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5/5
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Exam 3 grades will be posted on Canvas by the end of the afternoon on Monday, May 5, along with a column giving your overall course numerical score computed as described in the Syllabus. To see what your letter grade will be, find where your score falls in the third column of the Table on the "Exams & Grading" page. This will be your course grade, unless you take the optional Final Exam; that score will replace the lowest previous exam score if this will improve your grade.
The final exams are Thursday, May 8, 2 - 5 PM in RLM 5.104 for the 12:30 PM class, and Friday, May 9, 9 AM - noon in CPE 2.206 for the 9:30 AM class. You MUST take the exam at the time designated for the section in which you are enrolled. The final exam will be 50% longer than the previous exams and cover the material included on Exams 1, 2, and 3 in the proportions 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. You may pick up Exam 3 or ask questions during our regular office hours on Mon., Tues., and Wed. this week.
Read this before emailing the instructor or TA about unrecorded participation credits: Many students submitted write-ups on Cosmos episodes at the last class meeting. Some of these were not assigned credit because they failed to comply with the guidelines. These guidelines were announced in class repeatedly, were posted on the website for several weeks in late March - mid April, and can still be accessed in the Announcements Archive. Cosmos episodes are treated in the same way as public lectures. Write-ups must be turned in within a couple of weeks of airing of the episode, and must meet a (minimal) standard in terms of summarizing the science content of the episode. If credits for some of your write-ups are not showing up on Canvas, this is because they failed to meet those requirements.
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4/30
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Our last hour exam, Exam 3, will be on Thursday, May 1. It will cover the material listed on the Schedule of Topics & Readings page. Office hours are being held this afternoon by both professors, and there will be Help Session in the evening. All remaining participation credit documentation items (Star Party slips, Cosmos write-ups) Must be turned in at the beginning of this exam in order to count towards your grade.
We will grade this exam as quickly as possible and post the scores on Canvas, so that you can make an informed decision about whether to take the Final Exam. The final is on May 8 or May 9, depending on which section you're enrolled in.
Next week, during the "dead days" and first couple of exam days, we are not allowed to hold formal help sessions, However, we will hold all of our usual Mon., Tues, and Wed. office hours if you have questions about the course material, or contact us for appointments if necessary.
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4/25
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In our one remaining lecture, on Tuesday, April 29, we will address the topics in ch. 22.3, 23.3, and 21.2 of the textbook: inflation, structure formation, and galaxy evolution. We will also conduct the Course-Instructor Survey, for which you can earn 0.5 points of participation credit if you sign the list.
Exam 3, on Thurs., May 1, will cover topics from the Sun to cosmology (the last third of the semester). There will be a Help Session on Wednesday at the usual time and place. Alan's office hours on Tuesday (5 - 6 PM) will be held in his office because the usual room was already reserved for another class.
Some students were interested in the talk Friday afternoon, April 25. It will be in RLM 15.216B starting at 2 P.M. The room is likely to be crowded, so come early. It will last an hour. Write-ups are due no later than the start of Exam 3 on May 1. As with the earlier talks, this can earn 0.5 points of participation credit.
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4/20
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There are several clarifications and one correction on HW 6, due Thurs., Apr. 24. (The Extra Credit galaxy project is due Tues., Apr. 22.) In Problem 2, the distance modulus should be (m - M) = 40.5, not 45.4. For a bonus point, do the problem for the latter as well as the former, and discuss the results.
Clarifications and hints: In problem 1(b), assume the rotation period you found in 1(a). In Problem 3(b), the comparison value is on p. 582, not p. 592, of the text. Special units: kpc = kiloparsecs = 1000 parsecs, and Mpc = Megaparsecs. Throughout this problem set be careful about what units you are using and take care that your unit conversions are done correctly.
This coming week we will finish ch. 20 (section 20.3), then skip ahead to chs. 22 and 23. I hope that we will have time to cover ch. 21 afterwards.
With regard to the Out of Class Events which can earn participation credit, bear in mind that there are limits to how much credit you may receive for these. Initially the rule was that no more than 2.0 points could be earned from activities outside class. In view of the ice days, we have relaxed this cap a bit. However, you still cannot earn more than 1.5 points from Star Parties, nor more than 2.0 points for Cosmos episodes; further write-ups do not count. Furthermore, overall participation credit is capped at 10.0 points; in other words, participation cannot compensate for lost credit on homeworks and exams.
