Astronomy 161

Introduction to Solar System Astronomy

Spring Quarter 2007

Mo We Fr 12:00-1:18 pm Stillman 100

Course Instructor: Prof. Barbara Ryden

Office: 4035 McPherson Lab (fourth floor), 140 W. 18th Ave.

Office Hours: Mon 2:30pm - 5pm, Tue 9am - noon, or by appointment

Phone: 292-4562

Email: ryden@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

Scanned versions of the two midterm exams (with correct answers indicated) are available online:
Midterm 1 [Page 1] [Page 2] [Page 3] [Page 4]
Midterm 2 [Page 1] [Page 2] [Page 3] [Page 4]

Menu: [ On-Line Info | Lectures | Grading ]

On-Line Information

Course Syllabus [PostScript]

(Details about grading, office hours, course schedule, classroom etiquette, and so forth.)

Roof & Planetarium Nights

(On selected nights during the quarter, there will be a planetarium show in Smith Laboratory, followed by an opportunity to view the sky through a 12-inch aperture telescope.)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

(This provides a new astronomical image each day -- the subjects range from distant galaxies to our home planet, the Earth.)

NASA Planetary Photojournal

(A handy compilation of photos from NASA planetary missions.)

Universe (7th edition) website

(A useful supplement to the text: it contains self-quizzes, interactive exercises, animations, and videos)

Lectures

Monday, March 26: Introduction to Astronomy

Text: chapter 1

Wednesday, March 28: The Celestial Sphere

Text: sections 2-1 through 2-4

Friday, March 30: Seasons & Calendars

Text: sections 2-5 through 2-8

Monday, April 2: Moon Phases & Eclipses

Text: chapter 3

Wednesday, April 4: The Copernican Revolution

Text: sections 4-1 and 4-2

Friday, April 6: Kepler & Galileo

Text: sections 4-3 through 4-5

Monday, April 9: Newton's Laws

Text: sections 4-6 and 4-7

Wednesday, April 11: Applying Newton's Laws

Text: section 4-8

Friday, April 13: Light

Text: sections 5-1 through 5-4

Monday, April 16: Spectra

Text: sections 5-5 through 5-9

Wednesday, April 18: Telescopes

Text: chapter 6

Friday, April 20: FIRST MIDTERM

Monday, April 23: Solar System Overview

Text: chapter 7

Wednesday, April 25: Origin of the Solar System

Text: sections 8-1 through 8-5

Friday, April 27: Planets Around Other Stars

Text: section 8-6

Monday, April 30: The Earth

Text: sections 9-1 through 9-4

Wednesday, May 2: Earth's Atmosphere

Text: sections 9-5 through 9-7

Friday, May 4: The Moon

Text: chapter 10

Monday, May 7: Mercury

Text: chapter 11

Wednesday, May 9: Venus

Text: chapter 12

Friday, May 11: Mars

Text: chapter 13

Monday, May 14: Jupiter & Saturn

Text: sections 14-1 through 14-8

Wednesday, May 16: Rings

Text: sections 14-9 through 14-12

Friday, May 18: SECOND MIDTERM

Monday, May 21: Moons of Jupiter & Saturn

Text: chapter 15

Wednesday, May 23: Uranus & Neptune

Text: sections 16-1 through 16-8

Friday, May 25: Beyond Neptune

Text: section 16-9

Monday, May 28: Memorial Day - No Class Meeting

Wednesday, May 30: Asteroids

Text: sections 17-1 through 17-6

Friday, June 1: Comets

Text: sections 17-7 through 17-9

Grading

The course grade will be determined from the results of 2 in-class midterms (20 percent each), a final exam (40 percent), and the 6 problem sets (a total of 20 percent). See the course syllabus for more details on exams, problem sets, and the makeup and grading policies.

Exam 1: Friday, April 20, in class

Exam 2: Friday, May 18, in class

Final Exam: Wednesday, June 6, 11:30am - 1:18pm, Stillman 100

Return to: [ Astronomy Undergraduate Courses Page | Astronomy Department Homepage | Professor Ryden's Homepage ]

Updated: 2007 may 31 [Barbara Ryden]