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{\bf Course Syllabus\\
29:61 General Astronomy\\
Department of Physics and Astronomy\\
Fall Semester 2005}\\
\par
Steven R. Spangler\\
705 Van Allen Hall\\
319-335-1948\\
steven-spangler@uiowa.edu\\
http://phobos.physics.uiowa.edu/$\sim$srs/\\
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{\em General Astronomy} is an introductory course in astronomy, intended for science majors.  This  first semester, 29:61, deals with astronomical fundamentals such as time, the sky, and seasons, as well as the astronomy and astrophysics of the solar system. The second semester, 29:62, deals with stellar, galactic, and extragalactic astronomy. General Astronomy, 29:61, is primarily directed towards students majoring in the physical sciences, such as astronomy, and the mathematical sciences, such as computer science.  However, there is no reason why students majoring in other disciplines cannot take this course, assuming that they have had adequate high school mathematics and science instruction.   
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{\bf General Course Information}
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\item Lectures are from 9:30 to 10:20 AM, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, in Room 70 of Van Allen Hall.
\item There is a laboratory associated with this course, which all students must attend.  Students will be registered for Section 11, which meets 8 - 10 PM, Monday, in room 666 of Van Allen Hall, {\em or} Section 21 which meets on Tuesday, 8 - 10 PM, in room 666.  Activities in the lab consist of naked eye and telescopic observations of the sky,  observations with a remote, computer-controlled telescope of the University of Iowa, work with astronomical data sets on the internet, and physics experiments of astrophysical importance.  Please note that students must receive a passing grade in the laboratory to receive a passing grade for the course.   
\item The required textbook for the course is {\em Moons and Planets} by 
William K. Hartmann (5th edition), and the lab manual, {\em Imaging the Universe}, by Robert  Mutel and Justin Cook. 
\item The level of mathematics employed in this class assumes that students are concurrently enrolled in a course in differential calculus (22M:25 or equivalent).  However, students who have taken the equivalent of four years of high school mathematics, including pre-calculus, will be able to follow the discussions. 
\item Office hours for Professor Spangler are 1:00 to 2:00 Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, 11:00AM to 12:00 PM, Thursday, or by appointment 
if attendance during these times is not possible. 
\item One hour exams will be held in the regular class period on October 5 and November 18. 
\item The final exam will be held on Friday, December 16, 2005 at 7:30 AM (``it builds character'') in room 70, Van Allen Hall.   
\item Homework will be assigned, collected and graded. The purpose of these exercises is to get you 
to actively think about what is presented in class. I hope to assign a homework assignment  every week.  The total score of all homework assignments will count the same as one exam. Students are encouraged to work in 
groups of 2 to 3 on these. I also expect and want students to come and talk to me about these.   
\item Students are encouraged to visit the observatory on the roof of Van Allen 
Hall to see the objects discussed in this class. 
 A laboratory 
instructor will be on duty on {\em clear} nights, Monday through Thursday, at 9:00 PM. The time will be moved earlier as the semester progresses.  
The roof of Van Allen Hall may be reached from a stairway at the east end of the 
7th floor. The roof is kept dark during observing sessions, so be careful where you 
step and be alert for changes in elevation. I will personally direct several of these sessions during the semester, and stress features of the planets that we have discussed in class. In addition, I plan to organize observing 
sessions at the observatory of the Cedar Amateur Astronomers near Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
\item There is a World Wide Web homepage associated with the course, 
(URL given above). Go to the link for 29:61. 
The website contains lecture material and homework assignments. It also 
serves as a gateway to other astronomical links such as the homepages for spacecraft that provide data we will discuss this semester. 
\item I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability which may require some modification 
of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. 
Please see me after class or during office hours. 
\item The grading policy for this course will be as follows.  The grade will be based on the percentage of the maximum number of points.  The three exams and the homework will each contribute equally for a total of 75 \% of the total number of points.  The lab score will constitute the remaining 25 \% of the total score.  The grading scale will be as follows: $\geq$ 90 \% = A; $\geq$ 80 \% = B; $\geq$ 70 \% = C; and $\geq$ 50 \% = D.  To pass the course, a student must obtain 50 \% or more of the maximum number of points.  I employ + and - grades for students near the boundaries between grades. 
\item It is recommended and expected that students attend and participate in all classes, with allowance made for reasonable excuses. Lecture material will be partially available on the web, but the intent of this is to assist and aid students who come to hear and participate in the lectures, and save them some clerical work. The on-line lecture notes are not intended as a substitute for class participation. 


