ASTR 101: PRINCIPLES OF ASTRONOMY

FALL 2015
SCHEDULE #20292 (Sec. 3) and SCHEDULE #20294 (Sec. 5)
COURSE INFORMATION
Class Days: Tuesday and Thursday
Class Times: 11:00 AM 12:15 PM (Sec. 3)
2:00 PM 3:15 PM (Sec. 5)
Class Locations: HH-221 (Sec. 3)
NE-060 (Sec. 5)

Professor: Douglas C. Leonard

Contact Information:
Office Hours Days: Monday
Office Hours Times: 1:00 PM 3:00 PM
Office Hours Location: Physics 238
E-mail: dleonard AT mail DOT sdsu DOT edu
Telephone: 619-594-2215

Course Overview
Official Course Catalog Description: Discover the universe: planets, stars, galaxies, and our place in
the cosmos; the Big Bang; how stars shine; comets, meteors, nebulae, the Milky Way; black holes and other
exotic objects. Not open to students with credit in Astronomy 201.
Purpose and Course Content: Finding our place in the universe has been a perennial human pastime.
Here we present the results of this ongoing endeavor, covering such topics as the solar system, stars, black
holes, galaxies, and cosmology. A particular emphasis will be placed on the historical development of ideas
and their philosophical implications. The class assumes no prior background in astronomy, although a general
knowledge of science at the high-school level will be helpful. Mathematics will be limited to algebra and
geometry.
Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completing this course, you should be able to:
Describe the physical location of the Earth with respect to the other constituents of the observable
universe, and articulate the process by which humans attained this understanding;
Convince a fellow student who has never taken an astronomy class that it is possible to determine the
chemical constituents of a star without ever visiting it, through the careful analysis of its light;
Explain the process by which stars, like our sun, produce energy during their lives, and how and why
they ultimately die;
Present the currently favored scientific theory for what the ultimate fate of our universe will be, and
outline the astronomical observations upon which the theory is based;
Describe at least three major areas in which our astronomical knowledge is known to be incomplete;
Read and comprehend articles concerning astronomy that appear in the popular press, and participate
in discussions about them.
Relation to Other Courses: This course is one of nine courses that you will take in General Education
Foundations. Foundations courses cultivate skills in reading, writing, research, communication, computation, information literacy, and use of technology. They furthermore introduce you to basic concepts, theories
and approaches in a variety of disciplines in order to provide the intellectual breadth necessary to help you
integrate the more specialized knowledge gathered in your major area of study into a broader world picture.

This course is one of four Foundations courses that you will take in the area of Natural Sciences and
Quantitative Reasoning. Upon completing Natural Science Foundations courses in physical sciences,
life sciences, and a lab, you will be able to: 1) explain basic concepts and theories of the natural sciences;
2) use logic and scientific methods to analyze the natural world and solve problems; 3) argue from multiple
perspectives about issues in natural science that have personal and global relevance; 4) use technology in
laboratory and field situations to connect concepts and theories with real-world phenomena. Upon completing
a Foundations course in Quantitative Reasoning you will be able to: 1) apply appropriate computational
skills and use basic mathematical concepts to analyze problems in natural and social sciences; and 2) use
methods of quantitative reasoning to solve and communicate answers to real-world problems.
Enrollment Information
Prerequisites: The only prerequisite is student interest; there are no college-level prerequisites.
The use of mathematics will be kept to a minimum, and in most cases is not needed for a basic understanding of the concepts. However, in some cases a quantitative understanding is as important as a qualitative
understanding. A Mathematical Toolkit is provided in the first week of the course that reviews all essential
mathematical skills needed for the course.
Adding/Dropping Procedures: To be added to the wait-list for the course, you must attend the first
class (Aug. 25) and then follow all instructions on the handout, How to Crash This Class (also available at:
http://sciences.sdsu.edu/leonard/astro101) . Crashers will be accomodated on a space-available basis.
Statement for Students with Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will
need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619)
594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability
Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot provide
accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from Student Disability
Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Course Materials
Required Course Material:
Text: Voyages To the Stars and Galaxies, third edition by Andrew Fraknoi, David Morrison, & Sidney C.
Wolff.
Course Reader: Contains Powerpoint slides, weekly assignments, exam information, and additional required
reading material.
Options for Accessing Course Materials: Text may be purchased (used copies and rentals are fine)
at the campus bookstore or elsewhere. Reader is only available for purchase at the campus bookstore, and
must be purchased new (past semesters copies will not work). Note that there are two copies of the course
Textbook and one copy of the course Reader available at the Circulation / Course Reserves Desk in Love
Library; they may be checked out for 2 hours, and all course handouts and Powerpoint slides shown in lecture
are posted to the courses Blackboard website (http://blackboard.sdsu.edu).
Course Structure and Conduct
Style of the Course: This course will be a traditional lecture course, with active student participation
and questions encouraged.