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4/17
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We are covering chs. 19 and 20 this week (April 15, 17); we may take the next few chapters out of order, which will be announced. The last regular, 20-point homework, Homework 6, will be available Thurs., Apr. 17 and due Thurs., Apr. 24. To ensure that your HW 6 is graded and returned before Exam 3 on May 1, please turn it in before class on Thursday. The second "Extra Credit" mini-homework was distributed on Tuesday and is due Tues., Apr. 22 before class. This is a small project using NED; you will find a link to it on the Links page.
The records of participation points are rapidly being brought up to date on CANVAS. If you have any questions about these or other scores on specific assignments, please email your T.A.
Continuing opportunities to earn participation credit outside of the class include: Star Parties (maximum of 3), Cosmos episodes (maximum of 4), and possibly a special seminar (on Apr. 25). See the Out of Class Events page for details.
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4/8
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This week we are discussing the aging and death of stars, which are covered in chs. 17 and 18 of the textbook. Next week we will move on to Part VI, Galaxies and Beyond.
Homework 5 is due at the start of class on Thurs., Apr. 10. There will be a Help Session on Wed., 7 - 8 PM, in RLM 15.216B. We have added a couple of important Links on a new page, for easy access to SIMBAD and NED, the primary data bases for stars and galaxies respectively.
There will be a total lunar eclipse on Monday night/Tuesday morning, April 14 - 15. The darkest part will be around 2 - 3 AM on the 15th. Go to www.skyandtelescope.com, scroll down to near the bottom, and under "Emailed articles," click on "April's Total Eclipse of the Moon." If you've never seen a total lunar eclipse, they are not nearly as dramatic as total solar eclipses, but still fun to see - and they last a lot longer!
If you want to earn participation credit for Cosmos, keep in mind that the same rules apply as for the public lectures earlier in the semester. You must turn in a write-up, in hard copy form, within two weeks of when the episode aired or the end of the semester, whichever comes first. Episodes earlier than those shown in the last two weeks have passed their expiration dates.
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3/28
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Exam 2 is being graded, and will likely be returned - and the scores posted on Canvas - next week (Mar. 31 - April 4). We are now in the middle of Part V: Stars in the textbook. Some chapters and sections will be emphasized more than others; details will be announced in class and posted on the schedule.
For those who follow the news, there have been a couple of recent discoveries relevant to our unit on the Solar System. An object called Chariklo, classified as a "Centaur," has been found to have rings, like the Jovian planets. The object discussed in HW 4, problem 3, Chiron, is the prototype of the Centaur class. Also, an object similar to Sedna has been found, in a very large orbit, leading to speculation that there are many bodies in this part of the Solar System. Read about both at www.skyandtelescope.com by following the links "Chariklo: An Asteroid with Rings" and "New Object Offers Hint of Planet X."
Re: Participation Credits. When you check your grades on Canvas, do not be confused by the participation total column, which lists a percentage. This column, generated automatically by Canvas, is misleading. It reports the percentage of available points to date. What counts for your course grade is the actual number of accumulated participation points. You can see this by moving your cursor into the box displaying the percentage; then it will tell you the actual point total (left number).
The new Cosmos series is now showing, and past episodes may be available for on-line viewing. You may watch several episodes for participation credit. The rules are similar to those for the public lectures: you must turn in a hard copy write-up for each episode, no more than 2 weeks from the airing, for up to 0.5 credits per episode and a maximum of 4 episodes. Prof. Dinerstein will check the write-ups before assigning credits.
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3/23
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Exam 2 will be on Thurs., Mar. 27. The Study Guide has been distributed and posted. Other tools to help you prepare for this exam incude Homeworks 3 and 4, and Exoplanet exercise we did in class on Mar. 18. Since there was insufficient time to complete the latter in class, we have posted it (see the Exercises page). You can download it and practice working through all the parts.
There will be two pre-exam help sessions: Tues., Mar. 25, 5-6 PM, and Wed., Mar. 26, 7 - 8 PM. Both will be held in RLM 15.216B, the Astronomy classroom.
Re: Participation Credits. When you check your grades on Canvas, do not be confused by the participation total column, which lists a percentage. This column, generated automatically by Canvas, is misleading. It reports the percentage of available points to date. What counts for your course grade is the actual number of accumulated participation points. You can see this by moving your cursor into the box displaying the percentage; then it will tell you the actual point total (left number).
More on participation points: There will be a seminar on results from the "Dawn" mission to the asteroid belt on Mon., Mar. 24, at 3:30 PM in RLM 15.216B. This is not a public talk, so it may be rather technical. However, you may attend it and write up what you understood from it, for participation credit.
The new Cosmos series started in early March, and past episodes are apparently available for on-line viewing. We had previously announced that you could treat these like public lectures: watch an episode and turn in a write-up of the content, for 0.5 points of participation credit per episode, with a maximum of 2 episodes. This cap will now be raised to 4 episodes, meaning that you may earn up to 2.0 points. However, you must submit a substantive, separate write-up for each episode - on separate pages - to earn this credit.
