Welcome (back) to Intro Astronomy

AST 1002-107/108

Dr. Dan Caton

Lab: Kelly Kluttz and

Paul Robinson

Astronomy at ASU

~8-12 majors and a few grad students I am one of 3 Ph.D. astronomers Me: BA & MA, USF; Ph.D. Univ. Fla.

Office Hours…

Around more than this …

Tele-Communication

262‑2446 (fax -2049) Campus e-mail: catondb (I check my e-

mail all day (M-F) and will reply) Internet: catondb@appstate.edu Read or forward your ASU email! World Wide Web homepage:

www.Dan.Caton.name WWW page for this course: found on the

WebCT system

Textbooks

The Cosmos:Astronomy in the New Millennium, Pasachoff and Filippenko, 2001. This is a paperback issued to you at the bookstore under the lease plan. Note that there is a different text used by the other sections of AST 1002--make sure you get the right book!

Introductory Astronomy Lab Manual, sold in a 3‑ring binder, in the bookstore. You should still have this!

How many of you need to buy this?

Where and when…

Lecture: CAP 150, 3:30‑4:45 Tuesday & Thursday.

Lab: Rankin 354, Thursday night as scheduled. Starting this week?

(may swap early/late with approval)

Attendance…

Lecture Attendance: Lecture attendance is expected since exams are based primarily on lecture material. Attendance will also be checked with randomly given pop quizzes. Students missing lecture classes are responsible for finding out from their classmates whether there were any announced lab schedule changes.

Lab Attendance: Read onerous rules…

Exams

Two one-hour exams

The Final Exam is part “Exam 3” and part comprehensive, and is scheduled for 9:00 am - 11:30 m, on Thursday, May 8, 2003, in CAP 150

Special Needs

Students with special disabilities are invited to disclose special needs to the instructor.

Homework

Homework exercises are to be done first on scratch paper and then neatly copied, in pencil, onto the paper provided, and turned in at the beginning of the class session on the due date. Messy work or folded/crumpled papers will receive a reduced grade.

Homework grading includes grammar, spelling, and correct use of math and significant figures. No credit will be given for homework turned in after it has been graded and returned.

Grades

See syllabus for weighting of grades + one letter based on participation,

positive or negative (that’s life…). Positive: discussion, etc. Negative: interruptions, cells, etc.

Grades will be posted on WebCT Seniors do not have to graduate… Scale … nominal

Extra Credit

Extra credit work is not assigned or accepted. This is because such work is usually done in lieu of the required work that has been assigned as part of a logically thought-out curriculum, and is thus illogical

Schedule

Chapters 9-20 (shorter book) Side discussions as they develop No topical schedule planned

Caffeine / nicoteine break

1. Astrology

2. Psychics

3. Homeopathic medicine

4. UFOs

Objective #1:Pseudo/Science

Objective #2: Numbers

Measure, record data Treatment of numbers Computer use Systems, theories and models Theory / data match + errors Interpretation of graphs, such as…

… this

Let’s look a little closer …

… at the data:

Objective #3: Language

The language of science: astronomical terms

Scientific publications

Objective #4: The Web

Resources

Evaluating a Web site – how easy it is to publish.

Objective #5: Science as a Human Activity

Environment Global warming Nuclear waste End of oil era Big Science $ Science & military Science in the

media

Topics: our Sun

Stars: properties

Multiple Stars: Binaries and Clusters

Stellar Evolution

Galaxies: Ours and Others

Cosmology

Whoops! This is cosmetology….

Cosmology: past and future of the Universe

Exobiology and SETI