Help sessions: The lecture before each exam will be devoted to reviewing the material on the exam.
Additional help sessions will be scheduled for help with the homework and class material.
Required text: Jeffrey Bennett et al. "The Cosmic Perspective: Stars, Galaxies & Cosmology" (2007, 4th edition,
ISBN 0-8053-9210-6). [Note: this is an abbreviated version of the full text "The Cosmic Perspective" (4th edition) by
the same authors; it differs only by omitting the section on the solar system.]
Drop Dates: You may drop a course without academic penalty until September 27. You can then drop courses
until October 25 with a Q or F, depending on your performance in class up to that time. October 25 is also the last day
to change to or from the credit/no credit basis. After October 25, you may drop the course or withdraw from the
University only for urgent and substantiated, nonacademic reasons. Please consult the University's published calendar
(http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar) to verify these
dates and for further information.
Star Parties: Every Wednesday evening, if the weather is clear, there will be astronomical viewing with the
16-inch telescope on the roof of RLM Hall. These sessions will start about 7 p.m. during standard time and 8 p.m. when
daylight saving time is in effect. There is also a 9-inch telescope on Painter Hall that is open to UT students on Friday
evenings and to the general public on Saturday evenings. For observing hours, see the Department of Astronomy public
outreach Web page at http://outreach.as.utexas.edu/public. You
can use the 9-inch yourself if you are checked out on it. McDonald Observatory in west Texas has star parties and public
nights (see http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/visitors/programs;
phone 471-5285).
About the Instructor: Professor Shields was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Nebraska and Kansas.
He earned a B.S. in Physics from Stanford University in 1968 and a Ph.D. in Astronomy at Caltech in 1973. Following a postdoctoral
fellowship at Harvard, he joined the UT faculty in 1974. He now holds the title of The Jane and Roland Blumberg Centennial
Professor in Astronomy, and served as Chairman of the Department of Astronomy from 1990 to 1994. He teaches both graduate
and undergraduate courses at UT. His research interests include studies of nebulae, quasars and black holes, and he has published
numerous research papers and popular articles.
Suggested reading:
--Stars and Galaxies, by Michael Seeds (2003, 3rd edition), Brooks/Cole, ISBN 0-534-39447-7. An alternative
introductory text, with a good treatment of stars. See also Horizons: Exploring the Universe, by the same author, which
includes the solar system.
--Voyage to the Great Attractor: exploring intergalactic space, by Alan Dressler (1994), Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,
ISBN 0-394-58899-1, 355 pages. A combination of personal reminiscences and scientific exposition by a distinguished
observer of galaxies and the universe. Vividly written, with uninhibited commentary on various astronomical personalities.
--A Short History of the Universe, by Joseph Silk (1994), Scientific American Library (Freeman), ISBN 0-7167-5048-1,
246 pages. A nicely illustrated summary of modern concepts of the evolution of the universe, by a leading theoretical
cosmologist. Many suggestions for further reading.
--Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy, by Kip Thorne (1994), W. W. Norton & Co.,
ISBN 0-393-03505-0, 619 pages. A popular-level journey through the concepts of relativity and black holes by a
leading expert.
Other Astronomy Courses: For other courses offered by the Department of Astronomy, see the UT Undergraduate
Catalog or the UT Course Schedule (http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar).
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