Course Schedule1
Week 1 (August 25 August 31): A Beginning
Topics covered The supernova of 1054 A.D.; the finite speed of light and the cosmic time machine; a brief
tour of the universe; introduction to the night sky and the celestial sphere; conceptual schemes; the nature
of science.
Week 2 (September 1 September 7): Finding our Place in the Universe
Topics covered Constellations; basic astronomical observations every theory must explain: motion of stars,
Sun and planets; the zodiac; retrograde motion; astronomy in ancient times; size and shape of the Earth: A
mathematical toolkit; Eratosthenes measures the Earth; the construction of cosmologies; Ptolemys Almagest:
the geocentric cosmology that (nearly) everyone believed; Aristarchus heliocentric proposal; Aristotle and
Plato.
Last day to add or drop classes: Friday, September 4 (11:59 PM).
Week 3 (September 8 September 14): A Monk Moves the Earth
Topics covered Copernicus De Revolutionibus; Galileos telescope, and the proof that the geocentric
cosmology is wrong; the nature of science; Ptolemys Tetrabiblos and the perceived power of astrological prediction; Hipparchus and precession; alileos impact on astronomy, physics, and science; Tychos observations
and painful death; Keplers Laws; Isaac Newtons genius: the Principia and his first two Laws of Motion.
Online Reading Quiz #1 due Tuesday, September 8, 11:55 PM.
Week 4 (September 15 September 21): Gravity Explains it All
Topics covered Newtons third law; gravity; orbital motions; testing a prediction: the discovery of Neptune;
Newtons version of Keplers Third Law; solar and lunar eclipses; origin and age of the solar system.
Optional planetarium show Monday, September 14, 1:00 PM.
Online Reading Quiz #2 due Tuesday, September 15, 11:55 PM.
Week 5 (September 22 September 28): Other Worlds
Topics covered A tour of the solar system: planets, moons, asteroids, and comets; meteors; introduction
to matter and light; structure of atoms; periodic table of elements.
Online Reading Quiz #3 due Tuesday, September 22, 11:55 PM.
Online Reading Quiz #4 due Sunday, September 27, 11:55 PM.
Optional Lunar Eclipse Star Party Sunday, September 27, 7:30 PM.
1 All dates subject to changes announced in class. Each Week begins on Tuesday. Please consult each weeks Weekly
Handout for the specific textbook and Course Reader readings assigned each week. Preliminary versions of the Weekly Handouts
are contained in the Course Reader, with the final versions posted to the Blackboard web-site by 2:00 PM the day before each
week starts.

