ASTRONOMY 161
(Last revised: August 19, 2008)

Class time: 10:10 - 11:00 a.m.  MWF	Sections: 161002, 161003, 161004, 161005, 161006,                    161007, 161008
Term: Fall 2008	Lectures Classroom: Physics 415
Lab times: See the Physics Dept. Fall Timetable or the TA Schedule	Laboratory Room: Physics 507  Lab Schedule
Professor: Dr. Stephen J. Daunt (short bio)                                                        (daily schedule for Fall)	Office: Physics 218 Labs: M-5 and SERF 603
Office Phone: 974-7847 or -7850 (SERF 603 lab) Email: sdaunt[at]utk.edu	Office Hours: 9:00-10:00 p.m. MW or  by appointment

Textbook: "Astronomy Today" (Sixth Edition), Vol. 1:  The Solar System, by Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan

Student Companion Workbook: " Online Journey Through Astronomy: The Solar System"
by Michael Guidry, Margaret Riedinger and Frank Edward Barnes (Student Companion) [Available at UTK Libraries website through electronic "Course Reserves"(type "astronomy" after clicking on "Course Reserves" button)]

Lab Book: "A Laboratory Textbook for Introductory Astronomy" by Kermit E. Duckett

Tests:   There will be both daily quizzes and period long exams this semester.
The 5 minute daily quizzes will be one or two short questions on the lecture material to be covered that day. Your reading and note preparation should make these easy for you to answer. They will be handed out at the start of each lecture. If you are late you will miss them and they will not be made up.

The four period long exams will be mostly objective questions (T-F, multiple choice, matching, fill-ins) with some essay questions for extra credit. The lowest of the four grades will be dropped. THERE ARE NO MAKEUPS. Only extreme medical or family emergencies (with written proof) are reasons for any type of extra-normal arrangements. Do not plan vacations, long weekends, or other personal absences without checking the Daily Syllabus and talking with me first to be sure that you will not be missing an exam or an especially important lecture.

Grading: The breakdown will go like this for your base grade:

Lab grade	25 pts.
Participation (daily quizzes, class discussions and/or WEB)	15 pts.
Period Quizzes (drop the lowest)	60 pts.
Total (Base grade)	100 pts.

Extra credit items add to the base grade calculated above. One point is given for each well written video or article report. Two different supervised trips [roof (solar, night), planetarium, eclipses, meteors, etc.] plus their typed reports add five points total. Mentored research papers can add up to a full letter grade depending on the quality and work effort. 

The grading scale is the usual one of A ³90, B+ ³85, B ³80, C+ ³75, C ³70, D ³60, and F <60. FX is for those who stopped attending or never attended (Among first year students that is an unfortunate but common occurrence.).  UTK has now added minus grades as well.

Attendance is taken daily. Seats are assigned to speed up taking attendance as well as to try to get to know your names. This way I am aware of who is participating via their attentiveness, questions and involvement in discussions during class. If you are unable to come to class please let me know why. You can either tell me in advance before or after class, during office visits or by email. This enables me to record that good reason why you are absent on my attendance chart.

A Cautionary Note: Please put your cellphones on vibrate or turn them off before entering the lecture hall. Although your ringtones may be interesting and costly to you the rest of us don’t need to be interrupted by them. 

Extra Credit: Day telescope observation sessions are available from the roof of the Physics building (conducted by Mr. Paul Lewis). 
Mr. Lewis will talk to you and show you features of the solar atmosphere such as sunspots, prominences, plages, etc.  You can prepare for thess sessions by browsing the chapter 16 on the Sun in your textbook as well as the study guide for the Sun. You meet on the roof of the Physics building. [through the door at the very top of the East stairwell (near the elevator doors)].

Mr. Lewis' office is on the first floor of the Nielsen Physics next to the elevator doors and his phone number/answering machine is at 974-9601. If it is raining, snowing, or overcast then there will be no viewings. If you are in doubt that your session will be cancelled due to weather call or email Mr. Lewis to check. Not showing up without a valid reason can get you barred from future sessions since you will have wasted a time slot that another student could have used.

It is also very important that you try to do your observing as early as possible since bad weather usually causes many cancellations of the extra credit sessions. This causes many students to miss their chances for extra credit. Don't let it be you! One solar session wil be considered for extra credit. A stamped form from Mr. Lewis PLUS a one page typed essay description of your observing trip should be handed in to me for you to get full credit.

We also arrange special trips to the Heritage Planetarium in Maryville for shows relevant to our course material. These will be announced well in advance in class and on the newsgroup.

You can also watch astronomy videotapes in the Astronomy Reading Room on the mezzanine floor of the Physics building at any time that you have available and the room is open (usually 8 a. m. - 11 p. m.). You will need to see me before or after class in my office to obtain course relevant video tapes to watch.
A two page typed report on what you have watched should be submitted to me for grading. The subject of a video must relate to the material covered during this semester, e.g., planets, moons, comets, asteroids, the search for life in the universe. (NOT material on stars, supernovae, black holes galaxies, etc. – those are the subject matter for the Astronomy 162 course.)

