CALENDAR FOR  FALL 2006/A301 (50405)
	http://www.as.utexas.edu/~sj/a301-fa06

Below is an approximate calendar for the course and a reading list, 
based on the course textbook,  "Cosmic Perspectives", **4th** 
Edition. I will try to stick to the calendar, but there may be
minor changes during the semester, and I request that you check 
the online version of the calendar on the class website regularly.


WEEK 01: Aug 31
  Introduction 
  
WEEK 02: Sep 05 + Sep 07
  Astronomical Objects and Key Concepts 
  READ: Ch. 1.1; 5.3 and cover examples in Appendix C 

WEEK 03: Sep 12 + Sep 14
  Sizes and Distances: From the Microscopic to the Grandest Scales
  Angular sizes and distances
  Timescales: From the Earliest Epochs to the Present Day
  READ: Ch. 1.2; 2.1   

WEEK 04: Sep 19 + Sep 21
  The Four Fundamental forces.
  The Universal Law of Gravitation. Kepler's Laws 
  READ: Ch. S4.2; 4.4
  Explaining Natural Phenomena on Earth
  READ: Ch. 2.1;2.2;2.3;2.4


WEEK 05: Sep 26 + Sep 28
  History and Science of Astronomy  (300 BC to 1915 AD) 
  READ: Ch. 3

WEEK 06: Oct 03 + Oct 05
  Energy and  Conservation Laws. Nuclear Fusion and E=mc^2
  READ: Ch. 4.3
  Why does the Sun Shine?
  READ: Ch. 14.1, 14.2

  EXAM 1

WEEK 07: Oct 10 + Oct 12
  Nuclear Fusion and E=mc^2
  READ: Ch. 15.1, 15.3

  The Electromagnetic Spectrum. Light as waves and particles
  READ: Ch. 5


WEEK 08: Oct 17 + Oct 19
  Unveiling properties of stars from thein continuum light
  Kirchoff's law, Wien's law, Stefan Boltzmann law
  The H-R diagram 
  Mass, Radii, Densities, Luminosities of stars
   READ: Ch. 17.2--17.4; 18.1--18.4 


WEEK 09: Oct 24 + Oct 26 
  Birth. Life, and Death of Stars 
  READ: Ch. 17.2--17.4; 18.1--18.4 


WEEK 10: Oct 31 + Nov 02
  Current and Next Generation Telescopes
  NASA's four Great Observatories
  READ: Ch. 6

 

WEEK 11: Nov 07 + Nov 09
  Types of Galaxies.
  READ: Ch. 19.1; 20.1
  Galaxy interactions 
  Star formation in galaxies 
  Black holes and Active Galactic Nuclei in galaxies
  READ: Ch. 21.2;21.3

  EXAM 2 on Nov 9

 
WEEK 12: Nov 14 + Nov 16
  The photon model of light 
  Emission and Absorption Lines 
  READ: Ch. 5
 
  Hubble's Law: Cosmological Redshift and the Expansion of the Universe 
  Doppler redshift vs Cosmological redshfit 
  Getting distances and ages of galaxies
  READ: Ch. 20.3; 21.1
  Looking back in time using cutting-edge galaxy surveys: GEMS, GOODS, HUDF  
  Exploring how galaxies form and evolve 
  READ: Online Sky & Telescope article on class website + Ch 21.2


 
WEEK 13: Nov 21 + Nov 23=Thanksgiving
  Dark Matter. Dark Energy 
  READ  Ch. 22

WEEK 14: Nov 28 + Nov 30  
  The Big Bang Model 
  From t=10-43 s to t=1s in the Big Bang model
  READ  Ch. 23

  From the first second to the first billion years in the Big Bang model
  READ  Ch. 23

WEEK 15: Dec 05 + Dec 07
  EXAM 3 on Dec07