Week 6 (September 29 October 5): Light: Its All We Have, Part I

Topics covered Basic properties of light: speed, dispersion, ROYGBIV; the science of spectroscopy; apparent brightness, luminosity, inverse square law of light propagation and the utility of standard candles;
refraction; dispersion; intoduction to the science of spectroscopy: the continuous spectrum and the fingerprints of the elements.
Midterm Exam #1 taken in class on Tuesday, September 29.
Week 7 (October 6 October 12): Light: Its All We Have, Part II
Topics covered Kirchoffs Laws; light as a wave: the electromagnetic spectrum, radial velocity, Doppler
effect, blue(red) shift; the discovery of extrasolar planets; proper motion.
Week 8 (October 13 October 19): Powering the Stars: Einstein Shows the Way
Topics covered Measuring celestial distances with parallax; light as a particle: photons, and a brief introduction to quantum mechanics; introduction to continuous radiation: hotter means bluer and brighter;
sunspots; Cecelia Payne-Gaposchkins thesis, and the discovery of the suns composition; energy source of
the Sun and stars: Nuclear fusion; E = mc2 : 1 + 1 < 2; neutrinos and antimatter.
Online Reading Quiz #5 due Tuesday, October 13, 11:55 PM.
Week 9 (October 20 October 26): How Stars Live
Topics covered Hydrostatic equilibrium; stellar evolution: How stars are born and how they live; low-mass
vs. high-mass stars; approaching stellar death.
Online Reading Quiz #6 due Tuesday, October 20, 11:55 PM.
Week 10 (October 27 November 2): How Stars Die
Topics covered Binary stars; stellar corpses I: The death of low-mass stars, white dwarfs, Chandrasekhar
limit; stellar corpses II: The death of high-mass stars, neutron stars, black holes, core-collapse supernovae;
synthesis of heavy elements; SN 1987A; pulsars; binary star evolution: Novae and Type Ia supernovae.
Online Reading Quiz #7 due Tuesday, October 27, 11:55 PM.
Week 11 (November 3 November 9): Hearts of Darkness I: An Introduction to Black Holes
Topics covered Wrap-up of stellar evolution; introduction to black holes: singularity; event horizon; finding
black holes and proving that they exist.
Online Reading Quiz #8 due Tuesday, November 3, 11:55 PM.
Midterm Exam #2 taken in class on Thursday, November 5.

Week 12 (November 10 November 16): Hearts of Darkness II: Into the Belly of the Beast
Topics covered Einsteins General Theory of Relativity I: The principle of equivalence, and the deflection of
starlight; curved space; Einsteins General Theory of Relativity II: Distorted time and gravitational redshift;
adventures near a black hole; entering the Realm of the Nebulae.
Week 13 (November 17 November 23): The Realm of the Nebulae
Topics covered Edwin Hubble, the great Nebula Debate, and the birth of extragalactic astronomy; standard
candles (bulbs) revisited: Cepheid stars; a universe of galaxies; the mystery of dark matter; supermassive
black holes.
Online Reading Quiz #9 due Tuesday, November 17, 11:55 PM.
Online Reading Quiz #10 due Sunday, November 22, 11:55 PM.
Week 14 (November 24 November 30): Pick a Universe (A Philosophical Interlude)
Topics covered The worldviews of Hesiod, Lucretius, and Plato and resonances with modern science and
cosmology.
Note: No class on Thursday, November 26 for Thanksgiving Holiday.
Week 15 (December 1 December 7): The Expanding (and Accelerating) Universe
Topics covered Edwin Hubble discovers a law: The expanding universe; Big Bang cosmology; age of
the universe; cosmological redshift; the effects of gravity and the expected deceleration; determining the
expansion history of the universe with supernovae; the surprise of the century: the accelerating universe; the
fate of our universe.
Online Reading Quiz #11 due Tuesday, December 1, 11:55 PM.
Week 16 (December 8 December 15): An Ending and a Beginning
Topics covered Wrap-up and review for final exam; Sisyphean nightmares and happiness.
Online Reading Quiz #12 due Tuesday, December 8, 11:55 PM.
Online Reading Quiz #13 due Thursday, December 10, 11:55 PM.
Note: The last lecture class is Thursday, December 10.
Final Exam:
Section 3 (11:00 AM class): Tuesday, December 15, 10:30 AM 12:30 PM,
Room HH-221 (normal lecture room).
Section 5 (2:00 PM class): Tuesday, December 15, 1:00 PM 3:00 PM,
Room NE-060 (normal lecture room).

