Lecture Notes

I. Introduction and History (Ch. 1 - 2)

• Astronomy: Introduction, Scientific Method and Observation (8/21)
• Observations, Constellations and Coordinate Systems (8/23)
• Motions, tilt of Earth's axis, Phases of the Moon, Eclipses, Planet motions (8/28 - 8/30)
• History and development of astronomy including Kepler's Laws (8/30 - 9/6)
• Gravity and Newton's Laws of Motion, orbits (9/11)

II. Light, Earth, Moon ( Ch. 3, 5, 6)

• Light: Properties and Temperature (9/18 - 9/20)
• Light: Spectroscopy and Atoms (9/20)
• Earth: Properties, Interior, Surface (9/25 - 9/27)
• Earth: Atmosphere, Magnetic Fields (9/27 - 10/2)
• Moon (10/2, 10/9)
• Models Review (10/2)

III. The Other Planets (Ch 7- 10)

• Overview of Solar System (10/11 - 10/16)
• angular momentum (10/11)

• Inner planets

  • Mercury (10/16 - 10/18)
  • Venus (10/18 - 10/23)
  • Mars (10/23 - 10/25)
  • summary of terrestrial planets (10/25)

• Outer planets

  • Jupiter (10/30 - 11/1)
  • Saturn (11/1 - 11/6)
  • Uranus (11/13)
  • Neptune (11/15)
  • Pluto (11/20)
• Meteors, Asteroids and Comets (11/27 - 11/29)