Astronomy 161

An Introduction to Solar System Astronomy
Autumn Quarter 2006

Prof. Richard Pogge
MTWRF 9:30-11:18am
100 Stillman Hall

This is the website for Autumn Quarter 2006

Please visit the page for Autumn Quarter 2007 if you are taking Ast161 now.

Overview

Astronomy 161 is an introduction to modern astronomy, with an emphasis on the Solar System. The course begins with an exploration of the historical development of astronomy, tracing the path by which we have come to our present understanding of the Universe. Along the way we will build up the basic toolkit of physical concepts that we will need for our later explorations, specifically the nature of light, matter, and gravitation. The second part of the course is devoted to an overview of modern solar system astronomy, with particular emphasis on the constituents of the solar system, comparative planetology (structure, surfaces, & atmospheres) and the history and evolution of the solar system. We will end by discussing the exciting new discoveries of planets around other stars.

Course News

Autumn Quarter 2007 begins on September 19.: These are the notes from Autumn Quarter 2006. As the quarter goes on, these files are likely to be taken down.; Note that the Audio files for the lecture podcasts from Autumn 2006 have not yet been moved, but are in the audio page. They will remain there until I figure out how to swap last year's podcast with this year's in a graceful fashion.

Course Information

Syllabus
Office Hours
Homework Assigments
In-Class Quizzes
In-Class Quiz Results
The Final Exam
- How to study for the final
Roof & Planetarium Nights

Internet Resources

Lecture Notes
Gallery of Movies from Class
Study Guides
Related Readings

My Favorite Astronomy Picture Sites:: Astronomy Picture of the Day; NASA Planetary Photojournal A great collection of planetary images at JPL.; Latest pictures from the Saturn system returned by the Cassini spacecraft.; Latest pictures from the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.; Latest pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope
This Week's Sky at a Glance: Courtesy of Sky & Telescope Magazine

Lectures Notes & Podcasts

Lectures are daily at 2:30-3:18pm in 1000 McPherson Lab on the OSU campus in Columbus. Attendance is strongly encouraged, as not all essential class material will appear on these webpages.

The links below lead to the lecture notes for this course. These are only outlines of the lectures, not verbatim transcripts. Notes will generally become available at the beginning of the week in which the lectures occur.

Part I: The Starry Night

Unit 1: Introduction

Unit 2: Discovering Earth & Sky

Part II: The Rise of Modern Astronomy

Unit 3: The Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs

Unit 4: The Laws of Nature: Gravitation, Matter, & Light

Part III: The Family of the Sun

Unit 5: The Earth & The Moon

Unit 6: The Family of the Sun

Lecture Audio Podcasts

In the past, students have found it very helpful to make copies of these notes before class, and then follow along with them in lecture, making their own notes in the margins. You will find this much easier than trying to take detailed notes of everything I say.

I wish to strongly emphasize that these are only outlines of my lectures provided as aids to following along in class, not as substitutes for regularly attendance. Historically, students who have gotten into the bad habit of skipping class and just reading the web notes have performed one whole grade point below the class average.

Copyright Statement

All of the written materials provided in these web pages are copyrighted by the course instructor, except as noted. In addition, some images and animations are also copyrighted by the instructor, while others are copyrighted by the original sources. These latter appear with the written permission of the copyright holders. Please read the Copyright Statement before you make copies of any of these web pages for any purpose. Use of these notes implies that you have read and understood the copyright statement.