Individual and Group Activities Required: There will be weekly reading assignments, along with
(nearly) weekly on-line Reading Quizzes (multiple choice and occassional essay). The reading quizzes will
be taken at the course text-books web-site (http://www.ilrn.com), and will be automatically graded on-line
immediately after you take the quiz (except for essays), with scores recorded in percentile form. Your lowest
two homework assignment grades will be dropped when computing your final homework grade for the course.
Details on these assignments, and how to access and complete them on-line, will be given near the start of
the course.
Technology Utilized in the Course: All class Handouts and Powerpoint slides shown in lecture will be
posted to the Blackboard website shortly (i.e., usually within a day) after each lecture. Online homework
will be completed at the text-books web-site (http://www.ilrn.com). Note that neither a computer nor a
calculator is needed for this course; online homework can be completed using the freely available computers
at Love Library.
Course Assessment and Grading

Assignments and Course Grades

Course grades are based on the following scale:
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF

Percentage
92.50 100%
89.50 92.49%
87.00 89.49%
82.50 86.99%
79.50 82.49%
77.00 79.49%
72.50 76.99%
69.50 72.49%
67.00 69.49%
62.50 66.99%
59.50 62.49%
< 59.49%

Students taking the course using the credit/no credit option (Cr/NC) will receive a grade of Credit for
achieving an equivalent letter grade of C or better. No credit will be given for equivalent letter grades of
C- and below.
The final course grade will be determined based on your work in the following areas:
Homework assignments: 10% of the course grade. In addition to the weekly reading assignment,
nearly every week there will be a set of generally multiple-choice quiz questions assigned for you
to complete on-line, at the course text-books web-site (http://www.ilrn.com). These assignments
will be automatically graded on-line immediately after you take the quiz, with scores recorded in
percentile form. Your lowest two homework assignment grades will be dropped when computing your
final homework grade for the course. Details on these assignments, and how to access and complete
them on-line, will be given near the start of the course.
Midterm Examination #1: 20% of the course grade. The first midterm exam will be given in class on
Tuesday, September 29, and is worth 20% of the course grade. The nature of the midterm exams
is described in the Exam Preparation Material section of the Course Reader, and will be discussed
in detail a few weeks into the course.

 Midterm Examination #2: 30% of the course grade. The second midterm exam will be given in class
on Thursday, November 5, and is worth 30% of the course grade. It will be similar in form to the
first midterm exam.
Final Examination: 40% of the course grade. The final examination is a comprehensive exam covering
the entire semesters material. It will be given at the following times and locations:
Section 3 (11:00 AM class): Tuesday, December 15, 10:30 AM 12:30 PM,
Room HH-221 (normal lecture room).
Section 5 (2:00 PM class): Tuesday, December 15, 1:00 PM 3:00 PM,
Room NE-060 (normal lecture room).
Note: The Universitys final examination schedule is always posted online well before the start of
each semester. San Diego State University policy expressly forbids the administration of final exams
other than at the scheduled time (see p. 468 of the current General Catalog). Thus, if you are not
able to take the final exam at the scheduled time, then you can not take this section of
Astronomy 101. Also, please note that it is your responsibility to create a schedule for yourself that
does not result in having many finals on the same day; no special accommodation will be made for
students who create a schedule for themselves that results in them having multiple final exams on the
same day.
Excused Absence Make-up Policies: Makeup exams for the two midterms will be considered only for
the most dire and verifiable circumstances beyond the control of the student.2
Grade Calculator Worksheet
To compute your final grade in the course:
Step 1: Write down all of your homework grades (percentage equivalents):
Step 2: Now, cross out the lowest two homework grades. Add the remaining grades together and divide by
the total number of graded homework assignments (i.e., total number of homework assignments given minus
2). Write down that number here:
Step 3: Take the number obtained in step 2, and multiply it by 0.1. Write that number down here, and put
a box around it:
Step 4: Take your first midterm exam percentage and multiply it by 0.2. Write down that number here, and
put a box around it:
Step 5: Take your second midterm exam percentage and multiply it by 0.3. Write down that number here,
and put a box around it:
Step 6: Multiply your final exam percentage by 0.4, and write that number here, and put a box around it:
Step 7: Add the boxed numbers from Steps 3, 4, 5, and 6 together and write it here. This is your final
percentage grade for the course.
2 To request an exam at a nonstandard time, please read and carefully follow all instructions on the form Requesting an
Exam at a Nonstandard Time, available at the Blackboard web-site (click on Class Handouts, and then click on Requesting
an Exam at a Nonstandard Time). Note that makeup exams will differ from the exams given in class, and may include (or
consist entirely of) a one-on-one oral interview with the professor.

