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5/19
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Course grades have been submitted.
Several students improved their course grade by taking the optional final exam.
Have a nice summer!
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5/10
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Breaking News: Exam 3 has been graded, and exam and course scores are now available on Canvas. One of the entries lists the total numerical score and, in parentheses, the corresponding letter grade. These are based on your scores on Exams 1, 2, and 3; they will be updated if appropriate after the final exam. Because grades must be submitted for all students at the same time, course grades will not be officially submitted until the final exam has been graded.
You may pick up your graded Exam 3 and any other uncollected papers during any of the office hours listed below. Also look for an Exam 3 feedback file soon to be posted.
Office hours:
(Office locations are posted on this page)
Mon., May 11: 1:30 - 2:30 PM, Prof. Dinerstein
Tues., May 12: 2:00 - 3:00 PM, Kevin
Thurs., May 14: 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Prof. Dinerstein
Fri., May 15: 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Kevin
OPTIONAL FINAL: Mon., May 18 - 9:00 AM - noon, RLM 5.104
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5/7
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Office hours next week:
(Office locations are posted on this page)
Mon., May 11: 1:30 - 2:30 PM, Prof. Dinerstein
Tues., May 12: 2:00 - 3:00 PM, Kevin
Thurs., May 14: 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Prof. Dinerstein
Fri., May 15: 1:00 - 2:00 PM, Kevin
OPTIONAL FINAL: Mon., May 18 - 9:00 AM - noon, RLM 5.104
We will endeavor to grade Exam 3 as quickly as possible, to provide information you may need when deciding whether or not to take the Optional Final Exam on Mon., May 18. We anticipate that this will be accomplished no later than Tues., May 12. In the meantime we will update Canvas with columns reporting the overall homework score and participation total. The final numerical course score will be based on these two items, plus the average of scores on the best 3 exams. The formula as described in the Syllabus gives a number on a scale of 0 - 100. You can find your predicted letter grade by locating this score on the table on the Exams page. This number will be added as a column in Canvas once the exam is graded.
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5/1
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All homeworks will be graded and available for pick-up by Tues., May 5. The Study Guide for Exam 3 is posted, and the Exam will be given on Thurs., May 7. Format, procedures, and policies are the same as for Exams 1 and 2. Score to letter-grade correspondences are expected to be the same as for Exam 1. These are stated in the table posted on the Exams page.
The remaining opportunities to earn participation credit up to a maximum of 16 points for the semester will be (1) in-class activity on May 5, plus several more possible Star Parties through May 9 (but only if weather permits). No more than 3 star parties will count. Star Party slips must be turned in, in order to receive credit.
After Exam 3 we will grade the exam as quickly as possible; scores should be available on Canvas early the following week. If you decide to take the Optional Final Exam,, there is no need to tell us in advance. Taking this exam will not lower your course grade. It will either leave your course grade the same or improve it. We will set and announce specific office hours during Finals Week for those seeking help before the final exam.
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4/28
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With the semester rapidly coming to a close, we have mostly covered ch. 19 & 20, and will talk about parts of ch. 22 & 23 on Thursday, April 30. Homework 8, the last homework assignment, is also due then. Office hours and a help session will be held on Wed., Apr. 29. Homework 7 has been graded and was returned on Tues., Apr. 28.
Only a few opportunities remain for earning participation credits, including two chances on class, plus a couple of possible Star Parties but only if the weather cooperates. If you have already earned 16 points, however, no additional points will count.
Exam 3 will be in class on Thurs., May 7. The Study Guide for it will be available on Thurs., April 30. We will hold office hours and a pre-exam Help Session next week as for previous exams.
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4/21
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We are finishing up the topics of stellar deaths and compact stars, and starting on those of the Milky Way and other galaxies. Homework 7 is due Thurs., Apr. 23 at the beginning of class. Due to an oversight, it was not posted until today, but the printed version was distributed in class last Thursday (and also today, Tues.).
We have now passed the milestone of 16 in-class exercises for earning participation credit. (One of the items on the list, the angular size of Mars, did not involve turning in anything.) If you have less than 16 points, you should consider attending a Star Party. Up to 3 may count, as long as you turn in an official signed slip within 2 weeks or the end of the semester, whichever comes first.
