Astronomy AS101: The Solar System
Section A1
Spring 2008
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 N
CAS 522
Professor Theodore A. Fritz
Office: CAS 501
Office Hours (any time by appointment)
Telephone: 353-7446
Monday and Friday 3:00 PM –4:00 PM
e-mail: fritz@bu.edu
Wednesday 1:30 PM-2:30 PM
Goal and Aim of Course:
The goal of this course is to understand our place in the physical Universe. In particular, we
will deal with that portion of the Universe that is closest to us, the solar system. This system
consists of the sun, the planets, their moons, asteroids, and comets. The historical
development of Astronomy provides us with an opportunity to see how the scientific method
developed, how science has shaped society, as well as how science was shaped by society and
religion. We will learn how we got to our present state of understanding, how observations are
made via remote sensing and in-situ space probes and how theory and modeling strive to unify
our attempts to understand our part of the Universe. There are many new and exciting
developments occurring that makes this semester a great time for taking this course. During
most of this semester the planets Mars and Saturn are visible in the early evening sky.
You will need to be registered for one of the following lab sections that meet once per week.
Labs and Discussion Sections:
Section
Day
Time
Location
Teaching Asst
A2 Tuesday
9:30am - 11:00pm
CAS 521
CB
A3 Tuesday
12:30pm - 2:00pm
CAS 521
SW
A4 Tuesday
2:00pm - 3:30pm
CAS 521
SW
A5 Thursday
11:00am - 12:30pm
CAS 521
CB
A6 Thursday
2:00pm - 3:30pm
CAS 521
SW
A9 Tuesday
11:00am – 12:30pm
CAS 521
CB
The Graduate Student Teaching Assistants for the course are Ms. Cara Battersby and Ms.
Suwicha Wannawichian. Their phone numbers, e-mail addresses and office hours are as
follows:
Cara Battersby (CB)
353-6554
carabean@bu.edu
Office hours: In Room 524 on Tuesday and Thursday from 2-3:30 pm
Suwicha Wannawichian (SW)
358-5127
suwichaw@bu.edu
Office hours: In Room 400 on Monday 1:30 - 3pm and Friday 1-3 pm
Required Texts:
1. Explorations (Volume 1:Solar System) fifth addition updated by Thomas T. Arny and
Stephen E. Schneider
2. The AS101 Solar System Laboratory Exercises [downloaded from web]
3. Planetarium DVD (Starry Nights Pro DVD v. 5.0 ) packaged with textbook
Item 1 and 3 are available at Barnes and Noble [BU Bookstore] in Kenmore Square and are
package as a single item (ISBN 978007-723407-2).
Item 2 is available at: http://www.bu.edu/dbin/astronomy/?q=AS_man.
Grades:
The final semester grade depends upon the following seven components:
Attendance and participation in class
Two mid term exams [March 7th and April 18th]
Homework
Daytime Lab Exercises
Nighttime Lab Exercises
Planetarium Attendance & Exercise
Final Exam
5%
20%
15%
20%
10%
5%
25%
Note that the two night labs and the planetarium exercise will each count 5% of your grade.
These exercises must be done at your personal initiative. Attendance at these exercises is
required. No excuses are acceptable for missing the night labs. The Planetarium exercise will
be at the Hayden Planetarium of the Museum of Science on January 30, 2008 at 6:30 PM.
Make plans with your work schedule now to be available to attend this session.
Course Outline:
The course will proceed through all 11 chapters in the textbook plus the essays and overviews
more or less in the order in which they are presented. The order that these chapters will be
covered and approximate length of time involved is as follows:
Volume 1. Explorations
The Cosmic Landscape/ the Night Sky
1. History of Astronomy
Essay 1. Backyard Astronomy
January 30th
2. Gravity and Motion
3. Light and Atoms
4. Astronomical Instruments
5. The Earth
Essay 2. Keeping Time
11. The Sun, Our Star
6. The Moon
March 7th
7. Survey of the Solar System
8. The Terrestrial Planets
9. The Outer Planets and their moons
9. Pluto and comparison to other planets
April 18th
10. Meteors, Asteroids, and Comets
Essay 3. Life in the Universe
(posted on Course Info web site)
Lecture
1-2
3-4
5-6
Planetarium Exercise
7-8
9-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
Mid-Term Exam #1
22-23
24-28
29-33
34-35
Mid-Term Exam #2
36-37
38-39
Final Exam
The course will concentrate of each of these chapters for about two lectures each but I will
have some flexibility to address items of interest.
Homework
Homework sets will be handed out in class and will be posted on the Course Info web site; they
and the Lab Exercise Report must be handed in on the due dates as announced in order to be
graded for full credit. Homework and Lab reports can be handed in by placing the completed
assignment in the slotted wooden box labeled “FRITZ” just inside the Astronomy office door
[CAS514].
Lab Exercises:
There are 6 lab exercises during the daytime sections covering the topics (1) Angles, (2)
Gravity, (3) Optics, (4) Spectroscopy, (5) Cratering, and (6) Solar Rotation and Sunspots. You
will need to access the web site given above and print the exercise prior to coming to your lab
section. In addition to the daytime sections, you are required to complete 2 nighttime lab
exercises in the Judson Coit Observatory and to attend a Planetarium show. The Observatory
is located on the roof of the CAS building and the Hayden Planetarium in located in the
Museum of Science. The first Night Lab will be Observing the night sky-the Constellations
[January 22 – March 6, 2008, Times: Monday/Tuesday/Thursday 6:30 & 7:30pm PLUS Weds.
6:30pm] and the second will be Telescope Observations [March17 – April 28, 2008, Times:
Monday/Tuesday/Thursday 7:30 & 8:30pm]. As we get later in the semester, the first night lab
might start slightly later, due to twilight continuing into the start time of the lab. The TA's will
keep you informed. The due dates for these labs will be approximately one week after the end
of the period above. Clouds do happen in Boston and you should go to these labs as soon as
possible to avoid a failing grade because there were clouds during the last week of the
respective lab. Please dress warmly - the Observatory gets very cold and windy! You need to
plan to attend the presentation at the Hayden Planetarium that will be on January 30, 2008 at
6:30 PM and you must attend.
Extra Credit:
Night Lab Exercise reports turned in within two weeks following an announced date will have
+10% added to the earned grade. The date will be determined by the occurrence of six
opportunities for you to attend the particular night lab.
Weather:
To check if the observatory will be open on a given evening call 353-2630 for a recorded
message after 5 PM. Please listen to the whole message.
Academic Misconduct:
It is my expectation that each and every student does his or her own work. Group study is
encouraged but it should not result in students submitting the same homework or lab reports.
All cases of suspected misconduct on exams or assignments will result in an official report to
the Dean's Office. Please read the Rules of the Road carefully.