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3/19
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We have added a second help session, for the weeks of Mar. 17-21 and Mar. 24-28. The new help sessions are on Tuesdays from 5-6 PM; the Wednesday 7 - 8 PM sessions will continue. All are in RLM 15.216B, the Astronomy classroom.
Homework 4 is due Thurs., Mar. 20. It will be graded and returned the following Tuesday. Exam 2 is on Thurs., Mar. 27. A Study Guide for this exam has been distributed and is posted on the Exams & Grading page.
The new Cosmos series started in early March, and past episodes are apparently available for on-line viewing. We had previously announced that you could treat these like public lectures: watch an episode and turn in a write-up of the content, for 0.5 points of participation credit per episode, with a maximum of 2 episodes. This cap will now be raised to 4 episodes, meaning that you may earn up to 2.0 points. However, you must submit a substantive, separate write-up for each episode - on separate pages - to earn this credit.
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3/17
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On Tues., Mar. 18 we will be discussing planets around other stars, called (concisely) "exoplanets." We will be doing an extended group activity to practice using the relevant equations. It be would helpful if you read ch. 13 before Tuesday's class, paying special attention to the Mathematical Insights.
Homework 4 is due Thurs., Mar. 20. This is probably the most challenging homework we've had so far, so you may want to take advantage of this week's office hours and help sessions (we hope to add a second one, on Tuesday afternoon).
After this Tuesday we will move on to Part IV of the textbook, but Exam 2, on Mar. 27, will not include material past ch. 13.
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3/11
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We hope everyone is having a nice Spring Break. If you didn't pick up Homework 4 in class, you can download the pdf from these pages. It is due Mar. 20, the Thursday after spring break.
Neil deGrasse Tyson's reboot of Carl Sagan's Cosmos series begins Sun., Mar. 9 on FOX. You may earn participation credits for sufficiently well-written summaries (hand-written, hard copy) of up to two episodes of the 13-part series. Your writeup should focus on the astronomical content.
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3/5
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Both sections of Ast 307 will meet as usual on Thurs., Mar. 6. The 12:30 P.M. class may end a little early in order to ensure uniformity in topics covered in the two sections: we will cover through the end of ch. 12 before Spring Break, and take up Extrasolar Planets (ch. 13) on Mar. 18.
Homework 4 will be distributed and posted on Thurs., Mar. 6. It will be due Thurs., Mar. 20, with the usual office hours and help session available that week. Any remaining write-ups from the February public talks or Star Party attendance slips from before Spring Break, as well as the Extra Credit Homework assignment, must be turned in on Thurs., Mar. 6.
Another terrific public lecture is happening this week which you may attend and write up for participation credit. It should be of special interest to students majoring in RTF, Communications, Journalism, etc. Thurs., Mar. 6, 7- 8 PM, in ECJ 1.202, Dr. Frank Summers of the (Hubble) Space Telescope Science Institute will give a talk on "Truth and Beauty in Astronomy Visualization." For details, see the Out of Class Events page or pick up a flyer at Thursday's class.
And if that isn't enough, Neil deGrasse Tyson's reboot of Carl Sagan's Cosmos series begins Sun., Mar. 9 on FOX. To hear his Keynote Speech at SXSW Interactive may have a high price-tag, but watching the TV series should be affordable. You may earn participation credits for sufficiently well-written summaries (hand-written, hard copy) of up to two episodes of the 13-part series. Your writeup should focus on the astronomical content.
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3/3
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NOTICE: The University has announced that classes are canceled until (at least) 11:00 A.M. on Tues., Mar. 4. Therefore the 9:30 A.M. section of Ast 307 will not meet that day. If the University reopens at or before 12:30 P.M., that class will meet, and we encourage students in the 9:30 AM section to attend at 12:30 P.M. if their schedules permit. However, please stay alert for further possible updates from the University.
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2/28
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Office hours on Mon,, Mar. 3 (1:30 - 2:30 PM) will be with Prof. Sneden instead of with Prof. Dinerstein, and the 7 PM office hour on Wed., Mar. 5 will be held in Prof. Sneden's office.
Exam 1 scores have been uploaded to Canvas, and the graded exams were returned in class on Feb. 27. If you did not pick yours up, there will be opportunities to do so next week. No answer key will be posted; if there is something you missed and still don't understand, please see one of us.