Step 8: Use the grade scale given on the previous page to calculate your final letter grade, and write it down
here:
In all likelihood, this is your final grade for the course. In exceptional cases, if your grade falls near a
borderline (i.e., within about 1% or so of the next grade) I may raise your grade by up to one mark (e.g.,
C- to C; B+ to A-, etc.) based on such subjective criteria as my sense of your overall enthusiasm for the
class and course material. This can be demonstrated in many ways, including class participation (note
that giving the sense that you are an engaged listener is considered to be just as important as actively
contributing to the discussion), attendance, coming to office hours, evidence of effort and dedication, and so
forth. Note that I will never lower a grade that you have earned; your enthusiasm can only help you.
A note on grading philosophy: With the possible exception of the small, subjective grade boost mentioned above, grades in Astronomy 101 are completely objectively determined based on student performance
in the class. Grades in Astronomy 101 are thus earned by the student, based on performance on the exams
and homework in the class; they are not given by the professor.
Other Course Policies
Late Homework. No late homework assignments will be accepted for any reason; should you miss a
homework assignment, then that will simply be one of the two homework grades that is dropped when
computing your average for the homework component of the course.
Extra Credit. There is no extra credit available in this course.
Cheating. Consistent with University policy, cheating is not tolerated in Astronomy 101. If cheating
is deemed to have occurred, a 0 will be recorded for the assignment or exam grade and an Academic
Dishonesty Incident Report will be submitted to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities,
where the incident will then be investigated by the Student Conduct Administrator who shall determine
whether it is appropriate to charge a student with violation of the Student Conduct Code. Details on
the judicial process (and the potential results, including severance from the University) can be found
at the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities web page: http://csrr.sdsu.edu/index.html .
Incompletes. No course grades of Incomplete (I) will be given.3 If your performance in Astronomy 101 is less than satisfactory to you as the semester draws to a close, then your
only options are:
1. Course Forgiveness. At SDSU, you are permitted to retake up to 16 units of lower division courses
when a grade of C- or lower is achieved, and have only the most recent grade counted towards your
GPA. You can thus choose Course Forgiveness for Astronomy 101 if you do poorly the first time
through, and retake it (once) in a future semester (either with me, or with a different professor)
and hopefully improve your final grade. Please see p. 468 of the current SDSU General Catalog
for all of the details on repeating a course.
2. Course Withdraw. If you feel that you have a compelling case, you can petition to get a late
(i.e., its after the 10-class day drop period) withdraw from Astronomy 101. Please see p. 467 of
the current SDSU General Catalog for details on the process. Note that all of the paperwork (this
includes obtaining my signature, getting the approval of the dean of the college of your major,
and filing the forms with the Registrar) must be completed by the last day of classes (Thursday,
December 10, 2015). In general, I am sympathetic to allowing you to withdraw from the class
if you have a solid, documented reason (i.e., I will give you my signature; convincing your dean
and the Registrar is up to you!). Note, though, that the last time that I am available to sign a
course withdraw form is Monday, December 7, 2015 at 3:00 PM (i.e., the end of my last office
hour before classes end).
3 Except under only the most extraordinary circumstance e.g., a severe and documented medical emergency that affects
only a students ability to take the Final Exam at semesters end (all other coursework must have been completed). See p. 467
of the current SDSU General Catalog for official University policy on Incomplete grades.

