Note this is designed only to provide a guide to what is covered in class. The lectures will not follow the book verbatim, and what is emphasized in the lectures will be emphasized on the tests.

Schedule
Jan 7 - Introduction, scale of the universe, nature of science [Prologue]
Jan 9 - Why we see the sky the way we do, seasons, phases of the moon [3]
Jan 14 Laws of motion: Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton [1.2-1.4,2.1-2.3]
Jan 16,21 - Light, Radiation and Spectra [4], some discussion of Telescopes [5.1, 5.5, a little on 5.2,5.3]
Jan 23 - Introduction to the Solar System [6], The Earth as a Planet [7.3-7.5]
Jan 28 - Midterm (25%)
Jan 30, Feb 4 - The Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars [8,9]
Feb 6 - The Giant Planets [10,11]
Feb 11 - Rings [11.4], Asteroids [12.1-12.2], Pluto [11.3]
Feb 13 - Origin of the Solar System [13.3], also part of [20]
Feb 18 - The Birth of Stars and the Search for Planets [20.1,20.3].
Feb 20 - The Search for Life Elsewhere [Epilogue]
Feb 25 - The Sun as a Star [15], study guide for midterm
Feb 27 - Midterm (20%)
Mar 4,6 - Spring Break
Mar 11, 13, 18 - Analyzing Starlight [16], Types of Stars [17], Stellar Evolution [21,22.1-2], Celestial Distances [18]
Mar 20 - Our Galaxy (the Milky Way) [24.1-3]
Mar 25 - Other Galaxies [25.1-3,27.2], Dark Matter [24.4]
Mar 27, Apr 1 - Galaxy Centers [24.5], Quasars and Active Galaxies [26.1-3], review for midterm
Apr 3 - Midterm 25%
Apr 8, 10 - Expansion of the Universe [25.5,27.1, 28.1-3]
Apr 15 - Black Holes [23], also Gravitational Lensing [26.4]
Apr 17 - The Very Early Universe
Apr 22 - Recent Breakthroughs in Cosmology
Apr 24 - Course/Final Review
Final - 30%

The numbers in parentheses correspond to the chapters in the book in which this material is discussed. Some material in a few chapters will not be covered on exams (this will be noted in class), and material not in the book may be discussed in class. All subjects discussed in class may be on the tests/exams.