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Below is listed the set of topics to be discussed in the semester, together with textbook references where appropriate. 
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{\bf List of topics to be covered}\\
I. Time and the Sky
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\noindent
1. Introduction; what and where is outer space.  Definition in terms of the pressure scale height of the Earth's atmosphere (parts of Chapter 11).  A whirlwind tour of the solar system (Chapter 2). \\


\noindent
2. Coordinate Systems in Astronomy.
\begin{itemize}
\item Horizon System
\item Celestial Coordinate System; based on orientation of the Earth's rotation axis.  The idea and importance of the tangent plane.  
\item Ecliptic coordinates. 
\end{itemize} 

\noindent
3. Time and the Seasons
\begin{itemize}
\item Mean solar time
\item Sidereal time
\item ``The equation of time'', leap years, etc.
\item Lunar calendars
\end{itemize}

\noindent
4. Eclipses
\begin{itemize}
\item Solar and lunar eclipses.  Aristarchus of Samos and the relative distance to the Moon. 
\item Cyclical behavior of eclipses
\end{itemize}

\noindent
5. Planetary (\& other) Orbits (Chapter 3)
\begin{itemize}
\item The two body problem
\item Kepler's Laws as a consequence of the two body problem; the circular orbit and vis-viva equations
\item Orbital elements
\item Tides
\end{itemize}

\noindent
6. Telescopes: Optical, Radio, and other wavelengths
\begin{itemize}
\item Collecting area
\item Angular resolution
\end{itemize}

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II. Exploration of the Solar System
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\noindent
7. Exploration of the Moon (Chapter 9)
\begin{itemize}
\item Physical properties of the Moon
\item Main surface features of the Moon: craters, maria, etc
\item Scientific results from the Apollo Program landings
\item Radioisotope dating of Moon rocks
\item The origin of the Moon
\end{itemize}

\noindent
8. The Terrestrial Planets (parts of several chapters)
\begin{itemize}
\item The Earth as a planet: atmosphere and magnetosphere
\item Mercury and tidal synchronization (a hint for properties of binary stars); the Messenger spacecraft
\item A tour of Venus
\item Properties of electromagnetic waves; blackbody radiation
\item Venus and the Greenhouse Effect
\item An exploration of Mars: ancient rivers and hematite (Chapter 13)
\end{itemize}

\noindent
9. Why do some planets have atmosphere? (Chapter 11)

\noindent
10. The Jovian Planets (Chapter 8)
\begin{itemize}
\item Where are they in the solar system?
\item Masses and radii, and what that tells you
\item Structures of the Jovian planets
\item Magnetospheres of the Jovian planets
\end{itemize}

\noindent
11. Moons of the Outer Planets: Europa, Titan, and methane oceans

\noindent
12. The Asteroids (Chapters 6 \& 7)
\begin{itemize}
\item General properties
\item Orbital resonances \& Kirkwood's Gaps
\item Meteors from the asteroid belt
\end{itemize}

\noindent
13. Comets (Chapters 6 \& 7)
\begin{itemize}
\item General properties
\item Orbits of comets
\item Meteors from comets
\item Spacecraft exploration of comets
\end{itemize}

\noindent
14. Denizens of Deep Space: the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud (Chapter 7)

\noindent
15. The Sun as a Solar System Object
\begin{itemize}
\item Overall properties of the Sun
\item The solar photosphere
\item The solar corona
\item The solar wind
\item Solar disturbances and their impact on Earth
\end{itemize}

\noindent
16. The Formation of the Solar System (Chapter 5)

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