Department of Physics

INTRODUCTION TO ASTRONOMY -- PHYS 206
COURSE INFORMATION
Fall 2000

"... it is very hard to understand the modern educated man [or woman] who, though 'interested in astronomy,'
knows neither who the Pleiades were, nor where to find them in the sky."
The Discarded Image - C. S. Lewis

Instructor: J. Gregory Stacy
Phone: 771-2831 (or 388-3557, LSU)
E-mail: gstacy@phys.subr.edu
Office: Room 111-A, William James Hall
Office Hours: Wednesday 2:30-3:30 P.M., Thursday, 4:00-5:00 P.M., or by appointment

Class Time and Place:

Text Book:
COURSE OUTLINE

Course Description:
Introduction to Astronomy (PHYS 206) is a descriptive survey course in modern astronomy, suitable for students of all backgrounds and majors. Topics to be covered will include: the Solar System, the Sun, the Birth, Life, and Death of Stars and Stellar Systems, Galaxies, the Possibility of Life in the Universe, Relativity, and Cosmology. There will also be a "laboratory" component to the course, designed to introduce the student to the basic principles of modern observational astronomy, combining indoor laboratory and computer-based activities, with occasional outdoor observing sessions. Some classes will meet elsewhere, for example at the new BREC/LSU/BRAS Highland Road Park Observatory.

Course Goals: In this class you will:

  1. Acquire an understanding of the tools, methods, and logic of astronomy: how do we learn about objects that are so far away that we cannot visit or "touch" them?
  2. Learn of the history and philosophy of astronomy: why do people pursue astronomy, what have been its main contributions toward understanding our place in the Universe.
  3. Learn how to find your way around the night sky, with your naked eyes and with small telescopes, and to appreciate what you see there.
  4. Reach a point where you can read and understand (and explain to others) popular articles on astronomy that you may come across in magazines and newspapers (and, to be able to start to separate the "science" from the "fiction" in Science Fiction).
  5. Acquire a measure of understanding of the important current questions in astronomical research, and how they are being pursued, so that you will be able to appreciate all the exciting new discoveries that will certainly be made in astronomy in the coming years.

Course Prerequisites
MATH 140 or equivalent (i.e., good practice and familiarity with basic concepts of algebra and trigonometry, scientific units and notation, etc.). No extensive background in math or science is assumed, but you will be expected to learn basic astronomical terminology, and to be able to follow the steps of logical reasoning leading to testable scientific conclusions. This will include occasionally performing "simple," straightforward, mathematical calculations (i.e., without calculus). Each student is required to have an individual computer account, with access to the Internet, and a personal e-mail address, as some class assignments will involve research projects using the World Wide Web, and certain assignments will be due to the instructor via electronic mail.

Course WWW Pages:
WWW pages for this course (PHYS 206) will be established on the Department of Physics WWW server (http://www.phys.subr.edu/). The latest information on course assignments and other class announcements will be posted and maintained on these WWW pages.

Course Grading:
Final grades for this course will be determined as follows:

Final letter grades will be assigned as follows:
A (90-100%); B (80-89%); C (70-79%); D (55-69%); F (<55%)

COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS ALWAYS WELCOME
PLEASE ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO ASK!