3. Complete withdraw from the entire semester. If your performance in all (or most) of your classes
has been severely impacted by a cause beyond your control, you can consider a complete retroactive withdraw from the University for the semester. Details on this process are on p. 474 of
the current SDSU General Catalog. Note that this is your only option if it is after Thursday,
December 10!
Note that the best way to avoid having to chose among any of the above actions is to do well in the
class! In this regard, I point out that the final exam is worth 40% of the course grade, so that a strong
performance on that can drastically improve your final mark.
Contacting the professor. Ordered from the best way to get in touch with me to absolute worst
way to get in touch with me:
1. Best way: Come to office hours. This is absolutely the best way to get help from me in a oneon-one (or small group) setting. My office hours are a low-pressure environment, and you dont
even need to come with specific questions in mind if you just want to talk about the material in
general or have me review some concepts with you that is fine. Office hours are Mondays, from
1:00 PM 3:00 PM, in the physics building, Rm. 238 (P238), and I strongly encourage you to
use them; no appointment is needed.
2. Good way: Send me email. This is an effective way to contact me directly. I am very responsive
to emails, often responding within minutes and almost always within 24 hours. When sending me
email please, if at all possible, send it to me in plain text format. It is difficult for my ancient
emailer to read rich-text or HTML-formatted emails. Usually, you can change the format of
your outgoing email by changing the settings.
3. OK way: Catch me right after class. If you have a very quick question (or need to let me know
something) that can be dealt with in under a minute or so, catching me right after class can be
effective. Since another class begins immediately after ours, please wait for me outside the lecture
hall, and I will speak with you there!
4. Poor way: Call my office. This is not such a great way to get hold of me, as I am frequently
out of the office, or, if I am meeting with other students at the time, I may not even answer the
phone. Send email, and youll likely get a better response.
5. TERRIBLE way: Come up right before class. Please do not try to talk with me immediately
before class, either at my office or in the lecture room. This is absolutely the worst time to
attempt to communicate with me. Before lecture I am likely busy getting the lecture material
ready/Powerpoint working/etc. If its a quick question, or you need to let me know something,
speak with me right after class or, even better, during office hours or through email.
Class videos. If you get to class a little early, on most days you will find a video playing, usually
having something to do with the material to be presented in that days lecture. Getting to class early
to watch these videos is completely optional; they will never contain required material that is not also
presented during the formal lecture and/or by the textbook. The official class will never begin before
the offical class start time. That said, many students in the past have found the videos to be a relaxing
way to get introduced to the topics being discussed in the course, before class actually begins.
Asking questions. Although our class is large, questions during lecture are encouraged dont be
afraid to put your hand up if something has confused you. In particular, the first ten minutes or so
of class each week will be specifically set aside to answer any questions that you may have about the
course or material.
Your professors five pet peeves. Here are five things that really annoy me, so please do your
best to not do them! The first two involve keeping our class time a focused, structured environment
for learning, while the last three are more general issues.
1. Talking in class while I am lecturing. This is my biggest single pet-peeve. Nothing bothers
me more than this, so please refrain from all conversations with other students while the lecture
is taking place.

2. Using a cell phone during class. Please turn all cell phones off before entering the lecture
room and store them out of sight. I do not want to see or hear any cell phones during class.
If you need to speak with another student or use your cell phone (for either text messaging or
talking) during class, please quietly leave the lecture room and then quietly return when you are
done.
3. Requesting an assignment extension. Solutions to the weekly reading quizzes are posted
on-line immediately after each quiz is due. It is therefore not possible to grant any assignment
extensions for the reading quizzes. Furthermore, this course has built-in safeguards to prevent
personal, unforeseen or emergency circumstances from adversely affecting your overall performance on these quizzes for the semester. Specifically, the lowest two homework scores (which may
include an assignment on which you scored 0% e.g., you were unable to take it) are not counted
when computing your final course grade. Thus, you can completely miss up to two homework
assignments (for any reason) and it wont hurt your grade. So please, do not ask for any extension
to a reading quiz assignment.
4. Emailing questions about the course that are answered in the Course Reader or
Weekly Handouts. I try very hard to have all relevant course information (e.g., assignment due
dates, exam dates, etc.) contained in the Course Reader or, if it is of a late-breaking variety, in the
updated Weekly Handouts that are available at the course website. It almost never happens that
I say something in class about the course that is not also contained in the Reader and/or Weekly
assignments. So please especially if you miss a class before emailing me a question, check
to see that it is not already answered in the Reader or Weekly Handouts! (Note that emailed
questions about astronomy are always welcome!)
5. Leaving class before it is over. I will lecture right up until the official end of our class period.
I will never end class late, and will almost never end it early. The very end of each lecture is in
fact the most important part, since all lectures end with a summary slide of the class. It is a huge
distraction when students begin leaving with a few minutes to go; the shuffling and noise make
it difficult for others to hear and see the final parts of the lecture. Thus, I request that you not
get up to leave the lecture until it is over. If you are unable to stay for the entire lecture, then
please exit the room more than ten minutes before the end of the lecture.
Classroom safety. For all information concerning safety in the classroom, please read the information
contained at San Diego State Universitys Emergency Preparedness website:
http://bfa.sdsu.edu/emergency/ .