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4/10
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During the week of April 14 - 16 we will be talking all about the life histories of stars, in particular after the Main Sequence phase, addressed in chs. 17 & 18. We are currently taking a break from homework; Homework 7 will be distributed no earlier than Apr. 16. We will move on to the final unit, Part VI: Galaxies and Beyond in your text, which will complete our general overview of astronomy.
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4/7
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We are currently in the middle of the unit on Stars. Reading for this week includes all of ch. 15, ch. 16.3, and ch. 17.
Homework 6 has been distributed and posted. It is nominally due Thursday, Apr. 9 at the beginning of class, but will be accepted without a late penalty up until 2 P.M. on Friday, Apr. 10. You must turn it in to Kevin (or leave it under his door) by then. The Help Session will be at the usual time on Wed. If you are finding this homework set challenging, please see the Magnitudes Tutorial posted on the Lecture Slides page.
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4/3
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We are currently covering ch. 15, on the properties of stars. From there we will skip over ch. 16, and continue with ch. 17.
There will be a lunar eclipse in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, April 4, although the timing and placement is not ideal for our viewing in central Texas. The partial phase begins at 5:15 a.m., but the more noticeable full eclipse does not start until 6:57 a.m. The moon will still be eclipsed when it sets at 7:22 a.m., but you'll need a good view of the western horizon to see it. See the Current Sky Phenomena section on the Helpful Links page for more details.
Exam 2 has been graded. The overall class scores were somewhat lower than for Exam 1. We decided to add 1.5 points to every student's score. The higher number (after adding 1.5 pts) is entered on Canvas and is the one to compare with the Letter Grade Table on the Exams page. Also posted there is an Exam 2 feedback file.
Homework 6 was distributed and posted and is due Thurs., Apr. 9. Consequently, office hours and a help session will be held next week. I also recommend the Magnitudes Tutorial posted as a supplement on the Lecture Slides page. This document reviews the equations for magnitudes and illustrates a variety of manipulations using them. It should be useful to consult this, when tackling HW 6.
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3/30
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The evening sky currently features two of the brightest planets, Jupiter (high in the sky) and Venus (low in the west), plus the nearly full Moon. See the Helpful Links listings for more information.
Exam 2 is being graded and will be returned by Thursday's class (Apr. 2); grades will also be posted on Canvas. This timing allows the possibility of changing your grading basis between CR/NCR and letter grades, or for an academic drop (deadline is Apr. 6).
We are now starting our last major content area of the semester, Stars (Part V) and Galaxies (Part VI). On Tuesday, Mar. 30 we will discuss Our Sun, ch. 14, and on Thursday we will begin ch. 15, to be continued on Tuesday, Apr. 7. Homework 6 will be distributed Thurs., Apr. 2, and due on April 9. In-class exercises for participation credit will resume this Tues., Mar. 31.
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3/13
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In Part III of the textbook,Other Worlds, we have now covered the intended sections of chs. 7 & 8, and parts of chs. 10 & 13. An Exoplanet Mad Libs work sheet was distributed, and most groups derived planet masses although there was insufficient time to work through rest of it. The template is posted, and a completed example will be soon, on the Exercises page. We recommend downloading these and working through another example or two on your own.
Over Spring Break, you might find it helpful to finish the rest of the reading to be covered on Exam 2. This will include (small) parts of chs. 9, 10, & 11 and all of ch. 12. The exact sections and pages are listed on the Study Guide for Exam 2, which is now posted on the Exams page. Exam 2 will be given on Thurs., Mar. 26, with office hours and a help session available earlier in the week.
We have talked about many current and future telescopes on the ground and in space, as well as recent results on planets around other stars ("exoplanets," short for "extrasolar planets"). We will be adding links to some of the key websites for these instruments.
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3/6
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Due to the cancellation of class on Thursday, March 5, we will be covering topics in Part III in a different order than the textbook, and will skip some subsections. (Page numbers may differ between the 6th and 7th editions, but subsection numbering should be the same.) The reading for the week of March 10 and 12 is:
ch. 7.1, 7.2; ch. 8.1, 8.2; ch. 10.1
all of ch. 13
Depending on our progress this week, I may assign some additional reading on the Solar System over Spring Break.