On Tues., Mar. 4 we will continue discussing our own Solar System, and on Thurs., Mar. 6 we will talk about planetary systems of other stars. The reading includes only selected parts of chs. 7 - 13; see the Schedule of Topics & Readings page. Homework 4, on this material, will be distributed and posted on Mar. 6 and due Thurs., Mar. 20 (after Spring Break).
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2/24
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We will finish "telescopes and observing methods" on Tues., Feb. 25, and move on to Part III: Other Worlds. Due to the loss of class time caused by weather, we will only sparsely sample this section of the textbook; details will be posted on the Schedule of Topics & Readings page.
Homework 3 is due Thurs., Feb. 27, and there will be a help session for it Wed. at 7 PM. The next regular Homework (HW 4) will be due after spring break, but we will also have a small extra credit homework assignment due on or before Mar. 6.
The grading scale for Exam 1 will be announced on the Exams page and in class, and graded exams will be available for pickup, before Spring Break. The next exam will be on Thurs., Mar. 27 and will cover light, telescopes, and planetary astronomy.
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2/13
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Exam 1 will be next Thurs., Feb. 20. It will cover chs. 1 - 4 and S1, and lectures through Feb. 6. A Study Guide was passed out in class and is posted on the Exams & Grading page. We will hold the usual Office Hours next week, and a Help Session next Wednesday at 7 PM in RLM 15.216B. The latter will be an opportunity to ask questions, not an organized review.
HW 2 will be graded and returned on Tues., Feb. 18 in class. Also, keep in mind that we will have two superlative opportunities to earn Participation Credits next week by attending Public Lectures on some exciting topics. See the Out of Class Activities for more information.
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2/11
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The University of Texas has declared a 10 AM start on Tuesday, Feb. 11. The 9:30 AM section of Ast 307 will begin at 10:00 AM. The 12:30 PM section will start at the usual time.
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2/9
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HW 2, on the material in chs. 3 and 4 of the textbook, was distributed on Thurs., Feb. 6 and is posted on this site. It is due Thurs., Feb. 13 at the beginning of class. Note that although the usual late policies apply (see the Syllabus), papers turned in late might not be graded in time to be returned to students before Exam 1, which will be on Thurs., Feb. 20.
We are now moving on to new topics - light, telescopes, and the Solar System - and a lot of reading. Over the classes from Feb. 11 - 18, we will cover chs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 (note that some of these are quite short). As of the week of Feb. 24, we will have to become more selective in our readings; details will be announced and also posted on the Readings page.
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2/6
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Updated, 6:10 AM, Thurs., Feb. 6: Due to UT's late start on Feb. 6, the 9:30 AM class will begin at 10:00 AM. The 12:30 PM class will start at the usual time but may end a little early. Students in the 9:30 AM section are welcome to attend the 12:30 PM class instead.
If you cannot make either time, you may also pick up your graded Homework 1 from Prof. Dinerstein's office (RLM 16.324) during extra office hours 2 - 3 PM Thursday, Feb. 6, and 10:30 - 11:30 AM Friday, Feb. 7, or next week. Homework 2 will be posted on our website on Thursday. The due date will remain Thursday, Feb. 13.
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1/31
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The "ice day" on January 28 has delayed our course schedule slightly. With the due date for Homework 1 having been pushed back to Friday, the graded homeworks will probably be returned to you on Thursday, Feb. 6. Homework 2 will be given out that day and due Thurs., Feb. 13 before class.
More importantly, we decided to delay Exam 1 to Thurs., Feb. 20. It may now cover ch. 5 in addition to chs. 1 - 4. More information on this, and a Study Guide for the exam, will be made available no less than one week in advance.
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1/24
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Homework 1 was distributed in class on Thursday and is posted on the Homework page. It is due Thurs., Jan. 30 before class.
You should be finishing chapters 2 and S1, and moving on to chapters 3 and 4. A schedule of upcoming readings is now posted on the Readings page.
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1/21
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login information for the password-protected areas of our website will be given out in class
We will discuss your answers to the "picture" exercise on Thursday Jan 23
You should be reading text Chapter 2
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1/14
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At our first meeting of Ast 307 on Tues., Jan. 14, we conducted a survey of your background knowledge of this subject, coming into the class. We then introduced the teaching team - two instructors, two Teaching Assistants - and reviewed the Syllabus. After this, we briefly cataloged some of the different kinds of astronomical objects and discussed units and scaling. We have basically covered the material in ch. 1 of the textbook (Bennett), and will move on to ch. 2 on Thursday.
We left you with a brief exercise: to examine the image at right, and to make a list of as many different kinds of astronomical objects and structures as you can find in the image. This should be turned in at the beginning of class on Thurs., Jan. 16, for 0.5 points of participation credit. See the Exercises and Activities page for more details and a larger-format version of the image.
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