Summary of Course Policies

To ensure that there is no confusion (or surprises at courses end) I explicitly (re)state three of the more
important course rules here.
There is no extra credit given in this course. Focus all of your efforts on the for credit
parts of the class (i.e., reading quizzes and exams)!
There are no assignment extensions, and make-up exams will be considered under only
the most extraordinary (or otherwise unavoidable) and verifiable circumstances.
No course grades of Incomplete (I) will be given, except under very rare circumstances.

Strategy
And now, some time-tested tips for success in this class:
Do the reading. At the start of each week, you will be given a Reading Guide as part of the
weekly handout, which includes the reading assignment for the week. The reading is generally due the
following Tuesday. Do the assigned reading. The textbook contains the bulk of the material for which
you are responsible in this course. That said, most students have found it very beneficial to...
Come to lecture. Lectures are based on the text, but a conscious effort is made to present the material
in a somewhat different manner from that given by the book. Everyone has a different preferred learning
style; some find lectures the best way to learn the material, some find a textbook presentation most
helpful, but everyone benefits from seeing the material presented more than one time and in multiple
ways. By coming to lecture you will also see just what information is being emphasized this is likely
to be the same information that is stressed on your exams.
Use the weekly on-line reading quizzes to test your understanding of the material. The online reading quiz questions are designed to be similar in form and content to those that will appear on
your in-class exams. Since the quizzes are open book/note, there may be a temptation to simply read
the questions and then look up the individual answers. Dont do this. Rather, study the material
thoroughly before looking at the quiz; then, print out the quiz and take it off-line as though it is a test.
After youve done this, then look up any answers that you are unsure about before submitting your
quiz online. Use of this self-correcting technique will enable you to gauge how well you are mastering
the material before facing it on an exam, and force you to engage in the material at a high level each
week.
Get help. Come to my office hours. Go to TA Help Room hours.4 There are lots of opportunities to
get individual assistance on the course material use them!
Study. Material is covered at a fairly rapid pace in class, and must be reviewed at home for complete
comprehension. It is expected that you spend at least 6 hours per week studying the
material outside of class! Dont wait until the last minute to prepare for an examination. This
course presents a large amount of information, and it can really catch up to you if you do not stay
current with the readings.
Visit the Blackboard website, http://blackboard.sdsu.edu, when needed. There you will find
all of the class handouts and assignments, in case you missed anything. All Powerpoint slides from the
lectures are also posted there, usually within a day after the lecture is given.

4 The

TA Help Room location and hours will be announced during the second week of class.