As previously announced, HW 4 is now due before class on Tues., March 10. Also, HW 5 has been posted and is due at the beginning of class on Thurs., March 12. We expect to hold all office hours and the Wed. help session the week of March 9 - 13 (barring more bad weather and campus closings!). Both HW 4 and 5 will be graded over Spring Break and returned the following Tuesday.
Some hints on HW 5, if you want to start on it this weekend:
On question 1, part (c), assume a Keplerian orbit like the one in part (a) but with a different radius. For question 2, remember the relationship between mass and density: density equals mass divided by volume, where V = (4/3) pi R^3. We will derive the equation for question 3 in class Tuesday, but it is also in the text, as stated. Finally, you have already done calculations similar to question 4 (a); see the Exercise entitled Newtonian Orbits.
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3/4
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Updated Notice, 9:30 PM, Wed. March 4: The University has declared that no classes will meet or start earlier than 2:00 PM on Thursday, March 5. Therefore, Ast 307 class is canceled. As previously announced, HW 4 will be due Tuesday, March 10.
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3/3
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Update: Possible icy weather is forecast for Thursday morning, which means there is a chance that UT will have a delayed start or even be closed for the day. Office hours and the help session will be held as usual on Wed., March 4 for help on Homework 4 or to have your exam reviewed to see whether the grading on question 9 needs to be corrected. However, rather than leaving you wondering what to do about turning in the homework, we will make a special exception to our usual late policy in view of the unusual circumstances. If our class meets on Thursday, March 5, we will collect any homework that you are ready to turn in, but you may also turn it in on Tues. March 10 before class without any penalty for lateness. Homework 5 will be posted on Thursday and still due on March 12.
The reading for the coming week includes finishing ch. 6, and covering chs. 7 & 8, which introduce the properties of our Solar System.
The distributed version of Homework 4 gave an incorrect due date; it is due at the start of class on Thurs., Mar. 5 rather than Mar. 4 as previously listed. An updated version of the homework is now posted. We have covered the background needed for questions 1 - 3 in class. For question 4, consult ch. 6, and note that where we ask about the smallest angle that can be resolved, you are meant to calculate the diffraction limit (Math Insight 6.2).s
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2/27
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The reading for the coming week includes finishing ch. 6, and covering chs. 7 & 8, which introduce the properties of our Solar System.
The distributed version of Homework 4 gave an incorrect due date; it is due at the start of class on Thurs., Mar. 5 rather than Mar. 4 as previously listed. An updated version of the homework is now posted. We have covered the background needed for questions 1 - 3 in class. For question 4, consult ch. 6, and note that where we ask about the smallest angle that can be resolved, you are meant to calculate the diffraction limit (Math Insight 6.2).
Exam 1 was graded and returned in class on Thursday. The letter-grade correspondences to particular exam scores are posted on the Exams page. This is not a curve; it will not be adjusted in the future to enforce that a certain fraction of the class recieves a given letter grade. Instead, any student, and indeed the entire class, can raise their letter grades if they receive higher numerical scores on future exams. Furthermore, if you take the final optional (make-up) exam and do better than on any of the previous exams, the final will replace the earlier score.
It turns out that there was an error made in grading multiple-choice question 9, on some of the exams. If you believe this applies to you, please bring your exam to the office hours of either the T.A. or professor, or else turn it back in on Tuesday. We will update your score if appropriate and return the exam to you.
If you have other questions about the grading of the exam, please first read over the Exam 1 Feedback file, which addresses many of the most common reasons people lost credit. If you still have questions, please see one of us during office hours (or make an appointment if these times don't work). We are willing to review your paper, but will also check over the rest of the exam to ensure consistent grading.
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2/23
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This week we are discussing the properties of light and the methods and tools astronomers use to interpret it. This is covered in ch. 5 & 6 in the textbook. HW 4, to be distributed Thurs., Feb. 26 and due March 5, will be on this material. There will be no help session on Wed., Feb. 25, but there will be one the following week.
