AST 105
Introduction to the Solar System
Fall 2015
Administrative Details
•  Professor: Frederick M. Walter
–  ESS 459
–  632-8232
–  Frederick.walter@stonybrook.edu
–  Office hours: MWF 9-10 or by appointment
Please put AST105 in the subject line if e-mailing
•  TA: DW Han
–  Dongwon.han@stonybrook.edu
–  Office hours: Tu/Th 1:30-3:00 PM, ESS 440
•  http://www.astro.sunysb.edu/fwalter/AST105
Course Organization
•  Two lectures weekly
–  TuTh 10:00-11:20; Javits Center 101
•  Two in-class midterms (20% each)
–  Thursday Sept 24
–  Thursday Oct 22
•  Weekly in-class quizzes (10%)
•  Practical Exercises (20%)
•  Essay (10%)
•  Final exam Fri Dec 11, 11:15 AM (20%)
AST 105 : Syllabus
http://www.astro.sunysb.edu/fwalter/AST105/syllabus.html
AST 105: Introduction to the Solar System
Syllabus
Fall 2015
Lecture: Tuesdays and Thursdays,10:00 AM - 11:20 PM Room: Javits 101
Instructor: Prof. Fred Walter (ESS 459; 632-8232; frederick.walter at stonybrook.edu)
Office Hours: MWF 9-10, or by appointment
TA: DW Han (Dongwan.Han at stonybrook.edu)
Office Hours: TBD
Syllabus revised 12 August 2015
Lecture Schedule
Week
1
1 of 2
Date
Topics
Aug 25 Introduction; Scales of Space and Time;
Aug 27
The sky
Reading
B 1, 2, S1
2
Sep 1
Sep 3
The Beginnings of Astronomy
Physics I: the Universe in Motion
B3
B4
3
Sep 10
Phusics II: Matter and Light
B5
4
Sep 15
Sep 17
My, what big eyes you have!
Overview of the Solar System
B6
B7
5
Sep 22
The Sun
B 14
5
Sep 24
Midterm 1
B1-7
6
Sep 29
Oct 1
Formation of the Solar System
B8
7
Oct 6
Oct 8
The Earth
B9
8/23/15, 6:40 PM
AST 105 : Syllabus
http://www.astro.sunysb.edu/fwalter/AST105/syllabus.html
8
Oct 13
Oct 15
Terrestrial Planets
B 10
9
Oct 20
Barsoom
B 10
9
Oct 22
Midterm 2
B 8 - 10, 14 (plus 1-7)
10
Oct 27
Oct 29
Jovian Planets
B 11
11
Nov 3
Nov 5
Asteroids
The Icy Moons
B 11
B 12
12 Nov 10
Nov 12
Pluto
The Small Bodies
B 12
13 Nov 17
Nov 19
Exoplanets
B 13
14 Nov 24
Exoplanets
B 13
Dec 1
Dec 3
Life in the Universe
B 24
Dec 11
Final Exam
B 1-14, 24, S1
15
*** note: this plan is subject to change ***
Readings
Readings from the textbook should be done BEFORE the lecture. That way the lecture
can be used to clarify, and not just introduce, concepts.
B refers to chapters in Bennett's The Cosmic Perspective.
Return to AST 105 main page
2 of 2
8/23/15, 6:40 PM
Text
The Cosmic Perspective: The Solar System by
J. Bennett, M. Donahue, N. Schneider, and M.
Voit, published by Addison Wesley Pearson.
This book is required.
The current edition is the Seventh; you may use earlier
editions, with the understanding that astronomy is
advancing rapidly, and the most recent results will not
be in the older editions.
Expectations
•  This is a rigorous science course.
•  We will do quantitative calculations
•  You are strongly advised to attend
lectures
•  You should expect to put in 6-9 hours
outside class, reading the material and
doing homework.
Goals
•  Learn to think critically
•  Understand the origins, evolution, and
current state of the solar system
•  View the major bodies of the solar
system as worlds
•  Understand how we identify, and why
we search for, exoplanets
Learning Objectives
A student in this course must be able to
–  think critically about data, and
–  synthesize disparate facts to reach a conclusion in almost any
area where the data can be quantified.
A student mastering this course will understand:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the origins of astronomy as a science, and will be able to replicate the
logical deductions that led the Greeks to a basically correct interpretation
of the Solar System
Kepler's Laws, Newton's Laws, and their applications within the Solar System
electromagnetic radiation, and how we use it to understand the Solar System
the nature of the major and minor bodies in the Solar System
how the Solar System formed
the Sun and its influence on the Earth
the possibilities for life on Mars, or elsewhere in the Solar System
how we discover and characterize exoplanets