PES 1050 General Astronomy I: Fall, 2015
Tue,Thu 9:25-10:40 ENGR 103
Course Syllabus
Course Description: The methods and
results of modern astronomy (mainly
applied to our solar system planets and Sun) at an elementary
level. This course is primarily a lecture course,
with limited mathematics required. However, it is a
science course, and as such we will explore
scientific reasoning and methods. We will study the
observation methods used by ancient and modern
man to examine the universe around us.
Instructor: Robert G. Gist
Office & Hours: OCSE A-418, (Mon 11-12:15,
Tue 12:15-1:15, Wed 6:15-7:15)
UCCS e-mail: rgist@uccs.edu
Web Site: http://www.uccs.edu/rgist
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite: None
Text: Astronomy Today,8rd ed, by Chaisson &
McMillan, Pearson
Attendance: Attendance will not be monitored. It is each student’s responsibility to cover any
material due to missed lectures. Call the Snow Line (255-3346) for school closures.
Arrangements should be made in advance for absence due to religious or spiritual
observances.
Scope of Material: My lectures will follow the outline of the text, and will cover much of the
same material. You will get a good sense of what I see as important (i.e. test-able) material
from the book. Exams will be based on lecture material and on the sections of the book that
correspond to the lecture.
In-class & At-home projects: We will perform some in-class demonstrations and projects.
These will provide some interactive examination of the topics we will be covering. Some
projects will require effort and/or observation outside of class. No special equipment will be
required; only your eyes and your mind (and paper and pen). Both the in-class and at-home
projects are participation grades and will count as 20% of your final grade.
Exams: Exams will be in multiple-choice format. I will give you at least a week’s notice as to
the exact date of the exam as well as the material you will be responsible for on each test. In
addition to the three mid-term exams there will be a comprehensive final exam during finals
week in this classroom. All exams are weighted equally. Unless arrangements have been
made prior to any exam, there will be no make-up exams. The lowest exam grade will be
dropped to allow for unforeseen absences on exam day.
Extra Credit: For each exam, including the final, there is the opportunity to earn extra credit by
finding, summarizing and referencing up to 10 articles related to space. Each completed
article is worth 1 percentage point added to the exam. They are due on the day of the exam,
and it is not necessary to include the actual article. Selected articles should be recent (within
the last year or so) and the short (2-3 sentences) summaries should be written in your own
words.
Grades: In summary, your grade will be weighted as
In-class & at-home projects 20%
shown. The letter grade ranges are posted on my
Exams (4)
80%
website. Ranges include +’s and –‘s.
Disabilities: Students with a disability who require accommodations should provide a letter of
accommodation from Student Enrichment Services (MH 105, x3354) within the first two
weeks of the semester. Accommodations requests for tests are required a week prior to the
scheduled exam.
Calculators: Calculators will be necessary for some in-class and at-home projects. A basic
calculator capable of trigonometric functions and square roots is sufficient. Calculators will
not be required for exams.
R. Gist
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PES 1050 General Astronomy I: Fall, 2015
Tue,Thu 9:25-10:40 ENGR 103
Significant Dates
Date
Sept 7-8
Nov 25-27
Dec 17 (Thu)
Event
Labor Day Holiday
Thanksgiving Break
Final Exam
Note
No class
No class
8:00am to 10:00am
Schedule (subject to change)
Date
25-Aug
27-Aug
1-Sep
3-Sep
8-Sep
10-Sep
15-Sep
17-Sep
22-Sep
24-Sep
29-Sep
1-Oct
6-Oct
8-Oct
13-Oct
15-Oct
20-Oct
22-Oct
27-Oct
29-Oct
3-Nov
5-Nov
10-Nov
12-Nov
17-Nov
19-Nov
24-Nov
26-Nov
1-Dec
3-Dec
8-Dec
10-Dec
17-Dec
R. Gist
Topic
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Tue
Thu
Thu
Section in Text
Introduction and Overview
1.1-1.2
Observing the Night Sky
1.3-1.4
History & Observability
2.1-2.4
Forces, Laws of Gravity & Motion
2.5-2.8
Labor Day Holiday
Forces, Laws of Gravity & Motion
2.5-2.8
Light and Atoms
3.1-3.5
Light and Atoms
4.1-4.5
Telescopes
5.1-5.5.7
Telescopes / Review
Exam #1
The Earth
7.1-7.5
The Earth
7.1-7.5
Timekeeping
The Earth & Moon
7.6, 8.1-8.5
The Moon
8.1-8.5
The Moon / Review
8.8-8.9
Exam #2
Solar system overview
6.1-6.4
Terrestrial Planets
8.6-8.7
Terrestrial Planets
9.1-9.6
Terrestrial Planets
10.1-10.8
Terrestrial Planets
10.1-10.8
Jovian Planets
11.1-11.6
Snow day
Jovian Planets
12.1-12.5, 13.1-13.6
Dwarf planets & other bodies
14.1-14.4
Thanksgiving Holiday
Dwarf planets & other bodies / Review
15.1-15.3
Exam #3
The Sun
16.1-16.7
The History and Future of the Sun
Final Exam
20.2
8:00am to 10:00am
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