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Astronomy131Fall2017

PlanetaryAstronomyObservational,Historical,andPlanetaryAstronomy

Instructor: DianeFriendOffice: CHCB129,243-4299e-mail: Diane.Friend@umontana.eduOfficeHours:T11-noon&1-2,W12:30-2,Th2-3inCHCB129

Welcome!Thisisaremarkabletimeinthefieldofastronomy!Fundamentaldiscoveriesareoccurringatabreakneckpaceandnewinsightskeeppoppinguplikestarscomingoutinadarknightsky.Wewillexploresomeofthesenewideasasweexaminehumanity’squesttounderstandourplaceintheuniverse… Coursemeets: Tues.andThurs.from9:30-10:50a.m.inULH101Coursesite: Courseannouncements,materials,homework,links,andgradeswillbeavailable

throughthecourseMoodlesite.Checkthissitefrequentlyfornewannouncementsconcerningduedates,newsitems,andupcomingevents.Itisyourresponsibilitytokeepuptodatewiththeseannouncements.

Text: YoudoNOTneedtopurchaseatextforthiscourse.Lotsofinterestingandveryusefulreadings,interactives,andvideoswillbepostedonthecourseMoodlesite.Yoursuccessinthecoursewillcorrelatehighlywiththeamountoftimeyouspendexploringthese.Manystudentsgreatlybenefitfromthetypeofbackgroundreadingatextbookcanprovide.Tothatend,therearetwo(FREE)onlinetextbooksthatIhighlyrecommend.Makeuseoftheseasneeded!

http://www.astronomynotes.com/ https://www.teachastronomy.com/textbook/Homework: Smartwork5access

YouwillneedtopurchaseaccesstotheonlinehomeworksystemSmartwork5($30).Homeworkwillcomprise30%ofyourgrade.Smartwork5Registrationinstructions: OnceHomework1isavailableinMoodle,clickonthatassignment.Thiswilltakeyoutoaregistrationpage.Youmaythenbeaskedtoenteryournameande-mailaddress.BesuretouseyournameasitappearsonUMrecordsandyourofficialUMemail.Important:DONOTregisteronlineoutsideofMoodle!Smartwork5forthiscoursehasbeensetuptogiveyoudirectaccessthroughMoodle.IfyouaccesstheprogramoutsideofMoodle,yourgradeswillnotberecorded!!YoumustalwaysaccessthehomeworkexercisesfromwithinthecourseMoodlesite.

ClassParticipation: Inadditiontothemanyinteractiveactivitiesanddiscussionswewillbeengaginginduringclass,IwillalsobeusingPackbackthissemestertoencouragemeaningfulclassparticipationbyall.InteractionviaPackbackwillcomprise10%ofyourgrade.

PackbackRegistrationinstructions:

1. Gotohttps://Packback.co.questionsandclick“Registerasanewstudent”.

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(IfyoualreadyhaveanaccountonPackback,youcanloginwithyourcredentials.)

2. Whenqueried,enteryourofficialUMemailaddressandyournameasitappearsonofficialUMrecords.

3. Entertheclasscommunityaccesscodeintothe“JoinanewCommunity”moduleonyourdashboard.Communityaccesscode:708439E0-D904-0907-F2A5-EB5CF0EC05AD

4. Follow the instructions on your screen to finish your registration. ForabriefintroductiontoPackbackQuestionsandwhyweareusingitinclass,watchthisvideo:vimeo.com/packback/Welcome-to-Packback-Questions

Othermaterials: Calculator

Youwillneedacalculatorthatiscapableofdoingscientificnotation.Pleasebringittoclasswithyoueveryday.Web-enableddeviceOnmostdays(especiallyduringthefirsthalfofthesemester),wewillbedoinginteractiveactivitiesinclassthatwillrequirewebaccessand/ortheuseofsomefreelyavailableastronomyapps.Itwillbeextremelyhelpful(nottomentionmorefun)ifyoucanbringalaptoporpadtoclasswithyou.

Skysimulationprogram

Forthefirstcoupleweeksofclass,Iwouldlikeyoutohaveaccesstoaskysimulationprogram.Stellariumisagreatprogramthatisfreeandrunsonmostoperatingsystems.Therearealsomanygreatobservingappsandwebprogramsforpadsandphones.LinkstoStellariumandmanyotherprogramscanbefoundonMoodleunderWeek1.

Thiscoursereliesheavilyontechnology.YouwillneedtosignintoSmartwork5,Packback,andgetsetupwithaskysimulationprogramassoonaspossible!