You may also (with advance permission from me) do a research paper relating to material covered this semester but in much greater depth. The topic will usually be something that relates to your major or personal interests. You will be expected to meet with me about once a week to discuss your topic, references, outlines and drafts as you pursue your topic. A minimum of 10 outside references (articles in journals and books) are required and the paper must be 15 typed pages of text. This is a lot of work but an excellent paper will add a full letter grade to your final evaluation and bring you much personal satisfaction in learning about how astronomy and your interests coincide.

FOR MORE DETAILS USE EXTRA CREDIT BUTTON ON PREVIOUS WEBPAGE

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Material to be covered in Astronomy 161:

Chapter 1 Charting the Heavens: Orders of magnitudes; powers of ten, exponential and scientific notation; scientific units, fundamental constants, speed of light, distance units, smallest and largest components of universe, periodic table of the elements; angular measure; Constellations, celestial coordinates, seasons, solstices, equinoxes, time keeping and calendars; phases of the Moon, tides, eclipses.

Chapter 2 The Copernican Revolution: Ancient astronomy of Egypt, Babylonia and Greece, Ptolemy and the Ptolemaic Universe, epicycle model of planetary motion, Aristotle and uniform circular motion, Eratosthenes and the size of the Earth, Aristarchus and other important Greek philosopher-scientists; Astronomy in Islamic countries, India, and China; Archaeoastronomy: Mayan and other Native American astronomy, Neolithic astronomy, Stonehenge; Copernicus and the Copernican revolution, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler,  Kepler's laws, Galileo, Isaac Newton, Newton's laws and orbital motion.

Chapter 3 Radiation: Electromagnetic (EM) radiation, blackbody (BB) curves; Radiation laws: Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wien’s law, Planck’s law;  the electromagnetic spectrum: discovery of its regions (radio, IR, MW, visible/optical, UV, X-ray, gamma ray); the Doppler effect: velocity and direction determinations; Temperature scales: Fahrenheit, Celsius/Centigrade, Absolute/Kelvin.

Chapter 4 Spectroscopy: Types of spectra: emission, absorption, continuous; Kirchhoff’s laws; Atomic spectral lines as a tool of science; Einstein; the photoelectric effect; Quantum mechanics and atomic structure; the Hydrogen atom spectrum; the formation of spectral lines; Molecules; spectral-line analysis.

Chapter 5 Telescopes: Optical observatories, atmospheric windows, basic optics, lenses & mirrors; Types of telescopes: refractors, reflectors, catadioptrics; Telescope optical designs: Galilean, Keplerian, Newtonian, Cassegrain and others; Telescope mounts: equatorial, alt-azimuth, Dobsonian; Resolution and light gathering power; Atmospheric Problems for astronomers: weather, light pollution, atmospheric turbulence (seeing/scintillation/twinkling) ; Important telescope pioneers and milestones in astronomy: Galileo, Newton, William Herschel, Lord Rosse (the 6’ Leviathan), Percival Lowell (Lowell Observatory, AZ); Clark & Sons (36” Lick refractor in CA), George Ellery Hale (40” Yerkes refractor in WI, 60’ Carnegie and 100” Hooker reflectors at Mt. Wilson in CA, 200” reflector at Mt. Palomar in CA); New Technology Telescopes (NTTs): Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT), Subaru, Gemini North and South, spin-cast mirrors; Space observatories: (Hubble, Webb/NGST, SIM, TPF, LF and others); Detectors: eye, film, photoelectric, CCD's; Photometry; Spectroscopy; Adaptive optics: reduces or removes turbulence effects using sophisticated optical and computer methods; Sky surveys: Palomar, Sloan DSS, 2dF, 2MASS and others; Long and short wavelength space observatories: IUE, SIRTF, Chandra, Compton, ROSAT, XMM and others; Ground based long wavelength astronomy: IR, MW, radio; Interferometry: Albert Michelson, optical interferometers (Mt. Wilson, Keck, Palomar and many others) and radio interferometers (VLBI, Greenbank(WV), Merlin, Westerbork, VLA, VLBA and many others) .

Chapter 6 The Solar System: Comparative planetology; solar system basics (planetary radial distances, orbital periods, rotational periods, masses, densities); Terrestrial and Jovian planets, interplanetary matter (gas, dust, ices, asteroids, comets); Planetary space missions; Theories of solar system formation; Nebular hypothesis of Laplace; Observations of solar system formation, protoplanetary disks (proplyds), gravitational contraction, angular momentum, accretion, condensation and temperature.

Chapter 7 Earth: Properties: orbital and physical; Interior structure; Geologic activity: plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, geysers; tides, Atmosphere: composition (N₂ and O₂), layers (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, ionosphere, exosphere), global warming/greenhouse gas problems, chloroflurocarbons and the ozone hole problem; Magnetosphere: origin, Van Allen belts, auroras, solar-terrestrial interactions.

