Exam 1. Chapters 1 (basics), 2 (gravity, orbits,...), 3 (radiation. Also see Appendices 1 and 2 at the end of the textbook. Chapter 3 is especially important for later chapters.

Sept. 4 Monday is a holiday.

In Ch. 1 you will only be tested on sections 1.1, 1.2, 1.7. In Ch. 2 you should read sec. 2.2, 2.3, but really we will be concentrating only on sections 2.5, 2.6, 2.7. We will cover all of Ch. 3 (radiation, really important).

Date: Mon., Sept. 18 (7 lectures including first class day)

Exam 2. Chapters 4 (spectroscopy) and 5 (telescopes). Chapter 4 is especially important for later chapters, and usually difficult for students.

Date: Mon., Oct. 2 (4 lectures)

Exam 3. Chapters 6 (survey of the solar system), 15 (formation of the solar system), and 16 (the sun). [Note that we are skipping chaps.7-14 covering details of the solar system.]

Date: Fri., Oct. 13 (4 lectures)

Exam 4. Chapters 17 (properties of stars), 18 (the interstellar gas and dust), and 19 (the birth of stars).

Date: Wed., Oct. 25 (4 lectures)

Syllabus has been edited 11/17/06 past this point:

Exam 5. Chapters 19-21 (star formation, stellar evolution and death).

Date: Fri., Nov. 10 Already taken.

Revised syllabus for last two exams. Dates of exams stay the same, division of materials/topics slightly changed.

Exam 6 will cover: Chapter 22 (neutron stars, gamma-ray bursts, black holes), Chapter 23 (Milky Way galaxy; skip 23.5, Galactic Spiral Arms, 617-622; skip 23.7 Galactic Center, 625-628), Chapter 24 (other galaxies; skip last two sections 24.4 Active Galactic Nuclei, 24.5 The Central Engine of an Active Galaxy, pp. 648-662)

Date of exam 6: Monday, Nov. 20 -- Monday before Thanksgiving break. NO CHANGE [I am assuming an exam on the day before Thanksgiving break Nov. 23-25 would result in more problems than it is worth.]

Exam 7 will cover: 25 (galaxies and dark matter), 26 (cosmology) and 27 (the early universe).

Date of exam 7: Friday, Dec. 8 (last class day; 5 lectures)