CourseDescriptionNewtechnologiesandspace-basedobservationshavefueledarenaissanceinourunderstandingofthesolarsystem.Meanwhile,thediscoveryofthousandsofplanetsbeyondoursolarsystemhasshownustheincrediblerichnessanddiversityofplanetarysystemsandisgivingbirthtomanynewideasconcerningtheevolutionofplanetarysystemsingeneral,andourownsolarsysteminparticular.BesidessurveyingWHATweknow,thiscoursewillemphasizeHOWwehavebeenabletolearnsomuchaboutthesedistantworlds-bothinourownsystem,andbeyond.Bythetimeyoufinishthiscourse,youwillhavehadachancetothinkaboutthemanyapplicationsofastronomy-bothhistoricallyandcurrently,seeplanets,stars,andnebulasthroughatelescope,useastronomicalsoftwaretomodelcelestialevents,andponderthepossibilitiesoflifeelsewhereintheuniverse.Youwillhavehadachancetothinkaboutyoursenseofplaceandscaleinbothdistanceandtime.Aftertakingthiscourse,Ihopethateverytimeyouviewadarknightsky,youwillbeinspiredtothinkabouttherichnessanddiversityofworldsthatareoutthere,howmuchhumankindhasbeenabletolearnaboutouruniverse,andhowverymuchisstillwaitingtobediscovered!CourseLearningObjectivesAftertakingthiscourseyouwill:

• havebecomefamiliarwiththecommoncelestialobjectsvisibletothenakedeye-theconstellations,Sun,Moon,andplanets,understandhowandwhytheseobjectsmoveand/orchangetheirappearanceintheskyovertime,andbeabletousethisknowledgetoexplainandpredicttheappearanceandmovementoftheseobjectsatanypointintime.

• beproficientintheuseofresourcesthatallowyoutolocate,identify,andmodelthemotionsofcelestialobjects.• haveusedphysicalandcomputermodelstounderstandandexplainpersonalobservations.

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• havesomefamiliaritywithhowastronomicalideashaveevolvedovertimeandwhyastronomyhasbeenimportantinthelivesofpeoplethroughouthistoryandacrosscultures.

• haveaworkingknowledgeofbasicphysicallawsoflight,motion,andforceandhavebothconceptualandquantitativeexperiencewithhowthisknowledgecanbeusedtohelpusdiscovermoreabouttheuniverse.

• haveabasicunderstandingofmanyofthemethodsastronomersusetostudythesolarsystem.• haveanunderstandingoftheoriginandevolutionofoursolarsystemandthefactorsthatcontrolthepropertiesof

theobjectsinit.Youwillbeabletoapplythisknowledgetoexplainhowplanetsinoursolarsystemhaveevolvedovertimeandtopredictthepropertiesofplanetsbeingdiscoveredbeyondoursolarsystem.

• haveaworkingknowledgeofthetechniquesusedtodiscoverplanetsbeyondthesolarsystem,ageneralknowledgeofwhathasbeendiscovered,andanunderstandingofhowthesediscoverieshavespurredtheoriesconcerningtheevolutionandmake-upofourownplanetarysystem.

• havebecomefamiliarwithsomeoftheimportantresearchtopicsinplanetarysciencetoday.• havethoughtcriticallyaboutthefutureofplanetaryexploration-whatfundamentalquestionsremain,what

resourceswewillneedtoanswerthem,andwhatwemightbewillingand/orabletoinvest.

CoursePhilosophyScientistslearnbyDOING-makingobservations,takingmeasurements,makingandtestingmodels.Thiscourseisdesignedtoencourageactivelearning.Beadvised!Thiscoursewillrequireyoutothinkcritically,conceptually,andquantitatively.Itismyintentiontobringasmuchobservation,measurement,andmodelingintothiscourseasispractical.Ifyouarelookingforacoursewhereyoucanjustcopydownlecturesandspitthembackverbatimontests,thiswillnotbethebestcourseforyou!Agoodgradeinthiscoursewillrequireasenseofcuriosity,criticalthinkingskills,andactiveparticipation.Pleasecomepreparedtobeinvolved!Youwillbeaskedtoperformobservationsandsimpleexperimentsaswellasdiscussconceptsandproblemsingroupsettingsduringlecture.Classresponse,homeworkandexamquestionswilldrawfromtheseexperiencesandhaveasignificanteffectonyourgrade.

