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Scholastic Honesty Policies
The University of Texas and the College of Natural Sciences have strong codes of ethics regarding the
issue of academic integrity. Submitting as your work any materials for which you are not responsible,
or cheating during an exam, will not be tolerated.
For further information, see the Dean of Students website:
http://www.utexas.edu/depts/
dos/sjs/academicintegrity.html
Students With Disabilities
Any student with a documented disability (physical or cognitive) who requires academic accomodations should contact
the Services for Students Disabilities group at the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6529 (or 471-4641, TTY
for hearing-impaired students) as soon as possible to request an official letter outlining the authorized
accomodations for this student.
Special Note
As described in the general "Memo to Undergraduate Astronomy Students," your professor is also a
researcher who must occasionally travel to meetings during the academic semester. In general the class
will meet as usual and the lecture will be given by a visiting speaker, or other activities will be
scheduled.
Important Dates for the Spring 2003 Semester
First class meeting: Mon., Jan. 13 (first day of UT classes)
Last day of official add/drop period: Thurs., Jan. 16
Last day to drop a class with a possible refund: Wed., Jan. 29
Last day to drop a class with an automatic "Q": Mon., Feb. 10
Last day to drop except for non-academic reasons: Mon., Mar. 24
(after this date, it becomes extremely difficult to drop a course)
Last class meeting: Fri., May 2
Topics We Plan to Cover / Approximate Timing
Introduction & review of the principles of matter and light
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Unit 1/Quiz 1
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The Sun & the mystery of the missing neutrinos
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The Main Sequence from "superstars" to brown dwarfs
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Unit 2
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"Extrasolar" planets - no longer speculation, now a reality!
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Star formation: in darkness born
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Unit 3
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The mid-life crisis of stars: the giantism syndrome
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The last days of a Sun-like star: planetary nebulae and white dwarfs
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Final days of massive star: the supernova smash-up, pulsars
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Special relativity: weird science at super speeds
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Unit 4
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General relativity: a "warped" theory of gravity
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Introduction to black holes
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Unit 5
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The intrigues of interacting stars
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The high-energy universe: "magnetars" & gamma-ray bursts
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