The exams are being graded. We expect to return them in class on Thurs., Feb. 26 and will announce the letter grade-exam score equivalences then, as well as providing some feedback (this information will also be posted, on the Exams page).
If you attended Saturday's Public Lecture and wish to earn participation credit for doing so, turn in a write-up in your own words (I do not want a verbatim copy of the slides shown, I was there!) by Thurs., Feb. 26, beginning of class.
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2/15
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Exam 1 is coming up on Thurs., Feb. 19. As previously announced, it will cover only through ch. 4, including Supplemental ch. 1 (ch. S1). Although we will begin ch. 5, Light, on Tuesday, that new material will not be on this exam. See the Study Guide for Exam 1, on the new Exams page, for (many) more details.
We have had to make a change in our office hours, just for the week of Feb. 16 - 20. T.A. Kevin will not be available Wed. morning, so he will hold a special office hour on Tues., Feb. 17, from 2 - 3 PM. Prof. Dinerstein will keep her office hours on Mon. and Wed., and the Help Session will be on Wed., 4 - 5 PM as usual.
Exam basic information: Bring pens, pencils, and a scientific calculator. Internet-capable devices may not be used during the exam. It is closed-book and closed notes, but a list of constants and equations will be provided. In order to recieve credit for this exam, you must begin it no later than 12:45 PM, and no one may leave the exam until after 12:50 PM.
Please note the opportunity to hear a Public Talk on "Alien Worlds" by UT's Dr. William Cochran on Sat., Feb. 21 on campus. You can earn participation credit if you attend, by submitting a write-up in your own words on the content of the talk (not just "I learned about exoplanets"). The write-up is due Thurs., Feb. 26.
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2/10
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We will finish ch. 4, on gravity and orbits, on Thurs., Feb. 12. Although we will then move on to other topics, the latter material (ch. 5, 6) will not be included on Exam 1. A Study Guide for the Exam will be distributed in class on Thurs., Feb. 12 and will then be posted on the class website.
By agreement of the class, our Tues. morning office hour with T.A. Kevin Jumper has been moved to Wed., 10:30 - 11:30 AM. This means that there will be three hours scheduled for office hours or help session on Wednesdays including the day before the exam.
Homework 3 is due at the beginning of class on Thurs., Feb. 12. The equation for question 4 was introduced (though not yet derived) at the end of class on Tuesday. You will also find it in the box entitled "Mathematical Insight 4.3" on page 126 of the textbook. In this problem you'll apply it in the form used to determine the mass.
Please note the very special opportunity to hear a Public Talk on "Alien Worlds" to be given by UT's Dr. William Cochran on Sat., Feb. 21 on campus. You can earn participation credit if you attend and write up what you learned (the content, not just "I learned about exoplanets"), in your own words. The write-up is due Thurs., Feb. 26.
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2/7
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On Tues., Feb. 10, we will finish ch. 3 and move on to ch. 4, on gravity. By the end of the week we will have started discussing properties of light. However, Exam 1 will cover only the material through ch. 4; later material will be covered on Exam 2, which will be given on Thurs., March 26.
Homework 3 is due Feb. 12 before class. A helpful fact for problem 2 is that Jupiter orbits the Sun in a nearly circular orbit with a radius of 5.2 A.U. (You can also look this up in the Tables in the back of the book.) Both HW 2 and HW 3 will be graded and returned before Exam 1, and a Study Guide will be distributed and posted. Office hours and the weekly help session will continue to be held any week when either a homework is due or an Exam is pending.
For those who were not in class on Thursday, most class materials are now restricted-access. The username and password must be obtained either in class or directly from the instructor or T.A.
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2/3
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We have now started on material in ch. 3, and will continue with it and ch. 4 this week. Topics for Thursday, Feb. 5 include Kepler's Laws and using Newton's law of gravity to determine the masses of astronomical objects through their orbits.
Homework 2 is due Feb. 5 before class. Several slides with background information and hints for problems on this homework were presented in class on Tues., Feb. 3. See those for clarifications on Questions 3 and 4, and an offer for 2 bonus points on question 4. Prof. Dinerstein will hold office hours on Wed., Feb. 4, and the TA will lead a help session in the afternoon (in RLM 13.132, not 13.312).
