Astronomy 1010-H
Planetary Astronomy
Fall_2015
Day-2
Course Announcements
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Smartworks Practice: Due Fri. (Aug. 28)
Smartworks Chapter 1: Due Wed. (Sep. 2)
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Read Chapter 1 (if you haven’t already)
Read Chapter 2.1, 2.2
Physics Dept. picnic – Friday – come by the
office for details.
Still time to register for ASTR-2010 –
Problems in Planetary Astronomy
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1600-1700 Wednesdays, E-118
Introduction to Observational Astronomy
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1830-2130 Wednesdays, B-310
A Bit About Moi
Why we will be doing stuff
other than lecture in class
From How People Learn:
“Students enter your lecture hall with preconceptions
about how the world works. If their initial
understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp
the new concepts and information that are taught, or
they may learn them for the purposes of a test but
revert to their preconceptions outside the classroom”
How People Learn, National Research Council,
National Academy Press, 2000
Active Learning
Active learning is when students take
active responsibility for participating
in and monitoring of their own
learning by engaging in critical
reasoning about the ideas presented
in the class.
In other words: you must do it, you
won’t learn it if I just tell it to you
Colored Card Question
The Observations Requirement for this class
requires you to:
A. go out on your own and observe the night
sky once a week for the entire semester.
B. attend at least one 1st Quarter Observing
Night and one Dark Sky Night and write
an Observations Report.
C. buy a telescope and observe specific
stars and constellations with it.
D. learn the names and locations of 30 stars
and 25 constellations in the night sky.
Another Colored Card
Question
During the semester there will be:
A.
B.
C.
D.
5 exams plus a final exam
4 exams plus a final exam
3 exams but no final exam
2 exams: a midterm and a final exam
Introduction
 To understand the origins of our planet, we
need to understand how our solar system &
galaxy formed.
 To understand how life formed, we need to
understand the chemical evolution of the
galaxy and the universe.
This course in a Nutshell,
We Have to Explain
How to go
from a gaseous
nebula …
Through a series of steps …
Form a Universe,
Form galaxies and
stars,
Form Planets,
Evolve Life,
And end up with …
… This
We Live in a Strange Universe
So, Let’s Get Started
What Is A Planet?
 1) It orbits the central star of the system.
 2) It has to have sufficient mass to self-
gravitate to a sphere.
 3) It has to have cleared its orbit of “debris”
Classes of Planets
 1) Terrestrial – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
 2) Gas Giants – Jupiter, Saturn
 3) Ice Giants – Uranus, Neptune
 4) Ice Dwarfs (Plutoids) – Pluto, Eris, Sedna,
Makemake, …
Yet Another Colored Card
Question
Texting/social networking is acceptable
behavior in class.
A. Strongly disagree.
B. Disagree.
C. Neutral.
D. Agree.
E. Strongly agree.
One more Colored Card
Question
The homework for this class will be:
A. assignments handed out in class and
due the following week.
B. assignments posted on the class D2L
website and due in class the
following day.
C. assignments in the online SmartWork
system plus (possibly) some.
assignment handed out in class.
D. None of the above, there is no
homework in this class.
How Big is Everything?
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