Key Concepts, Terms, People and Ideas

Here is a list of some of the more important concepts, terms, people, and ideas in the approximate order
that you will encounter them in the course. This list can be used as both an organizational aid during
lectures (i.e., as each term is discussed, you can write notes next to it) and to help you prepare for exams. Note, however, that this list is NOT exhaustive, and does NOT include everything for
which you are responsible in this class. It is provided merely to assist you during lectures, and to
provide a framework for what is being covered in class. That said, a mastery of these terms will certainly
go a significant way towards giving you a more complete understanding of the material covered by this course.
Star
Light year
Nebula
Earth
North Pole
South Pole
Equator
Latitude
Longitude
Sun
Horizon
Celestial sphere
Conceptual scheme
Zenith
Elevation
Celestial Poles

Celestial Equator
Polaris (North star)
Circumpolar
Planets
Ecliptic
Constellation
Asterism
Zodiac
Retrograde motion
Parallax
Cosmology
Geocentric
Heliocentric
Aristotle
Eclipse
Lunar eclipse
Eratosthenes
Plato
Epicycle
Claudius Ptolemy

Aristarchus
Solar System
Copernicus
De Revolutionibus
Telescope
Galileo
Astrology
Hipparchus
Precession
Law of Inertia
Galileos Principle of Equivalence
Johannes Kepler
Isaac Newton
Keplers Three Laws of planetary motion
Orbit
Ellipse
Perihelion
Aphelion
Astronomical unit
Period

Mass
Speed
Velocity
Momentum
Acceleration
Force
Newtons Three Laws of motion
Conservation of momentum
Gravity
Fundamental forces of nature
Escape velocity
Weight
Weightless
Asteroid belt
Asteroid
Volume
Density
Angular momentum
Newtons law of gravity
Inverse square relation

Properties of an ellipse: focus, semimajor(minor) axis, eccentricity

Newtons version of Keplers Third Law
Moon
Angular Diameter
Solar eclipse
Corona
Solar nebula
Planetesimals
Terrestrial planets
Jovian (or giant) planets
Differentiation
Meteor/meteoroid/meteorite
Shooting Star
Comet
Greenhouse effect
Planet (most recent definition)
Electron
Proton
Neutron
Element

Atom
Periodic table of elements
Atomic notation
Isotope
Ion
Apparent brightness
Luminosity (or power)
Inverse square law of light propagation
Standard candle (bulb)
Speed of light
Reflection
Refraction
Dispersion
Spectrum
Spectroscopy
Continuous spectrum
ROYGBIV
Bright-line (emission-line) spectrum
Rarified
Dark-line (absorption-line) spectrum

Kirchoff s 3 laws of spectral analysis

Wave
Medium
Frequency
Wavelength
Electromagnetic waves
Electromagnetic spectrum: gamma, X, ultraviolet (UV), visible, infrared (IR), radio
H line
Doppler effect
Blueshift
Redshift
Radial velocity
Extrasolar planet
Proper motion
Arcsecond
Parsec
Parallax (formula)
Photon
Quantum mechanics
Ionization energy

Sunspot
Photosphere
Continuous spectrum
Conservation of Energy
E = mc2
Strong force
Nuclear fusion
Thermonuclear reaction
Antimatter
Neutrino
Neutrino oscillations
Gas pressure
Radiation pressure
Hydrostatic equilibrium
Nucleosynthesis
Nuclear fission
Interstellar gas/dust
Main-sequence star
Stellar evolution
Red giant star

Low mass vs. high mass star

Mass loss
Planetary nebula
Binary star
Center of mass
White dwarf
Electron-degeneracy pressure
Chandrasekhar limit
Neutron star
Supernova
SN 1987A
Core-collapse supernova
Neutron-degeneracy pressure
Black hole
Neutron bombardment
Pulsar
Mass transfer
Accretion disk
Thermonuclear (Type Ia) supernova
Nova

Singularity
Event horizon
Schwarzschild radius
General theory of relativity
Principle of equivalence
Space curvature
Gravitational time dilation
Gravitational redshift
Spacetime
Photon sphere
Tidal force
Henrietta Swan Leavitt
Cepheid star
Edwin Hubble
Galaxy
Milky Way
Spiral galaxy
Elliptical galaxy
Irregular galaxy
Galaxy rotation curve

Dark matter
Supermassive black hole
Vesto Slipher
The Big Bang
Hubble diagram
Hubble law
Hubble constant
Cosmological principle
Cosmological redshift
Critical density
Accelerating universe
Cosmological constant
Dark energy

(Mileva Maric and Albert Einstein, c. 1902.)