ASTR 201

ASTR 201 -- The Sun and Its Planets

Spring 2009

Time and Location: TR 10:00 -- 11:15, Sears 354

Instructor: Professor Chris Mihos

Office: Sears 557
Office Hours: T/Th 3-4, or by appointment
E-mail: mihos@case.edu
Phone: 368-3729

Teaching Assistant: Real Ma

Office: Sears 553
Office Hours: W 3-4
E-mail: realma@case.edu

Website: http://burro.case.edu/Academics/Astr201/

Textbook: The Cosmic Perspective by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit. IMPORTANT: the official textbook is the 5th edition. If you are using an older version (i.e., you have bought a used 4th edition), please note that while the chapters are very similar between the 4th and 5th editions, the problems are different. For even earlier editions, the chapters may be structured differently as well. If you are using an older, used textbook, be sure to do the correct problems when they are assigned!

Planetarium Software: This is entirely optional, but the planetarium software I will use from time to time in class is Stellarium. It is freeware, so if you want to try it for yourself, you can download it from the Stellarium website and install it on your own computer.

Grading Details:

Graded work

Grading scale

Homework	40%	Six homework assignments
Quizzes	30%	Six quizzes; lowest two grades are dropped. Quiz Dates: Feb 5, Feb 19, Mar 5, Mar 26, Apr 9, Apr 23
Final Exam	30%	May 6 (12:30-3:30pm)

A	90-100
B	80-89
C	70-79
D	55-69
F	<55

Notes on grading:

Your work should be your own work, written in your own words.
"A" means "excellent." The right answer, poorly written or sloppily presented, earns a B at best. And so on down the line....
HW should be turned in during class the day it is due. Homework will be accepted up to one week late, but late homework will receive a letter grade deduction.
Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped; because of this, makeup quizzes will not be offered. If you miss a quiz, that will be your dropped score. In the case of illness or other severe crisis, contact me immediately and we can work out other arrangements.
There will be no extra credit assignments given. Do a good job on the work that is assigned!

Tentative Schedule:

Week	Dates	Topic	Chapters	Due
1	Jan 13	Our Place in the Universe I Our Place in the Universe II	1
	Jan 15	Spaceship Earth Discovering the Universe I	1-2
2	Jan 20	Discovering the Universe II	2
	Jan 22	Night Sky Interlude I: Winter The Science of Astronomy I	-- 3	HW 1
3	Jan 27	The Science of Astronomy II Motion, Energy, and Gravity I	3 4
	Jan 29	Motion, Energy, and Gravity II	4
4	Feb 3	Light & Matter I	5
	Feb 5	Light & Matter II	5	Quiz 1 (Chap 2 & 3, Winter Skies)
5	Feb 10	Light & Matter III Telescopes I	6
	Feb 12	Telescopes II Night Sky Interlude II: Spring	6	HW 2
6	Feb 17	Our Solar System	7
	Feb 19	The Formation of the Solar System I	8	Quiz 2 (Chap 4 & 5, Spring Skies)
7	Feb 24	The Formation of the Solar System I (cont)	8
	Feb 26	No class		HW 3
8	Mar 3	The Formation of the Solar System II Planetary Geology I	9
	Mar 5	Planetary Geology II Mars 3D images (earlier spacecraft) Mars 3D images (Spirit/Opportunity)	9	Quiz 3 (Chap 7 & 8)
9	Mar 10	No class -- Spring Break
	Mar 12	No class -- Spring Break
10	Mar 17	Planetary Geology III Planetary Atmospheres I	9, 10
	Mar 19	Planetary Atmospheres II	10	HW 4
11	Mar 24	Night Sky Interlude III: Summer Jovian Worlds	11
	Mar 26	The Moons of the Jovian Planets	11	Quiz 4 (Chap 9 & 10, Summer Skies)
12	Mar 31	Planetary Rings, Asteroids and Comets	11,12
	Apr 2	Dwarf Planets and Earth Impacts	12	HW 5 (due Apr 3 by noon)
13	Apr 7	Extrasolar Planets I
	Apr 9		13	Quiz 5 (Chap 11 & 12)
14	Apr 14	Extrasolar Planets II Night Sky Interlude IV: Autumn The Sun: Intro	13
	Apr 16	The Sun: Energy and Activity (Dr. Kriessler's Notes)	14	HW 6 (due Apr 17 by noon)
15	Apr 21	The Sun as a Star (Dr. Kriessler's Notes)	--
	Apr 23	Summary and Review	1-14	Quiz 6 (Chap 13, the Sun, Autumn Skies)

Homework Assignments:

Homework assignments are problems from the 5th edition

HW	Due date	Assignment
1	Jan 22	Ch 1: 1, 2, 11, 12, 51 Ch 2: 4, 6, 8, 9, 41, 42
2	Feb 12	Ch 4: 4, 5, 15, 16, 17, 56, 57 Ch 5: 8, 14, 15, 16, 45, 57, 60
3	Feb 26	Ch 7: 9, 10, 11, 38, 42 Ch 8: 1, 2, 6, 8, 12, 40, 42
4	Mar 19	Ch 9: 4, 5, 9, 13, 18, 46 Ch 10: 1, 10, 15, 18, 21, 51, 54
5	Apr 3, noon	Ch 11: 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16 Ch 12: 6, 8, 10, 13, 38, 43, 45
6	Apr 17, noon	Ch 13: 5, 7, 10, 13, 49, 53 The Sun: (here is Chapter 14 of the textbook) Describe the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Which process powers the Sun? Why does it take such high temperatures to do this? Describe the proton-proton reaction that powers the Sun. Describe the processes by which energy generated at the core of the Sun make it out to the Sun's surface. About how long does this take? What do we mean by solar activity? Describe some of the features of solar activity, including sunspots, prominances, flares, and coronal mass ejections. Describe the sunspot cycle, and explain what is going on in the Sun that drives this cycle.

Links:

Astronomy Picture of the Day
Current grade scores (updated 5/7 to reflect final scores, including HW 1-6, Quiz 1-6, and the final exam).
Quiz Answer Key