ASTRONOMY 2140 - AUTUMN SEMESTER 2024 - Class Number 25418
MWF - 11:30-12:25
Evans Lab EL2004
Professor : Anil K. Pradhan Teaching Associate/ Inst. Asst.
4017 McPherson Lab Connor Basinger/Kiera Albrecht
292-5850 4011 McPherson Lab
pradhan.1@osu.edu bassinger.101@osu.edu
Office Hrs. Tuesdays 4-5 pm via zoom, or by appointment
Homepage: www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pradhan
Please email first to schedule zoom session for office hours
(note different zoom links below)
Zoom- https://osu.zoom.us/j/4028128638?pwd=ekM4ZHBucGlTTnNmVk1pcnVMbmhqZz09
TA help zoom sessions and by appointment
https://astronomy.osu.edu/undergraduates/astronomy-help-sessions
Recommended textbook: ASTRONOMY TODAY, Chaisson and McMillan (any edition)
Required reading source material for in-class discussions and homework:
OpenStax Astronomy, Fraknoi, Morrison, Wolff,
https://openstax.org/details/books/astronomy
Also, internet searches.
Fieldwork: Arne Slettebak planetarium shows, Director: Wayne Schlingman
Dates, times and topics on OSU Department of Astronomy Outreach:
https://planetarium.osu.edu/
COURSE GOALS and OBJECTIVES: GE Theme - Origins and Evolution
Astronomy is the oldest science. Since prehistoric times, humans have used
the sky for both creative and practical purposes. Even without modern
technology, ancient people could infer basic properties of the Earth –
such as its shape and size – and could develop models explaining what we see
in the sky. This enterprise continues into the present day. We study the
planets in our solar system with a range of tools and have launched numerous
satellites to study them. We are also now firmly in the era of exoplanet
studies and can place our Solar System in a broader context.
In this course we begin by studying how, over the course of millennia, humans
inferred that the Earth was not the center of the Universe. We then answer
fundamental questions about the planets in our own solar system: how did they
form, and what were they like in the past? Why are the terrestrial planets so
different from one another? Why do we have giant planets with many moons in
the outer solar system? How does our system compare with others?
This course covers three primary topics:
The emergence of the heliocentric model of the Solar System
The origins, properties and evolution of our Solar System
Planets around other stars.
COURSE OVERVIEW
(Detailed outline is posted daily)
Dates: Chapters Main Topics
Aug 20-31 1-2 Tests, Outline, Mid-term Exams
Heavens, Sun-Earth-Moon
Sep 1-12 3-4 Motion, Gravity, Orbit Fri Sep 13 Quiz 1
Sep 16-27 4-5 Atoms, Light, Relativity, Fri Oct 4 Quiz 2
Sep 30-Oct 2 Radiation, Spectroscopy
Oct 7-30 Telescopes, Solar System Fri Nov 1 Quiz 3
7-8 Terrestrial Planets:
Earth-Moon, Mercury
Venus, Mars
Nov 4-20 9-10 Gaseous Giant Plants: Fri Nov 22 Quiz 4
Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune
The Sun
Nov 25-Dec 4 11-12 Planetesimals, Asteroids,
Comets, Life, Exoplanets
Review/Office hours
4 mid-term quizzes, 35 questions, 35 Mins on CarmenZoom
4 in-class pop quizzes - in class prior to mid-term quizzes:
Wednesdays: Sep 11, Oct 2, Oct 30, Nov 20
(10-min duration at the end of class, 5 questions
reflecting a sample of questions to appear on the following mid-term
quiz).
FINAL EXAMINATION: DECEMBER 12, THURSDAY 10:00-11:45 AM (CarmenZoom)
All comprehensive final exam, approx. 100 multiple choice questions
N.B.: PLEASE READ THE RECOMMNDED/REQUIRED MATERIAL!
The 4 mid-term tests (35 min, about 35 multiple choice questions) will have
questions on material covered in the lectures in the previous 3-week period.
The lectures will cover most topics in the text, but not all and not
always in the same order as the chapters listed above.
The lowest test score is discounted (no makeups except emergencies).
Please keep all tests and grade sheets until the final grade.
Grading: 3/4 Tests = 45%, Final (100 Q's, Comprehensive) = 30%,
3/4 in-class 10-min 5-question quizzes 10%, Fieldwork+Homework 15%.
Fieldwork: (i) Determine approximate proportion of distances
between planets between markers on the campus, (ii) attend 3/4
planetarium shows (dates TBD).
Homework: (i) Compare measured inter-planetary
distances (relative to Earth-Sun) with
those determined by Copernicus (5%), (ii) write a 1-page, 10-point
description of each of the three out of four
planetarium shows (total for all 4 assignments -- 5+10=15%).
GRADES: 1-49 = E, 50-56 = D, 57-59 = D+, 60-62 = C-, 63-71 = C,
72-74 = C+, 75-77 = B-, 78-83 = B, 84-86 = B+, 87-89 = A-, 90-100 = A.
COURSE GOALS: Understanding the theories and methods of modern
astrophysics, investigating the relationship between science and technology,
exploring the effects of science and technology on the environment.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the basic facts, principles, theories and
methods of modern science as practiced in astrophysics: to learn important
events in the history of astrophysics, particularly the discovery of the size
and age of the Universe and our place within it; to explain the role of
modern technology in the investigation of astrophysical phenomena;
to consider the effects of human activity on the Earth, including topics
such as energy balance.