CourseRequirementsReadingsandInteractives:Itisveryimportantinthiscourseforyoutoread,explore,andplaywiththemanyweeklylinksthatIwillpostonMoodle.Keepingupwiththesewillimproveyourcomprehensionandenjoymentofthelecturesandhelpyoutoaskwell-informedquestions.Theinteractivesareextremelyusefulandfun.Spendingalittletimewiththemwillgiveyouamuchdeeperunderstandingofcoursematerialandmaypaybigdividendsonhomeworkandexamscores!ClassResponseQuestions:Iwillusepersonalresponsequestionsinclasstoinitiatediscussionandprobemisconceptions.Thesequestionshelpyouthinkmorecriticallyaboutcoursetopics,staycurrentwiththecoursematerial,andgivebothyouandIgoodfeedbackonyourcurrentunderstanding.Thefree,low-techcoloranswersheetscanbefoundundertheCourseInformationtabonMoodle.Pleasemakesurethatyouhavethesewithyoueveryclassmeeting.YouhavenothingtoloseandeverythingtogainbyACTIVELYparticipatinginthesediscussionquestions!Packback(10%):Toencouragedialoguebeyondtheconfinesofthelecturehall,youwillalsoberequiredtoparticipateinPackback.PackbackprovidesanonlinecuriositycommunitywhereyoucanbefearlesslycuriousandaskBIGquestionsabouthowwhatwe’restudyingrelatestolifeandtherealworld.Itwillenablemetohearfromthoseofyouwhoarelesscomfortableabouttalkinginclassaswellashelpmestaytunedintobothclassinterestsandconfusions.I’veattachedaPackbackregistrationandpostinginformationsheetattheendofthissyllabus.Homework(30%):Scienceisaproblemsolvingdiscipline.Thinkingthroughhomeworkproblemswilldeepenyourknowledgeandappreciationoftopicscoveredinthecourseandexerciseyourcriticalthinkingskills.TherewillbefrequentSmartwork5homeworkassignments.Todowellinthiscourse,youwillneedtospendsomequalitytimeontheseassignments.Donotputtheseoffuntilthelastminute!Theseassignmentscanonlybeaccessedthroughyourown,individualSmartwork5account.DuedatesforthesewillbelistedinSmartwork5andonMoodleandareabsolute.Noexceptionsunlessyouhaveofficialwrittendocumentationofabonafideemergency!

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Exams(60%):Therewillbetwomidtermsandonefinal.Allexamshaveequalweight.Eachexamiscomprehensivesincemanytopicswillbuildoneachotherthroughoutthesemester,buteachexamwillconcentrateonmaterialnotpreviouslytested.Examquestionswillbemultiplechoice,butlargelybasedonconceptualandquantitativeunderstanding,NOTmemorization!Iwillholdanoptionalreviewsessionbeforeeachexam(timetobedetermined).NOTE:AbsolutelyNOmake-upswillbegivenformidtermsorthefinal.Ifyouexperienceanunexpectedemergencyforwhichyouhaveofficialdocumentation,comeseemeandwecantalk.Notethat“emergency”impliesthethreatofsignificantperil,notjustan“unexpected”occurrence.NOexamscoreswillbedropped.

Grading PackbackQuestions/Responses 10%

Homework 30% Midterm1 20% Midterm2 20% Final(comprehensive) 20%Iwillcurvecoursegradesattheendofthesemester.Ifyouwanttotrackyourprocessthroughthesemester,youcangobythetraditionalgradingscale(Afor90%andup,Bfor80-89%,Cfor70-79%,etc.).Finalgradeboundarieswillnotbehigherthanthis,butmaybelower.BlueMountainObservatoryAstronomicalObservingattheBlueMountainObservatoryPhotobyDavidPodrasky

Ifweatherpermits,IwilltrytohostaspecialobservingnightforAstronomy131/134studentsattheBlueMountainObservatory.YoucanfinddetaileddirectionsandgeneralinformationabouttheobservatoryontheBlueMountainObservatorywebsite: http://cas.umt.edu/physics/Blue_Mountain_Observatory.BlueMountainisabeautifulplacetospendaclear,latesummerevening!We’llpointoutconstellations,tellstarstories,andtourasmuchaswecanofwhat’supinthesky-planets,starclusters,nebula,anddistantgalaxies.Thisisagreatopportunityforyoutouseatelescopeatadarkskysiteandseefirsthandmanyofthethingsthatwewilltalkaboutduringthecourse.Moreinformationonpossibledateswillbediscussedinclass.

VisitUM’sStarGazingRoomIwillhostoneortwoearlyeveningstartalksinUM’sbeautifulDigistarplanetarium(room13inthebasementofPFNAC)forstudentswhowouldliketocomebutmaynotbeintheaccompanyingAstronomy134lab.Datestobedetermined.Sign-uponMoodlewillberequiredasspaceislimited.