Chapter 8 The Moon and Mercury: Lunar Properties: orbital (sidereal and synodic periods, synchronous rotation, librations) and physical; Surface features: maria, highlands, craters, mountains, valleys, rilles; Lunar missions: Russian & American programs, Apollo; post-Apollo, geological analysis of lunar rocks, chronology of the lunar surface, lunar interior structure; recent and future lunar missions; Origin theories: fission, co-accretion, capture and collision; Mercury's Properties: orbital and physical, Mercury's synchronous rotation, tidal locks/spin-orbit coupling; Surface features: mountains, craters, maria, rilles, scarps, hot spots under surface, volcanism, ice in craters at the poles from comet crashes; Internal structure: large molten metal core; Atmosphere: trace amount; Magnetosphere: unexpected but exists; Missions: Mariner 10 and Messenger.

Chapter 9 Venus: Properties: orbital and physical; Earth’s “sister” planet, brightness, retrograde rotation; Surface features of Venus (Aphrodite Terra, Ishtar Terra, Maxwell Montes, volcanoes, craters, pancake domes, tesserae, arachnoids); Atmosphere: properties, dense (90 times Earth’s pressure) CO₂ atmosphere, sulphuric acid clouds, runaway greenhouse effect; Missions: Mariner 10, Venera missions (USSR), Pioneer Venus, Magellan, Messenger.

Chapter 10 Mars: Properties: orbital and physical; Historical observations; Surface features (Valles Marineris, Tharsis Ridge, Olympus Mons, giant volcanoes, polar ice caps, craters, plains, dried lake beds and water channels); Atmosphere: thin CO₂ (1% of Earth pressure), dust storms; Satellites: Phobos and Deimos; Missions: Mariner series, Viking 1 and 2, Pathfinder/Sojourner, Mars Global Observer, Spirit and Opportunity of the Mars Exploration Rover project, and others in the future; the search for life on Mars.

Chapter 11 Jupiter: Properties: Orbital and physical of the largest planet; differential rotation; Atmosphere: composition (mostly H and He with trace gases of importance), belts and zones, cyclonic storms, Great Red Spot; Internal structure: differentiated, molecular hydrogen, liquid metallic hydrogen, rocky core; Magnetosphere; internal heat source; Satellites and their features: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Amalthea and many others, volcanism, tidal forces, geological activity, atmospheres and magnetospheres, life on Europa? Jovian rings.

Chapter 12 Saturn: Properties: Orbital and physical; Atmosphere: composition and features; Internal structure; Magnetosphere; internal heat source; the ring system, composition, the Roche limit, Cassini division and Encke gap, resonances, shepherd satellites, moonlets, origin of rings; Satellites: Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Titan, Hyperion, Iapetus, Phoebe and others, their surface features and properties; the exploration of Titan’s atmosphere and surface by Earth based observatories, satellites, the Voyager and Cassini/Huygens missions.

Chapter 13 Uranus, Neptune and Pluto: Properties: Orbital and physical; Discoveries of each: Uranus by W. Herschel (1781), Neptune predicted by J. C. Adams and U. Leverrier then observed by Galle (1846), Pluto by C. Tombaugh (1930); Atmosphere: composition and features (clouds, zonal structures, Great Dark Spot on Neptune and other features); internal structures; Ring systems of Uranus and Neptune; properties and sizes of the rings; Satellites of each planet: Uranus (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon), Neptune (Triton, Nereid and others), Pluto (Charon); Magnetospheres, tilts to rotational axes, origins and sizes.

Chapter 14 Solar System Debris: Asteroids: discovery types and compositions; the asteroid belt, orbital resonances, Kirkwood gaps; Trojan asteroids; inner solar system (Amor, Aten, Apollo families) asteroids; Earth orbit crossing asteroids (NEAs) and danger of collisions, craters on Earth from historic crashes (Barringer, Manicouagan, Odessa, Chicxulub and other craters), Torino impact scale, the death of the dinosaurs and other mass extinctions in the geologic record; Comet structure: coma, hydrogen cloud, ion tail, dust tail, nucleus; chemical composition and structure; origin models; Oort Comet Cloud; Kuiper Belt; famous comets (Halley, Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp, and others); missions to comets (Giotto, Vega 1 & 2, Deep Space 1, Stardust, Deep Impact and others); comet crashes as possible origin of oceans, organic matter and life? Meteoroids; types of meteorites (irons, stones, stony irons, carbonaceous chondrites); meteor showers and their associated comets; radiants; historic meteorites (Murchison, Allende, Wabar, Ahnighito and others); amino acids in meteorites; the Tunguska Event in Siberia (1908).

Chapter 15 The Formation of Planetary Sysytems: Solar system formation models; terrestrial and Jovian planet formation; giant planet migration; angular momentum problem; the asteroid belt; the Kuiper Belt and plutinos; catastrophe models; the discovery of extra-solar planets, observational techniques, brown dwarfs or planets? Searching for Earth-like planets.

Chapter 28 Life in the Universe: Physical models for the origin of life on Earth and other planets; organic chemistry, amino acids, DNA & RNA; Urey-Miller experiments; life in extreme environments; life on Mars, Europa, in other star systems? the recent discovery of other planets and solar systems; radio astronomy, SETI, the Drake equation.