questions
  How do we find out about our Universe?
Week 2: Kepler's Mechanics
Reading - Chapter 1 continued.
- Lecture 2: The Copernican Revolution
  How were the geocentric and heliocentric cosmologies developed?
- Lecture 3: Kepler's Laws
  What was truly revolutionary about Kepler's model?
Week 3: Orbital Mechanics I
Reading - Chapter 1 continued
- Lecture 4: Galileo and Newton
  What keeps a planet or satellite in orbit?
- Lecture 5: Newtonian Mechanics
  How do we measure masses?
Week 4: Orbital Mechanics II
Reading - Chapter 1 continued, Physics Prelude P1
- Lecture 6: The Barycenter
  What quantities are conserved in orbital mechanics?
- Lecture 7: Energy, Orbits, & Beyond the 2-Body Problem
  What kinds of orbits are possible?
Week 5: The Solar System
Reading - Chapter 2
- Lecture 8: Solar System Overview
  What stuff is out there in our Solar System?
- EXAM 1
Week 6: The Earth and Beyond
Reading - Chapter 2, 3
- Lecture 9: Solar Radiation
  What is the habitable zone?
- Lecture 10: Blackbody Radiation
  What determines the temperature of the planets?
Week 7: Planetary Dynamics
Reading - Chapter 3
- Lecture 11: Planetary Atmospheres
  What determines which planets have atmospheres?
- Lecture 12: Time and Tides
  Why does the Moon keep the same face toward the Earth?
Week 8: Twin Planets
Reading - Chapters 4, 8, 9
- Lecture 13: Earth and Moon
  How often can eclipses occur?
- Lecture 14: Interlude - Observing the Universe
  Telescopes, Observatories, and what we can see
Week 9: The Earth, Outside ...
Reading - Chapter 4
- Lecture 15: Interferometry
  How do we link telescopes together to work as one?
- Lecture 16: Earth's Atmosphere
  What determines the structure of our atmosphere?
Week 10: ... and In
Reading - Chapter 4 continued.
- Lecture 17: Earth's Interior
  What is going on deep inside the Earth, and why?
- EXAM 2
Week 11: The Inner Solar System
Reading - Chapter 5.
- Lecture 18: The Moon and Mercury
  How did the cratering rate of the Moon vary during its history?
- Lecture 19: Venus and Mars
  Was there ever water on Mars, and what happened to it?
Week 12: Beyond Mars
Reading - Chapter 6.
- Lecture 20: The Gas Giants
  What are the Jovian planets made of?
- HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Week 13: Origins
Reading - Chapter 7.
- Lecture 21: Rings and Moons
  Why do the gas giant systems look like little solar systems?
- Lecture 22: Comets, Asteroids and Planetary Formation
  What do comets and asteroids tell us about our history?
Week 14: The Sun, The Nearest Star
Reading - Chapter 10 The Sun: A Model Star.
- Lecture 23: The Structure of the Sun
  Why does the Sun have spots?
- Lecture 24: Solar Energy is Nuclear Energy
  What makes the Sun shine?
Reading Week: To be scheduled: SPECIAL REVIEW SESSIONS

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	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