We took another vote on the date of Exam 2. It was a very close call, but March 26 won. This is the first Thursday after Spring Break. Holding it this early will somewhat limit what material is included on that exam, but it also means that you will know your scores on both Exams 1 and 2 before Apr. 6, the last day for academic Q drops.
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1/29
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As of the end of the second week of classes, we have finished the material through ch. 2.3.. The reading for next week is ch. 2.4 and ch. 3, on Kepler's Laws, the orbits of the planets, and gravity.
Homework 2 was distributed on Jan. 29 and is due Feb. 5 before class. If you did not pick up a hard copy in class, you can download the pdf from the Homework page. Office hours will be held next week as posted here. The help session on Wed. Feb. 4 from 4-5 PM is in RLM 13.132 (NOT 13.312 as previously posted!).
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1/23
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We have finished the material in ch. 1.1 (you can read ch. 1.2-1.3 for yourself), and started on measuring things on the sky in angular units. Next week we will talk about motions of astronomical objects in our sky: read at least ch. 2.1-2.2 by Tuesday.
We left off on Thursday, Jan. 22, with a cliff-hanger. See the last two Lecture slides from that day, and work out the angular size of Mars. I'll take a poll on the answer at the beginning of class on Jan. 27.
Homework 1 has been assigned and is posted on these pages. Regular office hours begin next week, and there will be a help session on Wed. Jan. 28 from 4-5 PM in RLM 13.132. Homeworks are due before class on Thurs., Jan. 29, to be eligible for full credit.
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12/18
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Brief Description:
This course provides an overview of our modern understanding of the Universe in which we live, as well as the methods we use to learn about the properties of the planets, stars, galaxies, etc. that inhabit it. Since Ast 307 fulfills the Quantitative Reasoning flag, more than half the course grade is based on the use of quantitative skills to address, analyze, and answer realistic questions, at the level of high-school algebra and geometry. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you should consider taking the alternate course Ast 301, Introduction to Astronomy, which is designed for non-science majors; however, Ast 301 may not be counted for credit towards a degree in the College of Natural Sciences. Only one of the two - Ast 301 or Ast 307 - may be taken for credit, since they are essentially different versions of the same course.
Textbook and Other Resources:
We will use the 7th edition (7/e) of Bennett's "The Cosmic Perspective," the full-length version of a widely used introductory textbook. Suggestions on how to acquire the book are discussed below. Be sure to get the correct version. Don't buy "The Essential Cosmic Perspective" or "The Cosmic Perspective Fundamentals." Also don't buy a subtitled edition such as "The Cosmic Perspective: The Solar System" or “Cosmic Perspective: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology.” None of these are sufficiently complete for our course. However, you can use the 6th edition (6/e), as long as you get the full textbook (check the exact title) rather than one of the shortened versions; in this case, some numbers of recommended (self-study) questions at the ends of the chapters may not match the announced numbers.
Textbook Options:
The Co-op is ordering three different formats of the textbook. First, they will have some new copies of the unbound (a la Carte, or looseleaf) 7th edition, chosen to knock about $50 off the price of a new bound book, but still a bit over $100. They will also have some used copies, probably mostly bound and at a similar price of slightly over $100.
Some students find that they learn course material better if they use on-line resources such as interactive tutorials and practice quizzes. The textbook publisher (Pearson Higher Ed.) has a particularly nice package of these, called MasteringAstronomy. It is possible to buy access to these learning tools along with an ebook version of the text, but this costs as much as the options described above. When bundled with a paper copy, the ebook + tools adds less than $10 to the price, a real bargain. The Co-op will offer some copies of this package, which is described here: paper text plus ebook and online access.
There are still other options that may lower the price further at the possible sacrifice of some features. You can buy the CourseSmart ebook rather than the Pearson ebook; see CourseSmart ebook. A 180-day rental costs about $73. Or you can take your chances with the various sellers of used copies of the textbook who work through Amazon or similar companies, and get a copy with a price dependent on the condition of the book.
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