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PersonalObligationsStudentcourtesy:Texting,talking,gameplaying,andinternetbrowsingunrelatedtothecourseareactivitiesthatDONOTbelonginthisclass.Allstudentsareexpectedtocontributetoapositivelearningenvironment.PLEASEBECOURTEOUS.Academicintegrity:AllstudentstakingthiscoursemustadheretotheUniversityofMontana’sacademicdishonestypolicyaspresentedintheStudentConductCode:(http://www.umt.edu/vpesa/Dean of Students/default.php).Anyactionsthatinclude,butarenotlimitedto,copyinganotherstudent’sexam,allowinganotherstudenttocopyfromyourexam,sharinginformationwithanotherstudentduringexams,cheatingonhomework-allarereasonsforpursuingacademicanduniversitysanctions.Studentswillbesubjecttoachargeofacademicdishonestyforanybreachofthesestandards.Thiswillresultinagradeofzeroontheparticularassignmentandadistinctpossibilityofafailinggradeinthecourseaswellasthepossibilityofexpulsionfromtheuniversity.Courseaccessibility:Ifyouareastudentwithadisabilitywhowillrequirereasonableprogrammodificationsinthiscourse,pleasemeetwithyourinstructorandDisabilityServicesforStudentsinLommasson154forassistanceindevelopingaplantoaddressanyreasonableprogrammodifications.IfyouarealreadyworkingwithDisabilityServices,pleasemakeanappointmenttomeetwithmetodiscusshowwecanmaximizeyourenjoymentofthiscourseaswellasyoursuccessinit.Formoreinformation,visittheDisabilityServiceswebsiteathttp://www.umt.edu/dss/.ADD/DROPS:Thelastdaytoadd/droponCyberBearisThursday,Sept.21.Thelastdaytodropwithyourinstructor'sandadvisor'ssignature,isThursday,Nov.2.Adrop,orchangeofgradingoptionafterMonday,Oct.31requiresthesignatureoftheDeanandwrittendocumentationofexceptionalcircumstances.Doingpoorlyintheclassdoesnotconstituteadequatereasontodroptheclassattheendofthesemester!

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Astr. 131: Course Schedule Outline- Fall 2017 Week Dates Topic 1 Aug.31 Introductiontothecourse

Asenseofscaleandplace2 Sept.5 Observing,modeling,andpredictingthemotionsoftheSun,planets,andstars

7 TheSun,Earth,Moonsystem-Seasons3 12 TheSun,Earth,Moonsystem-PhasesoftheMoon;Eclipses

14 Astronomythroughtheages4 19 Explainingmotion

21 Gravity5 26 Somecoolapplications

28 Lightandmatter-theuniverseweknow6

Oct.3 EXAM15 Interactionofmatterandradiation-readingthestoriestoldbylight

7 10 DopplershiftThermalradiationlaws

12 Waysofseeing:SimpleOptics…toNextGenTelescopes8 17 PhysicalCharacteristicsofPlanets

19 Orderfromchaos:Lookingforbasicpatternsandtrendsinourownsolarsystem9 24 Solarnebulartheory:Howdoplanetarysystemsform?

26 Insightsfromexoplanetdiscoveries10 31 DeterminingAge:Sortingoutevolutionarytimelines

Nov.2 GeologyofTerrestrialPlanets11 7 EXAM2

9 Puttingitalltogether-predictingbasicpropertiesofplanets12 14 TerrestrialPlanetAtmospheres

16 Theterrestrialplanets:Observationsanddiscoveries:PartI13 21 Theterrestrialplanets:Observationsanddiscoveries:PartII

23 ThanksgivingHoliday14 28 GiantPlanets

30 GiantPlanetMoons15 Dec.1 PlanetaryRings

7 Dwarfplanets,comets,asteroids,andmeteorites16 12 Thesearchforhabitableplanets-discoveriesandquestions

Arewealone?Dec.15 FridayFINAL10:10am–12:10pminULH101

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Packback Registration and Posting Active participation is a requirement for this course, and the Packback Questions platform will be used for online discussion about class topics. This is the first time I have used Packback, so as we progress through the semester, I welcome your feedback and/or suggestions (please communicate these via email or personal conversation, not via Packback questions). To start posting on Packback Questions

Navigate to https://Packback.co/questions and click “Register as a new student”. Make sure to register with your UM email address and official first name and last name.

Enter our class community’s access code into the “Join a new Community” module on your dashboard. Our Community access code: 708439E0-D904-0907-F2A5-EB5CF0EC05AD Follow the instructions on your screen to finish your registration. For a brief introduction to Packback Questions and why we are using it in class, watch this video: vimeo.com/packback/Welcome-to-Packback-Questions Your participation on Packback will count towards 10% percent of your final grade. In order to receive your points each week, you must post 1 Question and 2 Answers per week relevant to our class subject matter that week. Before you start posting, be sure to read the Community Guidelines found in the tutorial on Packback- accessible through a link on the right hand side of the site once you have registered and logged in. If your post doesn’t follow the Packback Community Guidelines, there is a chance it will be removed and you won’t receive points for that post. There will be a Sunday 11:59 PM deadline for submissions in your community each week. Each week, we will spend time in class highlighting some of the Packback discussions, encouraging feedback and addressing some of the most relevant and engaging posts.