Astro 120: Fall 2019

The Sky and the Solar System

Prof. Steven Kawaler

Astro 120, an introductory course in modern astronomy for non-scientists, folliows the growth of our understanding of our solar system (and the Universe) from ancient times through modern times. The development of astronomy over the millenia will serve as an illustration of the history of science itself. We begin with a study of the sky (night and day): we will learn the constellations, study the motions of the Sun, moon, and planets, and review the reasons for the seasons, eclipses, and tides, and the genesis of the modern calendar. We then begin exploring the bodies of our solar system -- the sun, the planets and their satellites, and comets, asteroids, and meteorites. We then address the bigger questions about the origin and evolution of our solar system, and discuss the hundreds of recently-discovered other solar systems in our Galaxy. We conclude with a discussion of the possibility of life beyond the Earth.

Throughout the course, we will be looking at the many exciting results from NASA probes, as well using the ISU planetarium.

A poem...

Announcements

Course grades have been finalized on Canvas. Have a great winter break!
Wanderers: Enjoy your future!

"Everyday" things for class...

Here is the syllabus for Astro 120 this term.
Reading Assignments
Electronic versions of lecture notes
Homework assignments (new ones issued on most Thursdays during the term)
Astro Help Room: Click on the link to find the times when astro TAs are available in the Astro Help Room - that is the Mac Lab in the basement of Physics (turn left and head to the end of the hall at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Planetarium. In addition, Dr. Kawaler is usually available from 2:15 to 4:00 on Tuesdays in A529 Zaffarano.
If you would like to talk at other times, please contact us and arrange a meeting - we have flexible schedules so it should be easy to find a time to talk.
Constellation and Star list
related links
A terrific computer planetarium program, Stellarium is a free download - it is the same program we use to run the planetarium projector, so you might find it a useful program to run on your own computer.
Predictions for visible satellite passages for Ames, IA
The Ames Area Amateur Astronomers holds monthly meetings at McFarland Park (NE Ames) including observing sessions afterwards - a great group of enthusiastic lovers of the sky. Consider joining them and having a look through their telescopes.

General Course Info

Course Info
Course Outline
EXAMS
The exam dates are as follows. Please note them in your calendars:
- Exam 1: Tuesday, October 1, 6:45-8:00PM
- Exam 2: Tuesday, November 12, 6:45-8:00PM
A word about the textbook for this class:
The text book for this class is, believe it or not, totally free and available online! Here is a link to Open Stax: Astronomy
This is a collaborative text expanding on one of the best ``old school'' astronomy textbooks (one that I used to use) - it has been fully updated by the original authors along with a team of astronomers from across the globe (including me). It has been made possible through the Open Stax initiative.
You may access the entire text online, download it as a PDF for printing, or if you'd rather have someone else go to that trouble, you can buy a printed copy directly from the publisher. Check out the link above. The ISU Bookstore has a few printed copies, but at a significantly higher price (>$60!)
Readings will be assigned in this text and in other web-based sources - see the course outline and announcements on the website.

Items from earlier in the course

Exam 3 (final) was Wednesday, December 18, 4:30-6:30PM. ROOM - MacKay 0117 (not in 5 Physics).
- Here is a review sheet for topics from the 3rd part of the class.
- Here is the Essay question for Exam 3
- Sample multiple choice questions for Exam 3
  - and here are the solutions for the sample problems
New research on the 'tiger stripes' on Enceladus, and prospects for organic chemistry there.
Cornell professor Yervant Terzian has passed away. Dr. Terzian was an early mentor of mine, and gave me my first astronomy teaching job back in 1978 (as a TA for Carl Sagan and, later, Frank Drake). He was an unparalleled teacher and researcher, a wonderful human being, and will be missed by many.
Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter above St. Louis from the air, 25 November 2019
Click here for annotated version
Homework 10 was due in recitation on December 6/9
A dramatization of the K-T extinction event by Radiolab - well worth watching
Special WWW reading for class on 11/19
Please read carefully:
Homework 9, for recitation on November 15 (or 18), was a bit different than usual.
In recitation on those dates, you participated in a debate on the value of funding NASA for a human return to the Moon (and eventually a visit to Mars). The homework is designed to help you prepare for the debate by guiding you through some reading about the NASA budget and the Moon-Mars program.
The completed assignment was due in recitation. A second part will be completed in recitation following the conclusion of the debate. Since participation in the debate itself is vital to the process, no late assignments will be accepted. Note that this activity counts as 2 homework assignments.
Exam 2 was Tuesday, November 12, 6:45-8:00PM
- Here is the essay question that will be on the exam.
- List of topics covered in Part 2 of the course
- Sample multiple choice questions for Exam 2
  - ... and here are the answers to the sample questions
On Monday morning, November 11, a Transit of Mercury occurred when the planet Mercury passes directly between the Earth and Sun. It appeared as a tiny, slowly moving dot on the Sun from sunrise until about noon.
- NASA has a near-live feed from the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft
Homework 8 will be due in recitation on Friday, Nov. 1 or Monday, Nov 4.
Homework 7 was due in recitation on Friday, October 25 or Monday, October 28. Don't suffer unnecessarily from FMOOWMP
Homework 6 was due in recitation on Friday, October 18 or Monday, October 21.
New results on Venusian tectonics, and the possibility that it was once habitable.
Public Lecture How to Find a Planet Without Leaving Your Couch - Dr. Chris Lintott. ISU Memorial Union, Grand Ballroom
October 15, 2019 - 8:15PM
- Lecture challenge credit available - swipe in with your ID at the lecture.
The discovery of exoplanets shares the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics!
Homework 5 was due in recitation on Friday, October 11 or Monday, October 14.
A comet visiting from beyond our Solar System!
Exam 1 was Tuesday evening, October 1, 6:45-8:00PM in Room 5 Physics, next door to the usual lecture room.
- Here is the essay question for Exam 1
- List of topics covered in Part 1 of the course
- Sample multiple choice questions for Exam 1
  - ... and here are the answers to the sample questions
- Exam 1 grading:
  - Multiply the "Exam 1 MC" column (the number of correct answers for the multiple choice part) by 3.
  - Then add your "Exam 1 Essay" score (Exam1Essay) - these grades should be available on Canvas soon.
  - Example: If you had 18 MC questions correct and got 19 on the essay, your grade for Exam 1 is:
    - (3x18)+19=73.
Homework 4 was due in recitation on 9/27 or 9/30 - but if you handed it in in lecture on 9/24 it should have been graded and returned to you before Exam 1.
Reading for lecture on Thursday, 9/26: A discussion of transfer orbits from JPL
Near-equinox hazard of sun glare on Iowa's E-W highways. And it's not just Iowa...
The Ballad of Tycho Brahe
Homework 3 was due in recitation on September 20/23.
Homework 2 was due in recitation on September 13/16.
Homework 1 was due in lecture on Tuesday, September 3.
First class meeting was in lecture on Tuesday, August 27. Recitations begin on Friday, September 6.
Newspaper account of the near-miss by asteroid 2019 OK in July
You might want to the PBS series "The Planets" on NOVA 24 July − 14 August. This is the premiere of a groundbreaking five-part miniseries.
Wanderers: Enjoy your future!

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