The required textbook for the course is Quantitative Astronomy by Thomas L. Swihart.

Some additional lab information will be handed out and discussed in person.

Course announcements are located at the bottom of the page.

• General Course Information and Policies (includes policies, descriptions, lab info, grading, etc.)
• Course Schedule (includes topic coverage with dates)
• Weekly Class Plan (the plan for what we will be doing in class meetings)

Main Concepts for Reading and Discussion:

• Swihart Ch. 1 and Celestial Sphere
• Swihart Ch. 2
• Swihart Ch. 3 and Telescopes
• Swihart Ch. 4
• Swihart Ch. 5
• Swihart Ch. 6
• Swihart Ch. 8
• Swihart Ch. 9
• Swihart Ch. 10
• Swihart Ch. 11 and Dark Energy

Assignments:

• Assignment #1 (due Mon Jan 30) - RP Problems: Ch. 1 - Solutions
• Assignment #2 (due Mon Feb 6) - RP Problems: Ch. 3, Ch. 9 - Solutions
• Assignment #3 (due Mon Feb 13) - RP Problems: Ch. 4, Ch. 6, Ch. 10 - Solutions
• Assignment #4 (due Wed Feb 22) - RP Problems: Ch. 5 - Solutions
• Assignment #5 (due Mon Mar 5) - RP Problems: Ch. 8, Ch. 9, Ch. 10 - Solutions
• Assignment #6 (due Mon Mar 26) - RP Problems: Ch. 13 - Solutions
• Assignment #7 (due Mon Apr 2) - RP Problems: Ch. 18 - Solutions
• Assignment #8 (due Mon Apr 9) - RP Problems: Ch. 18 - Solutions
• Assignment #9 (due Mon Apr 16) - RP Problems: Ch. 19, Ch. 20, Ch. 21 - Solutions
• Assignment #10 (due Mon Apr 23) - RP Problems: Ch. 23, Ch. 24 - Solutions

Exam Information:

• Hour Exam (Wed Mar 7) - mean = 65.4%, sigma = 16.8%, median = 68.5%
• Final Exam (Fri May 4) - mean = 71.6%, sigma = 12.1%, median = 73.0%

Useful Lab Links:

• "Jupiter's Moons" Applet
• "Trip to Mars" Applet
• "My Solar System" Applet
• "Astronautics" Applet
• "Galaxy Crash" Applet
• Local Clear Sky Clock
• Monthly Night Sky Maps
• Galaxy Zoo
• SRT User's Manual
• Searching for and Identifying Pulsars

Other Handouts, Photos, Links, etc.

• Seven Steps to Solving Physics and Astronomy Problems
• Code of Conduct in Classes

• Interactive scale of the universe
• Jupiter, Io, and shadow picture
• Europa pictures
• Tvashtar volcano on Io erupting movie
• Parkes radio telescope photo
• Arecibo radio telescope photo (above)
• Arecibo radio telescope photo (along the track)
• Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) photo
• Planck blackbody radiation illustration
• Blackbody B-V color illustration
• Planetary nebula M57 (Ring Nebula)
• Supernova remnant M1 (Crab Nebula)
• CMB blackbody fit
• CMB background (COBE, WMAP)
• Pie chart of the universe
• Do not confuse dark matter with dark energy!